Pirates 2026 Spring Breakout Roster Announced
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have some of the best future talent in baseball and will showcase that in an upcoming game.
The Pirates revealed their final roster for the Spring Breakout Game, a Spring Training game where two MLB teams put out some of their best prospects against each other.
Pittsburgh has 27 players on their final Spring Breakout Game roster, trimmed down from their initial preliminary roster of 40 players. It features 10 pitchers, three catchers, nine infielders and five outfielders in total.
The Pirates face off against the Detroit Tigers in the annual Breakout Game, hosting their foe at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla. on March 20 with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.
MLB Spring Breakout is in its third year and will take place March 19-22, featuring the best prospects from every franchise across the league.
The games will take place with Grapefruit League teams facing each other in Florida and Cactus League teams doing the same at their Spring Training stadiums in Arizona. The Pirates faced off against the Phillies last season, losing 5-3 at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater.
Overview of the Pirates Spring Breakout Game Roster
The Pirates will have the top prospect in baseball Konnor Griffin leading the team in his second Spring Breakout Game.
Griffin will also go up against Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle, who is the second best prospect in baseball, making for a great No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.
Right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez, who the Pirates took sixth overall in the 2025 MLB Draft, will lead the pitching staff in his first Spring Breakout game.
Second baseman Termarr Johnson, who the Pirates took fourth overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, is in the Spring Breakout game for the third straight year. Catcher Omar Alfonzo and power-hitting first baseman Tony Blanco Jr. are the three players who will have played in all three Spring Breakout games.
Two other important top prospects in this game for the Pirates include shortstop Wyatt Sanford, second round pick in 2024, and rising outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez, who was the best home run hitter in the farm system last year.
Other top pitching prospects to look out for include right-handed starter Wilber Dotel and right-handed reliever Brandon Bidois, who both earned 40-man roster spots this offseason, along with Valdez.
The Pirates won't have some of their top prospects, particularly those that will play at the major league level this season and have played in this game before.
Some of these players included top pitching prospects in left-hander Hunter Barco and right-handers in Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington and Antwone Kelly, outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia, who the Pirates got in a trade from the Boston Red Sox this winter, plus the likes of catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores Jr. and utility player Nick Yorke.
The most surprising omission from the Spring Breakout roster for the Pirates was outfielder Edward Florentino, who had a sensational 2025 and is not near the major league roster.
Pirates Players on Spring Breakout Game Roster
Pitchers (10)
Name | Arm | MLB Pipeline Ranking on Pirates (Ov.) | Baseball America Ranking | Spring Breakout Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Seth Hernandez | Right | 3rd (29th) | 4th (38th) | First |
Wilber Dotel | Right | 13th | 10th | Second |
Levi Sterling | Right | 16th | 23rd | First |
Khristian Curtis | Right | 24th | 15th | Second |
Jeter Martinez | Right | 28th | 24th | First |
Zander Mueth | Right | 26th | 25th | Second |
Reinold Navarro | Left | 27th | 16th | First |
Brandon Bidois | Right | None | None | Second |
Justin Meis | Right | None | None | First |
Cy Nielson | Left | None | None | First |
Catchers (3)
Name | Batting Side | MLB Pipeline Ranking on Pirates (Ov.) | Baseball America Ranking | Spring Breakout Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Omar Alfonzo | Left | 17th | 13th | Third |
Easton Carmichael | Right | 19th | 26th | First |
Edgleen Perez | Right | 23rd | None | Second |
Infielders (9)
Name | Position | MLB Pipeline Ranking on Pirates (Ov.) | Baseball America Ranking | Spring Breakout Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tony Blanco Jr. | 1B | 30th | 29th | Third |
Yordanny De Los Santos | SS/3B/2B | 21st | None | Second |
Duce Gorson | 2B/3B/1B | 29th | 21st | First |
Murf Gray | 3B | 20th | 27th | First |
Konnor Griffin | SS | 1st Overall | 1st Overall | Second |
Termarr Johnson | 2B | 7th | 7th | Third |
Darel Morell | SS | 18th | 17th | First |
Callan Moss | 1B | None | None | First |
Wyatt Sanford | SS | 8th | 12th | Second |
Outfielders (5)
Name | MLB Pipeline Ranking on Pirates (Ov.) | Baseball America Ranking | Spring Breakout Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
Titus Dumitru | None | None | First |
Mitch Jebb | None | None | Second |
Brian Sanchez | None | None | First |
Will Taylor | None | None | First |
Esmerlyn Valdez | 11th | 11th | Second |
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.