Pirates First Half Report Card: Offense Crushing, Pitching Not
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have played 81 games in 2026, with 81 games left to go the rest of the season, as they are at the halfway mark.
The Pirates sit 41-40, a little above .500, but having more wins than losses since 2015, the last time they made the postseason and when they ended up winning 98 games.
It is a big improvement over their 32-49 record last season and keeps them well within their goal of making the postseason, just 2.5 games back in the National League Wild Card race.
The Pirates have done some great things this season, but also have fallen a bit short in some areas, making for an average campaign.
Pirates 2026 First Half Report Card
Batting/Hitting/Offense: A
The Pirates have completely turned around their hitting performance from last season, going from arguable the worst lineup in baseball to one of the very best.
It's a change that's come from offseason additions, internal improvements and surprise performances from players that people didn't expect them to have the seasons they've had.
Pirates 2026 Hitting Rankings in National League/MLB
Stat (Total) | NL/MLB Ranking |
|---|---|
Hits (720) | 1st/1st |
Batting Average (.257)/OPS (.746) | 2nd/3rd |
Runs (409)/RBI (391) | 3rd/3rd |
Total Bases (1,154) | 3rd/4th |
On-Base Percentage (.335) | 4th/5th |
Stolen Bases (74) | 5th/6th |
Slugging Percentage (.411) | 5th/7th |
Walks (300) | 5th/9th |
Home Runs (96) | 6th/14th |
The Pirates ranked last or close to last in most of these categories, but are now in the top 10 of all of them, aside from home runs, and even lead MLB in hits.
Outfielders: A
The Pirates main trio of outfielders, in left fielder Bryan Reynolds, center fielder Oneil Cruz and right fielder Ryan O'Hearn haven't necessarily wowed defensive, aside from Reynolds' recent home run robberies, but their offense is making the difference.
Reynolds has a 30-game on-base streak, longest in the major leagues, and a 15-game hitting streak, third-longest of his career, with his .405 on-base percentage second-best in the NL and fifth-best in MLB, and his 52 walks ranking fourth-most in the NL and eighth-most in MLB.
He has also had a fantastic June, once again, slashing .329/.411/.608 for an OPS of 1.019, and has been massive for a Pirates lineup dealing with injuries.
Cruz was having a great season before fracturing his left hand, which has kept him out the past 15 games, on pace for 34 home runs and 51 stolen bases, with 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases through 64 games.
The Pirates singed Ryan O'Hearn as a free agent, signing him for two years, $29 million, and he's slashed .285/.341/.463 for an OPS of .804 through 66 games, missing two weeks in May with a right quad muscle strain.
Pittsburgh adding Jake Mangum via trade has also been big, as he has played all three outfield spots and taken over for Cruz in center field these past two weeks.
Mangum has led the outfield in this time, while also slashing .309/.321/.382 for an OPS of .703 through 15 games.
Infielders: B
First baseman Spencer Horwitz, second baseman Brandon Lowe, rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin and third baseman Nick Gonzales each were in the top 10 of fan voting for the All-Star game, but they've not received the plaudits they deserve for their play this season.
Horwitz became one of the Pirates best hitters, before recently suffering a hamstring injury, with his .386 on-base percentage fifth-best in the NL and 14th-best in MLB.
Lowe leads all second basemen with 19 home runs, 51 RBI, a .515 slugging percentage and a .841 OPS, making him a great trade get for the Pirates.
Griffin is the Pirates shortstop for the future and should return soon from a right forearm flexor strain, as he had a great month of May, slashing .306/.361/.459 for an OPS of .820 from the plate. His speed, 14 stolen bases, and his burgeoning power are also two key components to the success he can have as a rookie.
Gonzales embraced the move to third base, after hardly playing there as a professional, but has also hit impressively well, with his .297 batting average ninth-best in the NL and 11th-best in baseball.
The Pirates have struggled finding great depth in the infield, with Jared Triolo serving as shortstop in place of Griffin, but hitting .208/.307/.260 for an OPS of .567, and Nick Yorke faltering after a good start and going back down to Triple-A Indianapolis.
The main core of infielders have been fantastic, but the depth hasn't been strong enough to warrant an "A" grade.
Catchers: C
The Pirates catchers haven't really produced this season, but the emergence of Endy Rodríguez has made a big difference.
Rodríguez has slashed .263/.398/.447 for an OPS of .845 in 28 games since coming up from Triple-A on May 12 and is now who the Pirates play catcher at the most.
His emergence, which came after missing most of the past two seasons with right elbow surgeries, led to him earning a full-time spot and the Pirates trading catcher Joey Bart to the Atlanta Braves.
The other Pirates catcher is Henry Davis, who has struggled from the plate, slashing .148/.247/.319 for an OPS of .566, but is still someone the Pirates believe in behind the plate, for his pitch-calling and defensive work.
It amounts to an average catcher unit and there's always room for improvement from both Rodríguez and Davis the rest of the campaign.
Pitching Staff: C
The Pirates main positive coming into this season was that they had a young, but strong starting rotation and a bullpen that would compliment it well and lead the way.
Pittsburgh has had that plan flipped, with the offense leading the way and the pitching not living up to expectations.
Starting Pitching: B
The Pirates starting pitching has had some ups-and-downs this season, with a lack of consistency for the most part, which has kept them from their true potential
Even with that being the case, the Pirates starters have still had a solid showing in 2026, but none better than Braxton Ashcraft.
Ashcraft has gone deep into outings with efficiency, 10 quality starts in 16 outings, plus posted 107 strikeouts, tied for eighth-most in baseball, pushing him towards an All-Star placement in his first full season as a starter in the major leagues.
Paul Skenes hasn't had the numbers he's normally had, with a 2.86 ERA and dealing with his first MLB slump, but his 0.93 WHIP and .199 batting average allowed (BAA) are fifth-lowest and sixth-lowest amongst qualified MLB pitchers.
His advanced metrics are also quite positive, with the second-lowest expected ERA (2.60) and the fifth-lowest expected fielding independent pitching (2.95), and he's not still not gotten the offensive production that would have him at a much better record than 6-7.
Both veteran Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler had some rough stretches, but both have bounced back in recent starts and gotten back to what's made them great pitchers.
Keller is inducing weak contact and going deeper into outings, while Chandler is doing much of the same, but focusing on improving his command, while harnessing his impressive and improving pitch mix.
Jared Jones is back from a long-term injury and will hope to become the pitcher he was as a rookie in 2024, while Carmen Mlodzinski had a solid showing over two months, posting a 3.76 ERA, before being sent back to the bullpen.
This group would've gottten a "C" grade a week or two ago, but they've all found some more consistency recently and earned the "B" grade.
Bullpen: D
By far the biggest disappointment for the Pirates this season is how poor their bullpen has been for the most part.
The Pirates was looking to rely on right-handed pitchers in Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson and Dennis Santana, while left-handed pitchers in Mason Montgomery and free agent signing Gregory Soto would make for strong options in high-leverage.
Lawrence ended up posting a 5.23 ERA and never got going, with the Pirates designating him for assignment and trading him by early June.
Mattson had to spend time with Indianapolis to regain some of his best stuff and Santana lost his closer role and most of his effectiveness he had in 2025.
Soto and Montgomery have both had decent seasons, but would likely benefit from moving up earlier in the game, with Soto as a set-up man and Montgomery coming in the sixth/seventh inning.
It's created a bullpen that the Pirates haven't been able to rely on and has blown leads in games they easily should've won.
The Pirates have looked throughout their farm system for internal options to fix their problems, but it's clear they have to make additions at the trade deadline, especially if they are still contending for the playoffs come Aug. 3.
Pittsburgh has had some more encouraging outings from their bullpen, coming off a series vs. the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park where they threw 9.2 scoreless innings, marking the first series they didn't give up any earned runs nor inherited runners.
Left-handed pitcher Evan Sisk and right-handed pitchers in Brandan Bidois and Yohan Ramírez have to maintain/improve their performances overall, but have shown promise when called upon.
Mlodzinski is also back in the bullpen and can fit in numerous roles, especially in the middle relief or bulk relief role that the Pirates have utilized him recently in.
The Pirates simply need anyone to step up and provide better performances out of the bullpen, and if they can get that, their playoff hopes will become that much easier to realize.
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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.