The polls have closed and the votes are in! At Bucs Dugout, we polled how excited Pittsburgh Pirates fans were for the regular season after the team’s hot start to Spring Training. 82% of those who voted said that they are more excited than normal for the regular season after the Buccos dominated Grapefruit League play.
The Pirates as of Friday have a 10-4 record in Spring Training, and fans have a lot to be excited about ahead of the regular season. The story of the Pirates’ offseason of course has been how differently they’ve approached building their lineup. Signing All-Star slugger Ryan O’Hearn was a sign of good faith that the Buccos were looking to get serious. The organization also made a monster trade that saw All-Star Brandon Lowe and prospect Jake Mangum come over from Tampa Bay. Very quickly they completely transformed the lineup, and then kept adding when they signed Marcel Ozuna to be the team’s designated hitter.
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The emergence of Konnor Griffin as the top prospect in baseball has dominated headlines, and to this point, he has absolutely looked like a future star in Major League Baseball. Other prospects like Jhostynxon Garcia, Braxton Ashcraft and Esmerlyn Valdez have also been turning heads in camp and have their own share of highlight moments.
Pittsburgh’s pitching rotation is what will get butts in seats this season, as they are projected to be one of the best in baseball. Paul Skenes is the reigning National League Cy Young winner and is primed to have another strong season. Bubba Chandler is still one of the most exciting pitching prospects in baseball, while Mitch Keller will provide the veteran leadership to keep the group on track.
FanDuel Sports Network has the Pirates at -520 odds to win 70 games in 2026. Pittsburgh won 71 games in 2025.
There’s a lot of reasons for Pirates fans to be more excited than usual for the upcoming season, and there should be no shortage of fireworks going off at PNC Park this year.
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