Pittsburgh Pirates Rebuild - 2027 End of Season Check-In
- IamCogs
- Jun 15
- 14 min read
In the blink of an eye, it's the end of the 2027 MLB regular season. The 2027 Pirates continued to be the best team in the major league finishing with a league leading 111 wins, mirroring their 2026 record despite turnover that saw 9 players from the 2026 squad not return to the team.
The Pirates did their damage in keeping a World Series core through the combination of shrewd trades and their younger players stepping up. They acquired SP Reid Detmers (59/59), RF Jo Adell (53/53) and 3B Coby Mayo (56/59), the combination of those three players added 10.5 WAR to the club alone. Losing just 4.4 WAR from the players shipped off.
2B Termarr Johnson (60/60), CF Kevin Alcantara (49/62), 1B Tyler Locklear (48/48), SS Jack Brannigan (44/44), and RP Yoldin Da La Paz (45/45) all combined to kick in 11.2 WAR towards the team, and while this wasn't Termarr's first season in a starting role, it was his first full season taking over the reigns for himself.
Since we took over the Pirates in 2025, pitching and speed have been hallmarks of the team, but in 2027 the offense had finally caught up, finishing no worse than fourth in the league in every major offensive category.
So without further delay, let's get into the fourth quarter breakdown!
Some things we will be covering this check-in:
League update including stats, standing, milestones and playoff tree.
Standard wrap up of NL Central, team stats, and more.
A check-in in the farm.
Here's the final Team Report for the 2027 season.
Basics
Despite a 92 win season from the Chicago Cubs, the Pirates remained on a blistering rate, finishing 19 games ahead in the division. The 2027 season marks the first time since 2018 that the Cubs won 90+ games.
The Milwaukee Brewers finish with a winning record for the first time in the series, with an 85-77 mark. They proved to be as pesky as their real life counterparts in 2027, and with some of their high touted farm system working their way into the majors, they may be ready to start threatening for the division crown.
After four consecutive winning seasons, the Cardinals may have finally bottomed out, finishing with just 65 wins in 2027, their first 60 win season since 1978.
The Reds absolutely cratered after a hot start this year. After making the playoffs for the first time since 2020 last year, the 88 win Reds managed to win just 59 in 2027, the worst mark in the majors, as their once elite pitching staff finished dead last in the major leagues with a 5.26 team ERA.
Since our last check in the NL Central teams have gone: Pirates: 31-10
Brewers: 26-17
Cubs: 23-18
Cardinals: 17-24
Reds: 12-30
Here's the stats rankings to finish the year.
Changes from last Check-In:
Batting AVG 6th -> 2nd
On-Base PCT 7th -> 4th
OPS 2nd -> 1st
wOBA 3rd -> 1st
Base Running 2nd -> 1st
Bullpen ERA 6th -> 4th
Pitching WAR 3rd - > 2nd
Strikeouts 1st -> 2nd
Defensive Eff. 6th -> 3rd
Zone Rating 8th -> 3rd
Errors 8th -> 6th
League News
Milestones
Starting with some milestones achieved:
08/22/27: Atlanta Braves RP Jose Quintana (40/40) recorded his 2000th career strikeout against the Philadelphia Phillies.
08/28/27: Philadelphia Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber (60/60) hit his 400th career homerun against the Atlanta Braves.
09/04/27: Los Angeles Dodgers SS Mookie Betts (60/60) recorded his 2000th career hit against the Colorado Rockies.
10/01/27: Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Freddie Freeman (59/59) hit his 400th career homerun against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
And some milestones creeping close:
Cleveland Guardians 3B Jose Ramirez (57/57) is 42 hits away from 2000.
New York Mets SS Francisco Lindor (56/56) is 94 hits away from 2000.
New York Yankees DH Giancarlo Stanton (44/44) is 12 homeruns away from 500.
Atlanta Braves 3B Nolan Arenado (52/52) is 7 homeruns away from 400.
Atlanta Braves 1B Matt Olson (50/50) is 6 RBI's away from 1000.
Houston Astros DH Jose Altuve (46/46) is 20 RBI's away from 1000.
Detroit Tigers SP Chris Sale (51/51) is 34 strikeouts away from 3000.
Chicago Cubs SP Zack Wheeler (56/56) is 9 strikeouts away from 2000.
Pittsburgh Pirates CL Aroldis Chapman (48/48) is 3 saves away from 400.
Final Standings
AL East: Winners of the AL East in 2 of the last 3 seasons, the Baltimore Orioles young core have essentially all developed into stars. The Orioles led the AL in most offensive categories outside of homeruns where they finished fifth. This is their 5th trip to the post-season in a row. The Red Sox had their best season in terms of total wins since 2021, and the Yankees secured another trip to the post season, however, there is some concern in New York as their win total has decreased every season since 2024, and their offensive core is only getting older. AL Central: Whew, the AL Central stinks. Without a single team to finish above .500, the Twins take the division at 81-81. The White Sox just cannot seem to figure out a way to stop spiraling, as they have lost at least 90 games each of the last 5 years. Despite a wealth of high prospects, they just continue to struggle. The Royals haven't cracked 80 wins in 3 seasons, and the $200+ million payroll of the Tigers this year amounted to just 76 wins, a year after making (but losing) the World Series. AL West: The AL West has been pretty hotly contested in these last 3 years. The Rangers won the World Series in 2025, and followed that up with another division championship. But the Mariners stormed ahead of them this year. The Angels have been hot and cold the last few seasons alternating winning and losing records. The only team that has been really out of the mix has been the Astros, who finish dead last this season in the West and have finished no better than 3rd in the 3 seasons we've done this, this is all despite a payroll north of $200 million.
NL East: The NL East has a legitimate claim to best division in baseball. Fielding 4 teams who finished at least 8 games above .500 or better. After 3 years of 71-91 finishes from the Nationals, they posted a 95 win season in 2026, and this year have finally won the division. The rebuild has worked, as the Nationals have no made it back to back trips to the playoffs. The division winners the last two seasons, the Braves have made it 10 season in a row now where they make a trip to the post-season. The Mets continue to stack winning seasons, but little to show for in so far and they have made they playoffs once in three years of this. The Marlins continue to be the Marlins, the unfortunate punching bag of the NL East, they they narrowly avoided 100 loses this year.
NL West: The Dodgers have won 13 of the last 15 NL West titles, but they wont be taking home one this year, and the Dodger under performed their league leading $362 million payroll. That distinction goes to the Arizona Diamondbacks, as their overall balance of hitting and pitching remained hyper consistent in 2027. Good news for the Rockies as they finally clawed their way out of the NL West basement, after finishing there the previous 5 seasons, they finish ahead of the San Francisco Giants, who have been mired in mediocrity since their 107 win 2021 season, finishing above .500 just once since then.
Playoff Tree
Due to how seeding finished the top branch of the AL playoff bracket will have a team from the AL East represented in the AL Championship. The classic Yankees vs. Red Sox kick things off in the AL, each team vying for a chance to take on the division winning Orioles.
The Rangers look to recapture some of that post-season magic that put them on a hot streak hot enough to win the World Series 2 times over the last 5 years, while the Twins hope to prove they aren't just a defacto division winner. There is a potential AL West showdown if the Rangers do indeed get by the Twins.
The big market Dodgers and Cubs square off over the right to take on the smaller market, and defending World Series champion, Pittsburgh Pirates. There is a lot of history between the Dodgers and Cubs in the post-season, and another chapter is ready to unfold this year.
In the battle of A logos the Braves and Diamondbacks square off for a chance to take on the new powerhouse of the NL East, the Washington Nationals. The Braves have made the NLCS the last 2 years, which included a trip to the World Series in 2025, where they would ultimately lose to the Texan Rangers in 6 games.
League Leaders
Offense
St. Louis Cardinals RF Jordan Walker (66/69) has finally exploded onto the scene, leading the NL in HR (45), RBI (131) and SLG% (.604). Mets 1B Juan Soto (75/75) had an otherworldly .453 OBP, finishing as the only player in the majors with a OBP above .400. He took 60 more walks than strikeouts in 2027. Padres RF Fernando Tatis Jr. (74/74) has fully rebounded from his suspension era, posting a career high 119 RBI's and hitting 39 HR to lead the majors in OPS with a .959 mark. Our very own SS Bo Bichette (54/54) lead the majors in hits and WAR, the 3rd time he's led it in hits and first time in WAR. He also tied for 5th in the majors in doubles with 43, and finished 3rd in batting average hitting .315. The Pirates had 3 players finish in the top 6 of steals. LF Jack Suwinski (56/56) lead the pack with 58, LF Dairon Blanco (52/52) was 3rd with 41, and 2B Termarr Johnson (60/60) finished 5th with 37.
Pitching
Pirates ace SP Paul Skenes (80/80) very nearly won the major league triple crown in back to back seasons. Red Sox SP Garrett Crochet (75/78) held a 25 strikeout edge over Skenes (incidentally Crochet won the AL triple crown this year with 17 wins, 278 K's and a 2.91 ERA), and fellow rotation-mate Jared Jones (55/55) was a 20 game winner, going 20-5 in 2027. Skenes did however lead the league in ERA, WAR, WHIP, FIP, Quality starts, BA against, and ERA+. Jones is an amazing 39-5 over the last two seasons with the Pirates. Astros SP Nick Lodolo (48/48) has gone an astounding 9-36 over his last two seasons with the Astros, leading the league in pitching losses in both year. Diamondbacks CL Edwin Diaz (69/69) remains elite, leading the majors in saves with 47. And finally Pirates setup man Danny Young led the league in Holds with 26.
Stats
Batting Notes
Noteworthy Games:
On 9/7 in a 9-1 win at home against the Houston Astros, SS Bo Bichette (54/54) had a perfect day at the plate going 5-5 with 3 doubles, 1 run, and 3 RBI's.
When C Henry Davis (57/57) hit homeruns, he licked to hit them in pairs, he lead the team with 3 multi-homerun games, and on 9/12 in an 11-7 win against the Padres, he followed suit. Davis went 2-4 with 2 solo homeruns in the victory.
DH Kyle Manzardo (55/57) seemed to have found his power stroke late in the season. He slugged .533 in September hitting 7 homeruns and 5 doubles. He had a 3-4 day against those same Padres Davis did, hitting a double and a homerun while driving in 3.
The Pirates had two players top the 30 homerun plateau this season.
3B Coby Mayo (56/59) hit his 30th on 9/19 in a 6-2 win in Cincinnati. He would go 2-3 on the day with 2 runs, the aforementioned homerun and 3 RBI. He finished his year with 33 total longballs.
RF Jo Adell (53/53) hit his 30th on 9/27 in a 13-0 shelling of the Padres where he went 2-5 with 2 runs and a solo shot. Adell finished the year with 31 total homeruns.
This marks the first time since 1965 the Pirates had two players hit 30 or more home runs on the season, when Willie Stargell and Donn Clendenon did so.
In that same 13-0 beating of the Padres, DH Kyle Manzardo and RF Kevin Alcantara (49/62) both had big days as well.
Manzardo went 2-4 with 2 runs, 2 homeruns, and 4 RBI.
Alcantara went 3-5 with 1 run, 1 homerun and 4 RBI.
Batting Tidbits:
The Pirates lead the MLB in homeruns, hitting 234 total. They had 10 players (Mayo 33, Adell 31, Johnson 26, Locklear 23, Suwinski 20, Manzardo 20, Alcantara 18, Bichette 17, Davis 15, Palacios 12) hit 10 or more homeruns, and 6 of those hit 20 or more.
On 8/23 after missing over a month of game time, CF Kevin Alcantara (49/62) was activated from the injury list, he homered in his return game, a 3 run shot that proved to be the difference over the Nationals in a 8-5 win. In 32 games back from his injury he hit 8 homeruns and knocked in 25 runs, while hitting safely in 23 of those 32 games.
As part of the roster expansion in September, the Pirates called up 3B Orelvis Martinez (45/50) and LHP Anthony Solometo (42/42).
Martinez appeared in 10 games, collecting a lone hit, a double and 1 RBI. He did manage 6 walks in his 28 PA's for a 21.4% BB rate, but slashed .045/.250/.091 with a .341 OPS and a 17 wRC+. Small sample size but good to get a potential contributor some big league time.
Solometo also had some struggles in his time up, surrendering 7 earned in 13.1 IP fora 4.81 ERA. He was solid up until his last outing in Milwaukee, where he surrenders 3 ER in 1.1 IP, earning him the loss.
For his first dip into a fulltime role, 2B Termarr Johnson (60/60) answered the bell masterfully. He surprisingly slugged 26 homeruns and totaled 52 extra base hits, giving him a SLG% just shy of .500 at .497 on the year. He knocked in 85 runs to be second on the time in RBI's, out of the leadoff spot! He led the team in runs, was 2nd in walks, and slashed a very healthy .289/.377/.496 all good for a .874 OPS, which was just .001 away from the team leader (Kevin Alcantara, .875). He also provides flexibility at SS and 3B. All this was good for 6.4 WAR and a team leading 141 wRC+. All on league minimum salary!
A huge year one with the club for 3B Coby Mayo (56/59), he slashed .251/.344/.496 with a .840 OPS and 124 wRC+. Leading the team in homeruns (33) and RBI's (88) Mayo finished third in WAR on the team with 4.3.
At the other corner of the infield, 1B Tyler Locklear (48/48) took over starting against RHP, where he provided an upgrade in defense, and hit 19 homeruns, drove in 63 and slashed .243/.319/.470 good for a .789 OPS and 116 wRC+ against RHP. He had limited AB's against LHP, but still chipped in 4 HR and 8 RBI there.
1B/DH Kyle Manzardo (55/57) had another overall lackluster year with the club. While he did hit 20 homeruns with the Pirates for the first time in his tenure here, his underlying numbers are still very underwhelming, however he did begin to produce at a much better rate when he became the near fulltime DH. He is due around $3 million in his first arbitration year, big decision ahead.
Speaking of down years, after the 2026 season LF Jack Suwinski (56/56) was looking to build off a monster year where he hit 31 home runs and drove in 113 runners, got for a 125 wRC+ and 4.8 WAR. But his OPS dropped from .808 in 2026 to .726 in 2027, and his wRC+ was barely above league average at 101. He finished with 20 homeruns and 62 RBI with a .225/.320/.406 slash line. Suwinski is projected to command nearly $11 million in arbitration, his final year of control before free agency.
RF Jo Adell (53/53) was to be a stop gap solution in the outfield in 2027, but may have played himself into a contract extension with the Pirates. Slugging 31 homeruns and 84 RBI's he posted a .785 OPS with a 109 wRC+.
SS Jack Brannigan (44/44) found himself with his longest trip to the majors in 2027. Appearing in 77 games with 54 starts, he mostly was used against LHP, where he slashed .271/.350/.439 with 4 homeruns and 16 RBI, good for a .789 OPS and 121 wRC+ against them. He provided a change of pace from Termarr Johnson against lefties, who slashed just .230/.297/.437 with a .734 OPS and 101 wRC+.
Pitching Notes
Pitching tidbits:
The starting rotation was out of their mind good this year. Posting a collective 3.04 ERA across their 5 starters (Skenes 1.67, Jones, 2.93, Detmers 3.39, Gilbert 3.67, Ramos 3.69) they were by far the most dominant rotation in the league, going a combine 79-25 as a unit.
That said there's a big decision looming with RHP Mel Ramos (53/53) he is set to be 34 in the 2028 season, and while he's been a very productive 5th starter (29-9, 3.64 ERA, 1.21 WHIP) he is slated to make north of $33 million in 2028, money that is usually spent on aces. The initial need to overpay due to needing a better starting staff made sense at the time, but with the Pirates a smaller market team, the contract is now far too high to carry into 2028.
I swear I try not to glaze SP Paul Skenes (80/80) so much, but he just gets better every year. He set a career low in ERA with 1.67, leading the league there, also lead the league in K's, WHIP, KR/9, K/9, FIP-, and WAR. He's lowered his career ERA to exactly 2.00 on his career. I'm going to need to back the Brinks truck up for this guy...
On 8/30 RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (44/44) was optioned down to AAA Indianapolis. After posting 3 consecutive seasons with a sub 4 ERA out of the pen for the Pirates, he struggled in 2027, posting a 4.64 with a 1.61 WHIP in 52.1 IP. RHP Braxton Ashcraft (42/42) was called up in his stead.
Mlodzinski responded well to the demotion, in 5 games in AAA he pitched 6.2 innings with a perfect 0.00 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP.
Ashcraft posted decent numbers in his time up, appearing in 9 games with 7.1 IP. He posted a 2.45 ERA, walking 3 and striking out 8, good for a 1.50 WHIP.
After getting called up on 6/12, LHP Yoldin De La Paz (45/45) has been nearly untouchable. The rookie hurler appeared in 36 games for the Pirates, the majority of those innings in late high leverage scenarios, and he answered the call every time to the tune of a 0.64 ERA in 42.0 IP with a stellar 0.81 WHIP and a 5.6 K/BB ratio. (7 BB, 39 K) He allowed just 3 earned all season, with 0 homeruns allowed. Simply put, he was stellar, and the 25 year old from the Dominican Republic earned it.
Another high leverage arm was nails for the Pirates throughout the year. LHP Danny Young (48/48) had a sparkling 2.00 ERA to go with a 0.91 WHIP in 54.0 IP. The 33 leftie also allowed no homeruns on the season. That's 96.0 IP from the high leverage arms not allowing a single long ball between them.
After blowing his first three save chances after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Blue Jays. CL Aroldis Chapman (46/46) converted his next 13 in a row, while carrying a 16 game scoreless streak in that time frame. His WHIP remains a bit high at 1.47, but it has steadily been ticking down while his K/9 remains a healthy 10.8. His ERA sits a 2.37, and I'm hopeful he provides continued lockdown in the post-season.
Minor League Check-In
Finally a look at the farm system, Here's the current records of each level
AAA Indianapolis Indians (80-70, 3rd)
AA Altoona Curve (79-59, 1st)
A+ Greensboro Grasshoppers (84-48, 1st)
A Bradenton Marauders (106-26, 1st)
FCL Pirates (31-19, 1st)
DSL Pirates Black (49-11, 1st)
DSL Pirates Gold (43-17, 3rd)
And a look at the top prospects of the system.
MLB CF Kevin Alcantara (49/62) 68 G, .269/.332/.543 18 HR, 51 RBI, .875 OPS, 138 wRC+
AAA LHP Jamie Arnold (42/50) 29.0 IP, 2-0, 4.97 ERA, 30 K, 5 BB, 1.24 WHIP
AAA LHP Magdiel Cotto (43/46) 136.2 IP, 5-8, 4.08 ERA, 146 K, 57 BB, 1.30 WHIP
AAA 3B Orelvis Martinez (45/50) 104 G, .246/.329/.554 35 HR, 86 RBI, .883 OPS, 110 wRC+
AAA RHP Jose Rodriguez (44/44) 90.0 IP, 8-3, 4.60 ERA, 98 K, 49 BB, 1.28 WHIP
AAA SS Jhonny Severino (45/48) 97 G, .332/.414/.599 27 HR, 74 RBI, 1.012 OPS, 153 wRC+
A+ RF Bralyn Brazoban (36/49) 5 G, .050/.208/.050 0 HR, 1 RBI, .258 OPS, -35 wRC+
A+ RHP Joshua Jannicelli (32/47) 27.0 IP, 0-2, 4.33 ERA, 42 K, 13 BB, 1.56 WHIP
A+ 2B Wyatt Sanford (40/49) 24 G, .297/.441/.465 3 HR, 21 RBI, .906 OPS, 146 wRC+
A+ RHP Levi Sterling (35/48) 26.0 IP, 2-0, 6.58 ERA, 44 K, 14 BB, 1.62 WHIP
A RHP Brett Crossland (38/60) 4.2 IP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 11 K, 2 BB, 1.07 WHIP
A LF Edward Florentino (35/47) 62 G, .317/.440/.571 15 HR, 45 RBBI, 1.012 OPS, 160 wRC+
A RHP Hector Gasca (33/74) 10.1 IP, 1-0, 6.10 ERA, 6 K, 1 BB, 1.45 WHIP
A LHP Ronaldys Jimenez (35/41) 33.2 IP, 3-1, 2.94 ERA, 41 K, 14 BB, 1.10 WHIP
A LHP Christian Lim (33/56) 5.2 IP, 1-0, 4.76 ERA, 7 K, 2 BB, 1.94 WHIP
That about does it for the end of the season check in! Next stop, post-season and the off-season check in, where we hopefully are talking about the Pirates successfully defending their 2026 World Series and are celebrating back-to-back championships! Thanks for reading!
Comments