The Pirates are staring at a Silver Slugger season that should have looked a whole lot different.
After years of offensive misery, Pittsburgh may finally have a player in the mix for the Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award, with no Pirate winning it since Andrew McCutchen in 2015. Brandon Lowe is the club’s best shot.
He’s in a tight fight with Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, and through Monday he led all NL second basemen with an .807 OPS. His 29 homers are the best in the group by a wide margin, with Ketel Marte next at 22, and his 117 wRC+ ranks third.
Nick Gonzales is the other name to watch, even if he fits more as a long shot. The 27-year-old has put together a breakout year, but the power numbers are light - six home runs and a .393 slugging percentage - which makes the case tougher.
Still, if he can catch Luis Arraez in the NL batting race, the conversation changes fast. Arraez is hitting .313, and Gonzales is at .304.
Those numbers would have been pure fuel for Pirates fans a year ago. This season, they almost feel like a reminder of what might have been.
The reason is the second-half collapse, and injuries sit at the center of it. Pittsburgh’s first half was loaded with production: the club tied the Washington Nationals for the major league lead in runs with 516, led MLB with a .263 batting average, ranked sixth with 125 homers, and finished second in both wRC+ at 110 and OPS at .768.
Since then, everything has gone sideways. The Pirates have scored just 202 runs in the second half, which ranks 29th. Their .234 average is 24th, their 45 home runs are second-to-last, and they’re also second-to-last in both wRC+ at 81 and OPS at .661.
That slump has helped drag Pittsburgh to 6.5 games behind the final NL wild card spot. But this wasn’t simply a case of a hot team cooling off. The injury list did the damage.
Oneil Cruz missed 58 games, and Pittsburgh went 26-32 without him. If not for the hand fracture, he’d be right in the Silver Slugger mix with Lowe. Ryan O'Hearn has also been sidelined by two separate IL stints, though he’s back now for the final stretch.
Some of the absences were survivable in theory, at least with enough depth and roster juggling. Others were much harder to absorb. Konnor Griffin missed 72 games, leaving the Pirates short at shortstop, and the offensive drop from Endy Rodriguez to Henry Davis at catcher has been steep.
There is a positive side to all of this. Most of those players should be back next season.
Pittsburgh still needs to re-sign Lowe and add more depth, but the bones of a good offense are there. The Pirates may finally break through with a Silver Slugger in 2026 and then build from there in 2027.
In Other News...
Three Pirates Are Putting Themselves On Thin Ice This Winter
The Pirates are already looking ahead to 2027, and that means a few current roster spots are going to be judged less on past value and more on whether a player still fits the long-term plan. Carmen Mlodzinski, Gregory Soto and Billy Cook all land in that uncomfortable middle ground, where the organization has reasons to keep watching but plenty of reasons to start thinking about alternatives as it tries to reshape the club for better overall performance next season.
Mlodzinskis standing has been clouded by attitude questions and the possibility that he could become a trade candidate, while Sotos uneven work and contract situation make it hard to see the Pirates committing to him again. Cooks case is different, but no less precarious, because the offensive struggles that have followed him have left his roster spot far from secure. For a front office expected to keep turning over the edges of the roster, all three are the kind of players who can feel the pressure rising quickly once winter decisions begin. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Suddenly Have A Brandon Lowe Problem They Can't Ignore
Brandon Lowe has become one of the more important players in the Pirates picture this season, giving them the kind of left-handed power and steadier defense that can change the feel of a lineup and an infield at the same time. For a club always balancing present value with future flexibility, that kind of all-around production is hard to replace, and it has made Lowes year one of the quiet centerpieces of the season.
The problem for Pittsburgh is that this may not be a one-year story. Lowe is out of contract after the season and is expected to draw plenty of attention once he reaches free agency, which puts the Pirates in a familiar but uncomfortable spot. They can see exactly how much he has meant on both sides of the ball, and now they have to decide how hard they are willing to push to keep him from becoming a major offseason loss. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Get One Encouraging Injury Sign Amid A Brutal Loss
The Pirates took a hit with outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season because of a left hamstring injury, according to general manager Ben Cherington. It was the kind of setback that underscores how thin the margin can be this time of year, especially for a team already trying to piece together answers amid a rough stretch.
There was at least one more encouraging note on the medical front, though, with reliever Kirby Yates expected back during the homestand after dealing with a right shoulder impingement. The Pirates also remain optimistic about Braxton Ashcrafts right arm discomfort, with no evidence of a major structural injury, leaving them with something to monitor closely even as the roster keeps absorbing blows. [Read more 🡒]