Pirates Rising Star is Ready for Opening Day Opportunity
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have a number of great young arms that will provide a large workload in 2026 and left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco will serve as a part of that.
Barco was one of the last two pitchers to make the Opening Day roster for the Pirates and will join the team as they make their trek up to face the New York Mets at Citi Field on March 26.
He joins a strong bullpen and also a pitching staff with young pitchers like 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and star rookies in Braxton Ashcraft and Bubba Chandler.
Barco, who MLB Pipeline has as a top 100 prospect, is ready to join his fellow pitchers and younger teammates for the the start of the season and begin dominating on the mound.
“Yeah, feels great," Barco said. "This is what we’ve talked now about for two, three, four years and now it’s here and now it’s go time.”
Barco Willing to Play Any Role
Barco has spent most of his career as a starter, with 47 starts in 54 outings in the minor leagues,but will serve as a bulk option out of the bullpen to start the season.
Some pitchers wouldn't like that option, but Barco wants any role that the Pirates envision for him and is willing to do whatever it takes to get on the mound.
“Not at all no. Really it’s whatever it takes to win. I’m a competitor and whatever my job needs to be, that’s what I’m going to do. Maybe start some day down the road, but right now it’s take the ball whenever it’s given to me.”
The Pirates have utilized pitchers in this role before, with both Ashcraft and Chandler starting in the bullpen last season and then eventually earning starting roles and serving in the rotation in 2026.
Barco said that he is ready to throw five or six innings and that the role suits him well, after making just two bullpen appearances at the MLB level in 2025.
“Yeah I’ve talked to them a lot," Barco said. "It’s definitely a good way to get your feet wet in the big leagues and just really excited.”
Improving Pitch Arsenal Helps Barco Earn Opening Day Spot
Barco came into this offseason knowing he'd need to improve upon his pitches, but to also add to his arsenal as well.
He added three new pitches in the slider, sinker and changeup, which compliemnt him already throwing a four-seam fastball, sweeper and splitter.
Barco mostly utilized his four-seam fastball in Spring Training, but his new three pitches ranked second-fourth, respectively.
Pitch | Usage |
|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 109/226 (48%) |
Slider | 41/226 (18%) |
Sinker | 31/226 (14%) |
Changeup | 24/226 (11%) |
Sweeper | 11/226 (5%) |
Splitter | 10/226 (4%) |
That decision helped Barco pitch better two, posting a 2.31 ERA over 11.2 innings pitched in the Grapefruit League, with 15 strikeouts, a .150 batting avearge allowed and a 1.20 WHIP, which also got him a spot ont he Opening Day roster.
“Yeah just really improved my arsenal this year and just went out there and competed and everything I did put me in a good position and they decided that I’m one of the best guys to help the team win," Barco said.
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.