Five Standout Pirates Hitters in Spring Training
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates need players to step up and produce as hitters in 2026 and some showed that in Spring Training.
The Pirates didn't have the greatest performance as a team this spring, but they were much improved from their mostly last place finishes in statistical categories in 2025, including home runs, runs scored, RBI, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.
Pittsburgh was still in the bottom half in many hitting stats, but they were higher than expected with no stat lower than 39 doubles (26th) and most around the No. 17-21 mark.
A few Pirates players stood out amongst the rest in Spring Training, which bodes well not just for the team this year, but for the future as well.
OF Jhostynxon Garcia: .405/.463/.595 (1.058 OPS)
Jhostynxon Garcia excelled from the plate in Spring Training for the Pirates and was their most effective hitter throughout.
Garcia led all Pirates hitters, through at least 17 games played, with his entire slash line, with a team-high 15 hits in 37 at-bats. He also ranked tied for second with three stolen bases and nine runs scored and tied for third with two home runs.
The Pirates added Garcia via trade this offseason and he showed them exactly why he will be a big time contributor for them in the future.
He has great bat speed and has impressive amounts of power, as he showed with 20+ home run seasons in the minor leagues the past two years.
Garcia didn't make the Opening Day roster, but the benefit for him is that he'll get every day reps as a hitter and in the outfield at Triple-A Indianapolis.
CF Oneil Cruz: .370/.438/.630 (1.068 OPS)
Oneil Cruz only played in 10 Spring Training games, but was efficient from the plate during his short time with the Pirates
He finished with 10 hits in 27 at-bats, led the team with five stolen bases, tied for third with two home runs and tied for fourth with seven runs scored, had four walks to nine strikeouts.
Cruz came into 2026 off a 2025 campaign that saw him finish as the worst qualified hitter in baseball with a .200 batting average.
The 27-year old is looking to finally have his breakout season and he'll do so by getting more hits, stealing more bases and becoming more than just the power bat that people know him for.
Cruz also performed well with Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, with a slash line of .600/.750/2.000 for an OPS of 2.750 in four games, three hits in five at-bats, two home runs, four RBI, four runs scored, a double and three walks with no strikeouts.
If he can cut down on the strikeouts, which he's led the Pirates in the past two seasons, he'll find himself on base more often and become the threat on the basepaths that will score his team more runs in close games.
INF Nick Gonzales: .364/.382/.424 (.806 OPS)
The Pirates need more from Nick Gonzales in 2026, particularly from the plate, where he showed inconsistiencies by each month.
Gonzales, the seventh overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, will play at third base this season and at least through Spring Training, he showed he improved upon his hitting.
His strikeout rate was a tad high, 26.7%, but he had 12 hits in 24 at-bats that didn't end in strikeouts, meaning that if he puts the ball in play, he's getting on base 50% of the time.
Gonzales, like Cruz, played in the WBC and represented Team Mexico, giving him valuable experience heading into this upcoming campaign with the Pirates.
INF Yordanny De Los Santos: .462/.500/1.231 (1.731 OPS)
The first pick for a prospect who mostly played in the later innings, but Yordanny De Los Santos made the most of his opportunities in Spring Training.
He finished second with three home runs, with only top prospect Konnor Griffin hitting more with four home runs. De Los Santos also had six hits in 13 at-bats, tied for third with eight RBI and had six runs scored.
De Los Santos just turned 21 years old in February and joined the Pirates on a $1.2 million signing bonus in the International Signing Period Class of 2022 from the Dominican Republic.
He spent almost all of 2025 with Single-A Bradenton and slashed .249/.311/.388 for an OPS of .699 in 116 games, with 115 hits, 27 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 54 RBI, 40 walks to 137 strikeouts and 51 stolen bases on 65 attempts.
De Los Santos should start with High-A Greensboro, but is one of the better prospects in the Pirates farm system and him showing his power this spring is an important step towards moving through the minor leagues.
C Endy Rodríguez: .308/.400/.577 (.977 OPS)
The Pirates need a catcher that can produce from the plate and Endy Rodríguez showed that in his 10 Spring Training games.
Rodríguez had two home runs, also tied with Cruz and Garcia for third most on the Pirates, led the team with 10 runs scored, had eight hits in 26 at-bats, added six RBI, plus four walks to eight strikeouts.
He is coming off an injury-riddled 2025 season where he suffered a laceration to his index finger and then needed an ulnar nerve transposition that held him to just 18 games with the Pirates. He also needed UCL surgery that kept him out almost the entire 2024 campaign.
The Pirates have Rodríguez in Triple-A to start the campaign, where he'll get opportunities to catch from behind the plate and impress with his bat.
If he can do those two things, then the Pirates could have their best hitting catcher ready to contribute later on in 2026.
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.