Pirates Placed Low in Early 2026 Power Rankings

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates head into the 2026 season with high expectations, but not many people see them being able to achieve those.

Pirates Receive Low Placement in 2026 Power Rankings

The Athletic revealed their "Way-Too-Early 2026 MLB Power Rankings" and placed the Pirates at 22nd amongst the 30 teams, or ninth lowest in the MLB.

Pittsburgh ranked ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central Division, coming in at 25th. They also ranked 11th in the NL, with the Miami Marlins in 24th, the Washington Nationals in 28th and the Colorado Rockies in 30th.

Stephen J. Nesbitt wrote about Paul Skenes and how the Pirates must capitalize of his time in Pittsburgh, but unsure if owner Bob Nutting will put more resources towards the payroll to try and build a winning team.

"With soon-to-be Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes now four seasons from free agency, this is the time for owner Bob Nutting to push as many chips as he has to the center of the table to ensure he won’t waste any more years of the ace’s healthy and controllable prime," Nesbitt wrote. "Will the Pirates finally sign a free agent to a multiyear deal? Or will they trade pitching to improve a woeful lineup?

"They clearly can’t run it back, but they also haven’t yet shown a willingness to act with urgency to chart a new course. The fate of the Skenes era is in the hands of an owner who has historically been unwilling to spend."

Where the Pirates Struggled in 2025

The Pirates had a terrible start to the campaign, which saw them fire Derek Shelton after a 12-26 start on May 8 and bench coach Don Kelly take over.

Kelly led the Pirates to a 59-65 record, which saw them finish 71-91 overall, last in the NL Central and with the fifth worst record in the MLB.

The Pirates were terrible at the plate throughout the 2025 season, as they ranked amongst the worst hitting teams in baseball.

Pittsburgh had the lowest slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655), the third lowest batting average (.231) and the eighth lowest on-base percentage (.305).

The Pirates also scored the least runs (583) and drove in the least RBIs (561), both lower than the Rockies, who finished 43-119. They also hit the least home runs (117), 31 home runs less than then second-lowest team in the Cardinals at 148 home runs, and had the seventh most strikeouts (1,422).

Center fielder Oneil Cruz, who the Pirates see as their best power hitter, struggled after mid-May, finishing with a slash line of . 200/.298/.378 for an OPS of .676, with 94 hits in 478 at-bats, 18 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 38 stolen bases on 43 attempts and 64 walks to 178 strikeouts.