Jake Mangum Takes Another Step in Pirates Career
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have relied on outfielder Jake Mangum in a number of ways this season, but he showed them something he hasn't done so far in 2026.
Mangum hit his first home run with the Pirates, coming in the bottom of the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at PNC Park on May 30, taking him 98 at-bats to do so.
He hit an 87.8 mph four-seam fastball off of Twins right-handed starting pitcher Bailey Ober, which he threw in the inside-top part of the strike zone, and Mangum obliged, sending it 104.5 mph off the bat and 410 feet to right-center field.
That home run was a solo shot, giving the Pirates a 2-1 lead and helped spark a rally where they scored five more runs to give themselves a 7-1 advantage.
Jake Mangum hits his first home run as a member of the @Pirates! pic.twitter.com/gwy6AsdtOw
— MLB (@MLB) May 30, 2026
Why This Home Run is So Significant for Mangum
Mangum is not a power hitter whatsoever, and that's not being mean, he quite literally never hits for power at all.
He ranks amongst the least powerful bats in all of baseball, with his 83.5 mph exit velocity the ninth-lowest, his 104.2 mph highest exit velocity the 12th-lowest, his 24.7% hard hit rate the 20th-lowest among MLB players with at least 50 batted ball events, per Statcast.
Mangum was also one of eight MLB batters that had no barrels in any of their batted ball events this season before his home run.
He is almost the antithesis to teammate and Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz, who ranks amongst the most powerful hitters in baseball, with the highest max velocity this season (119.0 mph) and in Statcast history (since 2015, 122.3 mph) and the best hard hit rate (61.4%).
Mangum only hit three home runs in 118 games and 405 at-bats with the Tampa Bay Rays in his rookie season in 2025 at 29 years old.
He also hit just 24 home runs across 438 minor league games from 2019-25, with the most home runs he hit in a season at nine in 2021, between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton.
Mangum Providing Other Help for Pirates
The Pirates have relied on Mangum in other ways than his power, particularly for his versatility in outfield.
Mangum has played all three outfield spots this season for the Pirates, with 12 starts in 26 games played in left field, four starts in five games played in center field and seven starts in nine games played in right field.
He also is a useful piece off the bench to pinch-hit, where he can provide an infield single, which he led MLB in last season, or lay down a bunt.
If Mangum gets on base, then he can serve as a speedy option too, stealing a base or just getting faster to home plate to tie up a game or win it late.
The Pirates will want better hitting overall from Mangum, who is slashing .253/.321/.303 for an OPS of .624 in 40 games this season, but he has a role on this team and they plan to keep using him in similar ways.
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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.