The San Francisco Giants put the biggest weakness of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lineup on full display in the series opener on March 8. With left-hander Robbie Ray on the mound, the Pirates trotted out a right-handed hitting heavy lineup, and it had plenty of problems. Nick Yorke, Billy Cook, Jared Triolo, and Joey Bart all got the nod. All four have also struggled at the plate this season. It’s clear that the Pirates’ plan for when there is a lefty on the mound is not very sound. However, there are ways they can fix that.
Internal solutions
The easiest thing the Pirates can do is promote someone from Triple-A Indianapolis. There are plenty of right-handed hitting batters at Indy who crush lefties. One of Rafael Flores Jr. The catcher/first baseman has hit well as of recently, batting .271/.386/.475 with a 129 wRC+ dating back to April 15. Although Flores is a switch-hitter, most of his production has come against lefties. He owns a .965 OPS vs Southpaws, with a .361 xwOBA, and a strong 18.6% whiff percentage.
Flores isn’t the only catcher who has done well lately and has solid numbers when a left-handed pitcher is on the mound. Endy Rodriguez has also been on a heater since April 15, batting .333/.469/.431 with a 151 wRC+. Although his .415 batting average on balls in play indicates some good luck playing a role in his recent performance, he still has a higher walk rate (20%) than strikeout rate (15.4%). Rodriguez has a respectable 25.4% whiff rate against Southpaws, with a .321 batting average, and .799 OPS.
Outfielder/first baseman Esmerlyn Valdez has hit well, especially against left-handed hurlers. He has an .887 OPS with a .352 xwOBA when a left-hander is on the mound. Valdez has shown no issues at hitting the ball hard vs lefties, with a 91.7 MPH exit velocity and 13.6% barrel percentage. However, that comes with the caveat of a 33.3% whiff percentage.
Top outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia. Garcia struggled against Triple-A pitching earlier this season before landing on the IL with a back injury. He started his rehab and is tearing up A-Ball pitching. The Password also did very well last year against lefty pitchers, posting a .857 OPS.
Trade options
While trade opportunities are not abundant this early in the year, there has been early speculation that some teams may start selling sooner rather than later. One team is the New York Mets, and one player is Mark Vientos. Vientos has mostly produced league-average numbers with the bat after seemingly breaking out in 2024; he has remained solid against left-handed pitching. He owns a .742 OPS against Southpaws, with a .322 xwOBA.
The Los Angeles Angels will almost assuredly become sellers this year. They may look to capitalize on the breakout of utility man Oswald Peraza. Peraza has destroyed lefties to the tune of a .333/.366/.615 triple-slash early on in the year. Plus, Peraza can provide depth at all four infield positions.
An outfielder that will more than likely end up on the trade market is Lane Thomas of the Kansas City Royals. Thomas has eight hits, including nine walks and only six K’s in his first 45 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this year. 2026 isn’t an outlier for Thomas either. He is a career .291/.345/.491 batter vs left-handed pitching.
While the season is still young, facing a left-handed starter exposed the biggest issue that is currently plaguing the Pirates. They have enough options in the minor leagues to cover it for now. However, they should become active very soon on the trade market and add at least one right-handed hitting batter who is playable against left-handed pitching.
