Pirates Outfield Needs to Fix Costly Problem Before It's Too Late
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have been a solid defensive team for the most part in 2026, but one crucial area they still haven't figured out yet.
The communication between outfielders has been a weakness for Pittsburgh, which showed up in the bottom of the first inning of their 9-0 defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 5.
Diamondbacks Illdemaro Vargas hit a deep fly ball to right-center field, but neither center fielder Oneil Cruz nor right fielder Bryan Reynolds could come up with the ball and it dropped in between them for a double, making it a 2-0 lead.
Is it too early to start an All-Star campaign? pic.twitter.com/WcLxii9PcT
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) May 6, 2026
Acting manager and Pirates bench coach Kristopher Negrón didn't have a full explanation as to why that play went the way it did, but did note that
"I was talking to some of the guys, the wind was swirling a lot up there," Negrón said postgame. "So when the ball got carried, it kept going more and more in the gap. I haven't talked to them completely on the play so I can't give you anything on that, but throughout the game, even the balls that were barreled out to center field were kind of moving around and not really going as far as we thought. So I think the wind was swirling.
Outfield Miscommunication a Big Problem for the Pirates
This isn't the first time that Cruz and Reynolds have had mistakes like this happen in 2026, with Reynolds now playing mostly in left field.
Cruz and Reynolds both almost collided on a fly ball from Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes at Great American Ball Park on March 31, that turned a routine fly ball into a dropped ball and a run coming home to score.
They most recently had an issue back against the Reds at PNC Park on May 2, where Cruz went for a ball in deep left field, that he ended up short on that Reynolds likely could've made the play on. It ended up a ground-rule double and two runs would score on it.
Cruz, as the center fielder, has the right to go for the ball and call off Reynolds, but he then has to make the play afterwards.
Without a proper explanation on this mishap, it's hard to know where the blame lies, but it looks like Reynolds misread the ball and Cruz let him make the play, slowing up beforehand.
Can Pirates Fix Their Outfield Issues?
Pittsburgh's outfield is known for their bats, as Reynolds and Cruz have hit well so far this season and Ryan O'Hearn is mostly in right field and has proved the franchise right for signing him as a free agent with the performances he's put together at the plate.
Their defense is less than desirable, with -9 defensive runs saved (DRS) and -4 outs above average (OAA) combined between the three Pirates infielders.
Cruz is in his second full season in center field, after transitioning there from shortstop at the end of 2024.
Reynolds moved to right field for 2025, but with O'Hearn joining on, he moved back to left field, where he struggled at in his last full season there in 2024 with -4 DRS and -9 OAA, the worst OAA of any left fielder in MLB.
O'Hearn is best suited as a first baseman, where he's good defensively and was playing at vs. the Diamondbacks, but with Spencer Horwitz also at first base and Marcell Ozuna joining on as the designated hitter, they moved O'Hearn to right field to keep his bat in the lineup.
He's actually been the best advanced stat outfielder for the Pirates with -2 DRS and +1 OAA, as Reynolds has -2 DRS and -2 OAA and Cruz has -5 DRS and -3 OAA.
The Pirates haven't made too many terrible mistakes in the outfield outside of those instances, plus Cruz's rough first inning on Opening Day, but there's always a desire for better plays from the trio.
It's unlikely they'll form a Gold Glove Award caliber defense, but they can surely fix the communication and make the routine plays that any respectable outfielder group would do.
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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.