Pirates Left-Handed Duo Could Turn Heads at Spring Training
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have an impressive pitching staff, including a few pitchers who have something to prove in 2026.
Rookie Hunter Barco and the newly acquired Mason Montgomery are left-handed pitchers that each have a crucial Spring Training ahead of them, as the 2026 season gives them a chance to star in the most important moments for a Pirates team that has playoff aspirations.
Pirates manager Don Kelly praised Barco for "throwing well really early in his sides" so far in Spring Training and is excited that he has Montgomery in the bullpen as well, noting "Just an electric arm, and really excited to add his repertoire to our pen."
The Pirates will need both southpaws to have strong seasons in different roles, but there's good reason for optimism for each player.
What Hunter Barco Brings for the Pirates in 2025
Barco is still a top prospect in the Pirates organization, with MLB Pipeline ranking him fifth and 96th overall in their latest re-ranking.
He has a simple pitch mix, using his sinker as his main pitch, but he also incorporates a slider that sits in the low 80-mph range and works well both inside and outside the zone. He uses his splitter similarly, which also generates movement and is another strikeout pitch.
Barco has had a long road to the major leagues since the Pirates took him in the second round out of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Florda, as he had Tommy John surgery prior, which kept him from making his professional debut until late 2023.
He had his breakout season in 2025, as he set a franchise record with the longest scoreless inning streak to start a season at 25.2 innings pitched at Double-A Altoona. He also earned Eastern League Pitcher of the Month Award in April.
Barco would pitch at Triple-A Indianapolis, before making his MLB debut with the Pirates in late September, coming out of the bullpen twice and throwing three scoreless innings.
His injury history will have the Pirates keep his innings in check, but he did show he can go deep into games, with three straight starts of six innings pitched with Indianapolis and fourth other games he pitched at least five innings.
Barco will still have time to develop, but the Pirates will likely give him a shot at the bullpen for Opening Day, where they could eventually stretch him out to a starter role later on in 2026.
Mason Montgomery Could be Crucial for the Priates
Montgomery joined the Pirates in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays, along with second baseman Brandon Lowe and outfielder Jake Mangum.
Like Barco, Montgomery fills an important role of left-handed relief pitcher, which the Pirates had one or even none of at times towards the end of 2025.
Montgomery also has a simple pitch mix, using a four-seam fastball and a slider. His four-seam fastball runs higher than 100 mph and averages out at 98.7 mph, while his slider goes upward of 90 mph and averages around 89.7 mph.
His 2025 season with the Rays didn't go as well as he would've liked, finishing with a high 5.67 ERA in 56 appearances.
Montgomery had some issues with his fastball, including a high .311 batting average allowed, but his expected batting average was lower at .263, still too high for a backend relief pitcher the Pirates see him as.
Luckily for Montgomery, the Pirates have a new pitching coach in Bill Murphy, who has had success building postseason pitching staffs together.
If Montgomery can keep the velocity of his pitches up, maybe mix in a changeup or other offspeed pitch, he could become a solid set-up man in the Pirates bullpen.
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.