The Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup is off to a hot start, and it's not just one player doing all of the damage.
The Pittsburgh Pirates knew what their top priority was heading into the offseason: they needed to figure out a way to upgrade the offense and give their elite pitching staff some more run support.
It’s still very early on in the season, but it appears the Bucs have done just that. They currently have a team OPS of .736, which is eighth-best in the big leagues.
It’s encouraging to see the Pirates as a top 10 in any offensive category, even if they are just nine games into the season. There is one aspect of these numbers that has really stood out to manager Don Kelly, too: it isn’t one player leading the way, but rather a full team effort.
“The thing that’s been great to see is it's been throughout the lineup,” said Kelly after Pittsburgh's 8-2 victory on Sunday.
“Just finding ways to get contributions throughout the lineup, and I think that’s been really cool to see early on here, is that it hasn’t been just one or two guys, it's starting to be filtered throughout.”
Feb 23, 2026; Bradenton, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly (12) during the second inning against the New York Yankees at LECOM Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn ImagesThe stats back up Kelly’s comments, too. Right now, nearly half of the order has an OPS .700 or better: Ryan O’Hearn (1.159 OPS), Oneil Cruz (1.025 OPS), Brandon Lowe (1.022 OPS), Nick Gonzelez (.754 OPS), and Bryan Reynolds (.727 OPS).
At some point, O’Hearn, Cruz, and Lowe will start to cool off, even though it’d be nice if they sustained a 1.000 OPS all season long. But when they do, that’s when the rest of the lineup will hopefully start heating up.
Assuming this group can find a happy middle ground throughout the year, perhaps a realistic average closer to somewhere in between .800 and .750, Pittsburgh’s offense might still even be scratching the surface of its ceiling
Pittsburgh skipper emphasized that he knows Marcell Ozuna will get it going at some point soon, too, and Konnor Griffin also still has the potential to have a breakout rookie season.
If all of that happens, and admittedly that is a big if, the Pirates could have a few holes in their lineup one through nine.
Combine that possibility with Pittsburgh’s pitching staff, and the Pirates could truly be looking at one of the more well-rounded teams in the National League and all of baseball.
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