Five Internal Candidates to Solve One of Pirates' Biggest Problems
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have areas they must improve heading into 2027, especially if they want to make the postseason.
The Pirates were awful against left-handed pitching in 2026, particularly left-handed starting pitching, going 18-33, compared to 64-47 against right-handed starting pitching.
Only four teams had fewer wins against southpaw starters than the Pirates, and their slash line of .231/.303/.360 for an OPS of .663 was one of the poorest, the second-worst slugging percentage, fourth-worst OPS, seventh-worst batting average and 11th-worst on-base percentage.
The Pirates will look externally for a solution, but there are a few players they already have who could fix this problem too.
Five Internal Candidates to Solve Pirates' LHP Woes
No. 1: SS Konnor Griffin
Konnor Griffin was one of the top young talents in 2026 and showed that in a variety of ways whenever he was playing.
The Pirates shortstop finished his rookie season batting .272/.324/.404 for an OPS of .728 in 80 games, with 85 hits, 15 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 33 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
Griffin also excelled against left-handed pitching, batting .325/.374/.458 for an OPS of .832, with 27 hits in 83 at-bats.
The Pirates will most likely have Griffin bat leadoff next season, and if he can start off games with hits off southpaws, then they'll be in a much better position than they were previously.
Griffin should get even better in 2027, as long as he can stay healthy and serve as a big part of the Pirates lineup.
No. 2: CF Oneil Cruz
There was no Pirates player who improved more against left-handed pitching last season than center fielder Oneil Cruz.
Cruz went from hitting .102/.224/.176 for an OPS of .400 in 2025, 11 hits in 108 at-bats, to batting .326/.374/.473 for an OPS of .847 in 2026, with 42 hits in 129 at-bats, five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 19 RBI.
He put in work over last offseason to address his issues and turned into the Pirates' best hitter against southpaws, even as a left-handed hitter himself.
Cruz, like Griffin, missed extended time with injury in 2026, so he can help solve the problem, as long as he stays healthy.
No. 3: RF Esmerlyn Valdez
The Pirates lacked power in July, but right fielder Esmerlyn Valdez came through in a big way to keep their season going.
Valdez won National League Rookie of the Month honors for July, batting .250/.355/.587 for an OPS of .942, with 23 hits in 92 at-bats, five doubles, eight home runs an 25 RBI.
One way Valdez can be big for the Pirates is that right-handed power bat that attacks lefties, which he did in 2026, slashing .233.378.633 for an OPS of 1.011, with 21 hits in 90 at-bats, seven doubles, a triple, nine home runs, 26 RBI and 21 walks to 38 strikeouts.
There are concerns for Valdez, especially after he hit .169/.306/.305 for an OPS of .611 in his final 35 games.
Valdez went through a great deal as a rookie, and will get this offseason to work back from a hamstring injury and improve against adjustments major league pitching made against him.
No. 4: LF Bryan Reynolds
The Pirates' injuries played a big role in them missing the postseason in 2026, but one player who avoided them was left fielder Bryan Reynolds.
Reynolds played all 162 games in 2026, the first Pirate to do so since Jason Bay in 2005, and led MLB with 40 doubles, the first Pirate to do so since Freddy Sanchez hit 53 in 2006, the season he won the NL Batting Title.
A switch-hitter, Reynolds performed well against left-handed pitching, batting .276/.364/.443 for an OPS of .807, with 58 hits, 14 doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBI.
It was his best season against southpaws since batting .325/.403/.512 for an OPS of .915 in 2021, his first All-Star season.
The Pirates having a dependable switch-hitter against left-handed pitching is crucial and Reynolds will need to fill that role again in 2027.
No. 5: C Rafael Flores Jr.
Finding offensive production from the catcher position hasn't been easy, but the Pirates may have found just that in catcher Rafael Flores Jr.
The Pirates rookie hit .264/.331/.527 for an OPS of .858 in 47 games in 2026, with 39 hits, six doubles, 11 home runs and 25 RBI.
Flores was also excellent against southpaws, batting .275/.359/.565 for an OPS of .924, with 19 hits in 69 at-bats, two doubles, six home runs and 15 RBI.
The Pirates traded David Bednar to the New York Yankees at the 2025 deadline for Flores and two other prospects, as they hoped to add a right-handed power-hitting catcher.
Flores has done that part, and if he can develop more defensively, he should be the Pirates' starting catcher for 2027.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.