Pirates’ Jared Triolo Is Quietly Breaking Out in the Second Half

Following this year’s trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a huge issue they needed to address: Who was going to take on the third base duties now that Ke’Bryan Hayes was no longer on the team?

Their options were slim, as the majority of players who could fill this spot were lacking in some capacity or weren’t quite ready for an everyday role in the big leagues. In this search for a new third baseman, the Pirates inevitably turned to one-time Gold Glove winner Jared Triolo.

At the time, this move was quite controversial. Triolo had been a part of the major league team for parts of three seasons, showing promise during this time. However, the one drawback with Triolo was always his offensive toolset, which was a huge concern given Hayes’ struggles in the same area.

Triolo’s offensive production even led to his demotion earlier in the 2025 season, where he’d go on to spend 15 games in Triple-A before being recalled once again. For the Pirates, Triolo taking on the third base role would either be a new path forward or a carbon copy of Hayes’ time in the black and gold.

So far, Triolo’s second half has proven that he may be the new path forward the team had hoped he would be. His offensive revelation has been one of the key stories for the Pirates during the second half of the season, as he’s become a completely new player.

To fully understand this revelation, we have to first go back to Triolo’s first half and understand the type of hitter he was earlier this season.

Stats updated prior to games on Monday, September 15

Triolo’s First Half

As previously mentioned, Triolo began this season falling to a new low offensively. His production at the plate during the 2024 campaign produced an OBP below .300 and a wRC+ just above 70, showing his struggles at the dish in previous seasons.

During the first half of this season, Triolo slashed just .158/.253/.266 with three homers and a 44 wRC+. His offensive production reached a level so low that he went from an everyday role player, to a bench piece, to being demoted to Triple-A in the span of just a few months.

Triolo’s batted ball data reflects his offensive struggles as well. Triolo was putting a lot of balls into play, yet he lacked the authority to do significant damage.

His medium% – a stat that showcases how much of his contact falls into the “just okay” range rather than being weakly hit or crushed – highlights his tendency to consistently put the ball in play without generating a ton of meaningful contact. Triolo’s medium% sat just below 55%, which is significantly higher than the average major league hitter.

Without the true authority to threaten opposing pitchers with extra-base hits, pitchers felt emboldened to attack Triolo with heaters. What resulted was a -3 Run Value against four-seam fastballs, with Triolo doing little damage against the pitch he saw most often.

Triolo was usually hailed as a valuable asset due to his glove, which has stayed elite throughout this entire cycle. He’s been worth 3 Outs Above Average this season between four positions, while also posting positive Run Values regardless of where he’s lined up on defense.

Because of this positional flexibility in a time when the Pirates’ offense was atrocious overall, the decision to demote Triolo became even tougher. They’d lose the second-best fielder on the team behind Hayes, while having to simultaneously scrap together viable lineups and fill the roles Triolo could stand in and fill when needed.

Ultimately, the Pirates decided that giving Triolo a chance to reset in Triple-A was the best course to take. For a player whose calling card is steady contact and defensive versatility, a mental and mechanical reset was exactly what he needed to rediscover the version of himself capable of contributing to an everyday lineup in the near future.

The result of this reset? A whole new player once he landed back in the major leagues.

Triolo’s Second-Half Adjustments

After being recalled on August 1, Triolo became a whole new type of offensive threat at the dish. The reset the Pirates had hoped for when they optioned Triolo came about, and it was evident when looking at his numbers.

During the second half of the season, Triolo has slashed .302/.394/.460 with 14 extra-base hits and a 140 wRC+. For Triolo, this type of offensive production has been rare at best, as this is a whole new level of success he’s shown at the plate.

This offensive revelation is partially thanks to a mechanical change he made in Triple-A as well. On August 23, Alex Stumpf reported on these adjustments in his piece about Triolo’s revelation.