Pirates' Jake Mangum Discusses One Thing He Hates The Most
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Jake Mangum was recently traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates after spending his first big-league season with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 29-year-old played in 118 games and had 405 at-bats on the year. After spending years working his way through the minor leagues, Mangum was finally ready to take his career to the next level.
His batting average sat at .296 as his OPS was just under the .700 mark (.698). With 64 strikeouts on the year, there was one are in particular Mangum knew he needed to work on.
Mangum picked up 120 hits, but only three of those were home runs. He still drove in 40 RBIs, but it's clear Pittsburgh didn't bring him in as a big power guy. That said, he knows what he was brought in to do, along with what he knows he can't be doing at this stage in his career.
Jake Mangum On His Hatred For Striking Out
Jake Mangum: "There is nothing more that I hate doing than striking out." Love it. Preach, brother. pic.twitter.com/I8nCUmKbax
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) December 31, 2025
"I've just never liked striking out. I hate it," Mangum said. "There is nothing more that I hate doing than striking out. If there's two strikes and I can just touch it, you have an opportunity to get on first base, and I can steal second base and the guy behind me drives me in."
Mangum continued, "Or if you reach on a fielding error, you reach first base and get to second on a passed ball. There's just different ways to help the team win. I know striking out isn't one of them."
Pirates fans were delighted with his response as it's clear the Mississippi native knows exactly what he was brought to this team to do. He's a switch hitter which helps add even more depth and options to a Pirates lineup that had previously been lacking for years.
Mangum Could Be Pirates Hidden Gem
Outfield depth is key, and Mangum is a true swiss army knife. He made 63 appearances in left field but also played in center 41 times and was needed in right field on 32 occasions. No matter who needs a day off or where Mangum needs to play in the outfield, he'll fit in just fine.
There's still debate as to whether or not the team should bring back Andrew McCutchen, but this Mangum addition may have put that to rest. It wouldn't hurt to have the veteran on the roster, but Mangum stole 27 bases last season and brings a different approach to the team. That discussion will continue for weeks to come, but at this point in time the team is content with their newest outfielder.
-8bfc4854a6a49ec0e06fe32d76334d6d.jpeg "Jordon Lawrenz")
Jordon Lawrenz began his On SI journey writing for the Tennessee Titans and Iowa Hawkeyes. Since then, he's began contributing to both the New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.