Pittsburgh Pirates fans may feel like they have nothing to look forward to in 2025, much like the past 30 years. Those fans are right, as owner Bob Nutting has never done anything to support winning baseball in Pittsburgh. There are always a few bright spots that Pittsburgh fans can look to before the season goes bad at the All-Star break.
Bryan Reynolds has been holding it down in left field for the Pirates, but fans will get to see him in right field in 2025. He’s good enough to work wherever they move him to. This allows the newly signed Tommy Pham to play left field with Oneil Cruz in the center and Reynolds in right field. A mix of Joshua Palacios and Jack Suwinski is inevitable as well.
Pittsburgh’s Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes spent 2024 dealing with a back injury that threw his entire season through a loop. He couldn’t get in a rhythm at the plate or in the field. Hayes played just 96 games and looked nothing like he did in 2023 when he won the Gold Glove. Now that he’s healthy, the Pirates can expect their cornerstone piece in the infield back.
The Pirates selected Bubba Chandler in the third round of the 2021 draft and 2025 will be the season that Pittsburgh finally gets to see him. Last season he made five starts in AAA and posted three wins and no losses to go with his 1.93 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 28 innings. At 22 years old, Chandler is the Pirates’ highest-rated prospect and he is looking for a spot in the loaded rotation in Pittsburgh.
Oneil Cruz made the move from shortstop to center field late last season. He now gets to enter 2025 with a full offseason of training for his new position and it has explosive potential for the young Pirates star. Cruz wasn’t happy with the position change but handled it well. He put his head down and did what was best for the team. Take notes, young athletes.
In 2024, Cruz played 112 games at shortstop and committed 24 errors. Once he moved to center field, he played 23 games and committed only two errors, and one should’ve been credited to Yasmani Grandal. 2024 was also his first season with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases, making him the third Pirates player to accomplish that feat before turning 25. He joins Andrew McCutchen and Barry Bonds. The ceiling is high for the tall guy.
Paul Skenes and Jared Jones return for year two together in Pittsburgh. For the fans, that’s a win in itself. Getting to see the two-headed monster that has coined the nickname “The Allegheny Electric Company” from PitchingNinja is a treat for the people of Pittsburgh. Skenes is coming off of his legendary rookie season that saw him finish as a Cy Young finalist and break records that have stood for longer than he has been alive.
Jones is Skenes’ trusty sidekick. He won just six games last year, but he made it clear that he is a big part of Pittsburgh’s rotation. A grade two lat strain caused a speedbump in Jones’ season, but he still went on to win four of his last five starts. He had two games with ten strikeouts in his rookie season. Jones is Robin while Skenes is Batman.
While the 2025 season is unlikely to amount to anything regarding team success, the Pirates have a few studs on the roster. If Pittsburgh can find a way to get into the postseason, their deep pitching rotation would be a nightmare in a series. Unfortunately for the fans, the front office has done nothing to support Skenes and the other young stars in Pittsburgh. Opening Day is March 27th, get a headstart on your MLB betting with Bet365!
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