2025 Pittsburgh Pirates Season Review
The Pittsburgh Pirates season concluded on Sunday, as they finished the year with a record of 71-91, while recording seven consecutive losing seasons.
Following a 12-26 start to the season, manager Derek Shelton was relieved of his duties on May 8th, and replaced by bench coach Don Kelly. Under Kelly, the Pirates were 59-65.
Here is a review of the 2025 team position by position.
Catcher
The Pirates catching situation this year felt like going with whoever the hot hand was, or in this case, mitt was. Henry Davis, who caught exclusively for Paul Skenes, struggled offensively again with a .512 OPS. Joey Bart was average -by and large. However, he did perform better in the second half; posting an OPS of .834. Rafael Flores - the headliner of the David Bednar deal - appeared in one game behind the plate.
First base
With Spencer Horwitz missing the first month of the season with a wrist injury, first base was being held down with duct tape. Options included Jared Triolo, Enmanuel Valdez, Endy Rodriguez, and Matt Gorski.
When Horwitz returned, it took time for him to settle in. Overall, Horwitz put up good numbers, as he slashed .272/.353/.434 in 411 plate appearances. From the beginning of August until the end of the season, he had a .948 OPS.
Second base
Nick Gonzales was the Pirates second baseman to begin the season. Following a two-run homer on Opening Day, Gonzales sustained a freak injury rounding the bases. The diagnosis later revealed a fracture in his left ankle. Adam Frazier, who returned to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal last offseason, handled the primary duties at second base.
Gonzales came off the injured list on June 3rd. The 2020 first rounder had subpar production offensively, with a .260/.299/.362 slash line in 408 plate appearances. In addition, Gonzales’ defensive metrics weren’t kind at all; recording -11 Defensive Runs Saved, along with a -1.0 dWAR.
Shortstop
The Pirates shortstop for most of 2025 was Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The OPS was at .632, while he only registered a +1 DRS.
Kiner-Falefa was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays on August 31st.
Third base
Third base: Ke’Bryan Hayes entered his fifth season as the Bucs Opening Day third baseman. Although the defense at third remained stellar for Hayes (+16 DRS), the offense was lackluster, with a slash of .236/.279/.290 in 392 plate appearances.
The Pirates made one of the more surprising moves at the trade deadline, when they dealt Hayes to the division rival Cincinnati Reds, in exchange for veteran lefty reliever Taylor Rogers - shortly after flipped to the Chicago Cubs - and infield prospect Sammy Stafura.
After Hayes was traded, Kiner-Falefa moved over to the hot corner, and Jared Triolo had been playing mostly shortstop. Down the stretch, Triolo received more starts at third.
Left field
Most of the playing time in left field went to Tommy Pham. The 37-year-old Pham went from having a horrible, first two months, to putting together a pretty respectable season.
Despite being in his late-30’s, Pham was a solid defender in left field; registering a +5 DRS.
Center field
Oneil Cruz finished his first full season as the Pirates center fielder, this after making the move off shortstop late last year.
For Cruz, it was a Jekyll and Hyde type of season for him. Through the first three months, Cruz had the third highest OPS among MLB center fielders. However, his second half numbers took a nosedive. From July onward, he slashed .177/.255/.311. Cruz ended the year with 20 home runs, and even with the bad second half, had a National League leading 38 stolen bases.
As one might expect, it was a learning experience out in center field for Cruz. The figures were disastrous, with an NL most 11 errors, as well as DRS of -15.
Right field
Given the woeful nature of the Pirates offense, Bryan Reynolds is a hitter you can count on, right? Well…
It turns out Reynolds couldn’t get it going either, as the veteran switch-hitter had the worst season of his career. He posted a .245/.318/.402 slash in 654 plate appearances.
Reynolds’ defense has been on a sharp decline in recent years, and 2025 was no exception, with a -0.6 dWAR.
Designated Hitter
For the third straight season, Andrew McCutchen was Pittsburgh’s primary designated hitter. Although the former All-Star displayed flashes of good bat speed this year, his age, 38, was what his offensive production would say, as he put up an OPS of .700 and hit just 13 homers in 477 at-bats.
McCutchen had a 0.1 bWAR, which is the first time he finished a season as a replacement level player since the 2020 Covid season with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Starting rotation
For as dominant as Paul Skenes was during his rookie season in 2024, the Pirates ace somehow remained elite this year, as he put up baseball’s best ERA at 1.97. Skenes, who should be the favorite to win the NL Cy Young award, had arguably the greatest pitching season in franchise history.
Mitch Keller had a 4.18 ERA this season in 32 starts. Unfortunately for Keller, 2025 felt like Groundhog Day, as he performed well in the first half, but faded in the second half.
Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney began the year in the Pirates rotation. Falter was moved at the July 31st deadline to the Kansas City Royals, while Heaney was released by the Bucs on August 29th.
The Pirates received the infusion of young arms into the staff, with Bubba Chandler, Mike Burrows, and Braxton Ashcraft. Additionally, Johan Oviedo returned from both elbow and lat injuries respectively, and pitched to a 3.57 ERA in nine starts.
Bullpen
David Bednar began 2025 as the Pirates closer. Following a demotion to AAA Indianapolis in April, the Pittsburgh native turned it around, as he recorded an ERA of 2.37.
Bednar was then traded to the New York Yankees at the day of the deadline for three prospects, including Rafael Flores.
Dennis Santana replaced Bednar as the team’s closer. Santana performed outstanding all year; posting a 2.18 ERA in 70 appearances.
Unlike Bednar, Colin Holderman continued his struggles on the mound. In 24 relief outings with Pittsburgh, Holderman had a 7.01 ERA.
Carmen Mlodzinski started the season in the rotation, and scuffled with a 4.99 ERA. Once Mlodzinski was inserted back to the bullpen, he was a lot better; pitching to an ERA of 2.15.
The bullpen also got a shot in the arm from an unexpected performer in Isaac Mattson. The 30-year-old righty registered a 2.45 ERA in 44 appearances. By the end of the year, Mattson was being used in the setup role and high leverage situations in general.
Offensive rankings
.231 batting average (28th)
.655 OPS (30th)
117 home runs (30th)
583 runs scored (30th)
Pitching rankings
3.67 ERA (7th)
1.22 WHIP (tied 4th)
.236 opp avg (8th)
645 runs allowed (5th)