​PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 18: Bryan Reynolds #10 of the Pittsburgh Pirates reacts at second base after hitting a double in the first inning during the game against the Kansas City Royals at PNC Park on September 18, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Pittsburgh Pirates outfield in 2026 had a few consistent pieces, but overall this was a group that saw a lot of turnover and a lot of opportunities for young players to prove their worth.The mainstays One of the more impressive stat lines this year has to do with the former All-Star Bryan Reynolds. At age 31 Reynolds completed another season with consistent solid production, and he did all of that while also appearing in 162 games for the first time in his career. Reynolds was the first Pirate to play in all 162 contests since Jason Bay completed that feat in 2005. He was also just one of seven major leaguers to achieve that in 2026. As he tends to do, Reynolds once again quietly put together a solid campaign that included 17 home runs and a .261 batting average.An Oneil Cruz MISSILE gets the @Pirates on the board 😱 pic.twitter.com/scn0NbGu5Y— MLB (@MLB) September 11, 2026It’s unfortunate that Oneil Cruz dealt with the injuries that he did in 2026 because he was on pace to have an absolutely monster season. Cruz initially landed on the 10-day IL for a hand fracture but was then upgraded to the 60-day, thus limiting his action to just 97 games, his lowest amount of appearances since 2023. Despite the time he missed he still finished with one of his finest statistical seasons to date. Across the board his slash line was much improved as he hit .280/.368/.486 with a .854 OPS. Not to mention he hit 20 or more home runs for the third straight season and also had 30 or more stolen bases for the second straight year.New blood to keep and build withIt was a huge surprise when Esmerlyn Valdez stepped on the major league scene and started tearing the covers off of baseballs. He quickly became a powerful fixture in Pittsburgh’s lineup notching 17 home runs in his rookie season. Be that as it may he did dramatically cool off after his hot July, and looked lost at times in August and September. However, very few have come out firing like that in their rookie year and there’s reason to keep Valdez around and develop him into a better every day hitter for the Pirates. Valdez took home National League Rookie Of The Month honors for July.Reynolds with a RBI trip-trip-triple‼️ pic.twitter.com/b4whiSc0qu— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 26, 2026Jake Mangum proved to be a great spark plug at times for the Buccos. He was awarded the team’s Heart and Hustle Award in 2026, and certainly embodies the qualities that it takes to receive that honor. Mangum finished his second major league season with a slash line of .276/.331/.363 and set new career highs for homers, triples, doubles and total bases. He did strike out 29 more times this