Pittsburgh Pirates 2025 Spring Training: All Over the Place
The Pirates’ 2025 Spring Training is over, and the team is preparing for Opening Day. Their 14-15-1 record showcased a team with holes and inconsistency, at the same time, a team that has the ability to break out. Players such as Carmen Mlodzinski and Endy Rodríguez solidified their roles on the team while others struggled. With the final promotions and cuts settling in, we are getting a better idea of what to expect heading into the regular season. More of the same.
Strong Start and Offensive Production
The Pirates started Spring Training with a 10-5 win over the Orioles on February 22nd. The offense looked strong in the first few games, also winning against the Twins, 5-1 on February 23rd, and Braves, 7-3 on February 26th. Oneil Cruz, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Matt Gorski showed significant improvement, with Gorski leading the team in home runs during camp. The team capitalized with runners in scoring positions and displayed consistent offense early on.
Consistently Inconsistent
The Pirates hit a rocky, back-and-forth patch after their strong start. They lost three consecutive games to the Yankees, Red Sox, and Braves. Won three consecutive games against the Blue Jays, Orioles, and the Phillies, and then lost another three consecutive games to finish the weekend of March 10th. The pitching staff continually gave up big innings, and the offense struggled to keep up. Despite those issues, they bounced back against the Yankees with Paul Skenes at the helm. However, their shaky play continued until the end of camp.
Jones and Skenes Pitch Well; Mlodzinski Beats Harrington for Final Spot
The biggest story of camp was the performance of the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year, Paul Skenes. The 2025 NL Cy Young favorite showed why he is still at the top of his game, using his 100 mph fastball and new pitch mix to dominate. Jared Jones pitched well, mixing his pitches effectively, but suffered right elbow discomfort ahead of his final Spring Training start with more information on the way. Carmen Mlodzinski looked more than solid, beating out MLB top-100 prospect Tom Harrington for the final rotation spot. All three pitchers look to play a major role for the Pirates this season.
Ending Rough and What to Look Forward To
The Pirates struggled to close out camp, winning four consecutive and then five straight to end Spring Training. Pittsburgh won vs. the Orioles, 15-5 on March 15th, but lost their final five, including close games, such as vs. Toronto, 2-1 on March 23rd, and finishing Spring Training this afternoon vs. Minnesota, 5-1. These games helped finalize the Opening Day roster. Pittsburgh opens the regular season on Thursday against the Miami Marlins. Pittsburgh looks similar to last year, but consistency will be important. If all goes to plan, young pitchers step up, veterans hit, and players such as Cruz and Rodríguez truly break out, they could compete for the division in a relatively weak NL Central.
