​ESPN Offers Silver Lining for Pirates, Praises Offensive Improvements originally appeared on SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Add SportsNet Pittsburgh as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Pittsburgh Pirates may not be headed for the postseason, but ESPN found a silver lining in their 2026 season.In a league-wide look at the positives for MLB teams that won’t be playing in October, MLB writer and analyst Bradford Doolittle pointed to Pittsburgh’s offensive overhaul as a reason for optimism heading into 2027. The Pirates’ aggressive approach to improving their lineup during the offseason has produced tangible results.Pittsburgh could finish with its first winning record since 2018, and Doolittle attributes that to its offensive improvement having played a significant role.The Pirates went from dead last (3.60) in MLB in runs per game in 2025 to fifth (4.79) this season. According to the same article, they also have seen the biggest increase in weighted on-base average (wOBA) and isolated power (ISO) in the majors, while only the Colorado Rockies have made a bigger jump in on-base percentage.Those numbers suggest Pittsburgh’s aggressive approach to fixing its offense accomplished what the organization hoped it would.The pitching staff, however, has not provided the same return.Pittsburgh’s decision to prioritize the offense was partly based on expectations that its pitching could provide a strong foundation. Instead, the rotation and pitching staff have fallen short of those projections.If the Pirates’ pitchers had performed closer to expectations, ESPN noted that Pittsburgh could have been preparing its postseason roster rather than watching the playoff picture from the outside.That makes the offensive turnaround particularly significant for the organization heading into the offseason.The Pirates still have work to do, but they no longer have to approach the offense as the glaring weakness it was a year ago. After finishing last in runs per game in 2025, Pittsburgh has turned that unit into one of the more productive offenses in baseball.For a team that could finish with its first winning record in eight years, that progress gives the Pirates something tangible to carry into 2027.More PiratesLatest Pirates news2026 Pirates schedule2026 Pirates rosterComplete history of Pirates championships