Pirates Offensive Depth is Showing It's Ugly Side
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had one of the better offenses in baseball this season, but that's buoyed heavily by their best hitters.
The Pirates showed this in their 12-3 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series opener at PNC Park on June 9, where both outfielders in Bryan Reynolds and Ryan O'Hearn hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, but then had just one hit over the next seven innings, with 17 consecutive batters set down.
Dodgers left-handed starting pitcher Eric Lauer threw a great game, but the fact that the Pirates could only muster one hit in between that time, a bloop single from shortstop Jared Triolo, is a concerning one.
It was a tough showing from the Pirates lineup and one that could continue if the best hitters can't come through enough for them.
Pirates Top Hitters Coming Through
The Pirates have scored just 11 runs over their past four games, which includes a series sweep by the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, where they scored just eight runs over those three games, one of the least they've scored in a series in 2026.
Pittsburgh has seven qualified hitters, all of whom are above the average OPS and have made significant contributions throughout the season.
Internal improvements from first baseman Spencer Horwitz, center fielder Oneil Cruz, third baseman Nick Gonzales and Reynolds have been huge, while offseason additions in second baseman Brandon Lowe and O'Hearn have given the Pirates great production as well.
It's also helped that rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin started hitting much better in May, where he slashed .306/.361/.459 for an OPS of .820.
Top Seven Pirates Hitters in 2026 (MLB Qualified)
Player | Batting Average | On-Base Percentage | Slugging Percentage | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Brandon Lowe | .249 | .332 | .515 | .847 |
Spencer Horwitz | .286 | .387 | .459 | .846 |
Ryan O'Hearn | .285 | .357 | .478 | .835 |
Bryan Reynolds | .267 | .392 | .432 | .824 |
Oneil Cruz | .264 | .350 | .472 | .822 |
Nick Gonzales | .304 | .354 | .379 | .733 |
Konnor Griffin | .270 | .327 | .402 | .729 |
Struggles For Pirates Lesser Bats
The Pirates issue is that, outside of these seven hitters, they've gotten little production and lacked consistent good at-bats from the rest of their lineup.
Pirates Next Seven Hitters (At Least 40 At-Bats)
Player | Batting Average | On-Base Percentage | Slugging Percentage | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Marcell Ozuna | .195 | .227 | .303 | .580 |
Jake Mangum | .281 | .338 | .331 | .669 |
Henry Davis | .138 | .241 | .285 | .526 |
Jared Triolo | .228 | .297 | .257 | .554 |
Nick Yorke | .197 | .279 | .276 | .555 |
Joey Bart | .259 | .290 | .379 | .669 |
Endy Rodríguez | .233 | .400 | .349 | .749 |
The Pirates seven batters following the qualfiied hitters, which all have at least 40 at-bats this season, leave much to be desired.
Most disappointing is designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, who signed for $12 million this season, and would rank at the bottom of almost all categories, if he were still a qualified hitter.
It's almost midway through the season and Ozuna simply hasn't got it going, presenting a problem in how the Pirates lineup, as they could use other options at designated hitter instead of him, which might become a solution if he doesn't turn things around.
Catcher is a position where the Pirates haven't gotten production from, particularly with Henry Davis still struggling from the plate.
Joey Bart looked great to start May, but a left foot infection put him on the 10-day injured list back on May 12. Endy Rodríguez has been the Pirates best catcher from the plate, but still is adjusting to major league pitching after spending most of the past two seasons out injured.
Outfielder Jake Mangum is doing what was expected from him when he joined via trade, lay down some bunts, get infield singles and a home run every few months or so.
Infielders Nick Yorke and Triolo both have had their struggles from the plate, with Yorke back at Triple-A Indianapolis and Triolo still searching for his first home run and consistency with his hitting.
Why This is a Big Problem for Pirates
This is especially true if there are injuries, with Griffin on the 10-day injured list since May 31 with a forearm muscle strain, Cruz out with left hand discomfort and O'Hearn missing two weeks from May 17-31 with a right quad muscle strain.
Pittsburgh also didn't have Horwitz in the lineup vs. the Dodgers, not due to injury, and were lucky that Lowe didn't suffer a serious injury when he fouled a ball off his knee against the Braves on June 6.
The Pirates will have injuries, which is what any team deals with during the season, but it's clear that they can't sustain them to their top hitters.
Pittsburgh needs their bottom of the lineup guys to start producing more and becoming more effective overall, which will allow the top batters to have even better showings at the plate.
It's a big season for the Pirates, who are looking to end their decade-long postseason drought, and they'll need all the offense they can get, particulary with their bullpen struggles.
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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.