Last week was a very exciting time to be a Pirates fan, acquiring Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum, and Mason Montgomery. Afterwards, Ben Cherington made some comments saying he expects to land another impact bat. While we wait for that to happen, the Pirates have brought in more depth in the outfield by bringing in Dominic Fletcher on a minor league deal.
Fletcher will get an opportunity to compete for a roster spot in spring training, but will likely start the year in Triple-A. The 28 year old was ranked the 13th best prospect in the White Sox organization in 2024 and graduated after that season.
He struggled in 2024, yet was actually solid in the big leagues in 2023 and a short stint in 2025. In his first stint in 2023, Fletcher posted a 112 wRC+ with a .791 OPS across 102 plate appearances. Then after he was dealt to the White Sox for prospect Christian Mena, he fell into a slump in the big leagues. His 2024 wRC+ sat at 48 and his OPS was only .508.
In 2025, he revived his bat in Triple-A, posting a strong .770 OPS with a career best 17 home runs. In the big leagues, he posted a .734 OPS, carried by a strong slugging percentage of .469. Fletcher belted a home run and five doubles in just 32 at-bats.
While he hasn’t exactly lived up to the top prospect hype he got years ago, he has a chance to rebound in Pittsburgh. He isn’t the big move to complement the Lowe trade, but his depth will be worth it this season.
The Triple-A outfield will consist of Fletcher, Billy Cook, and Ronny Simon. Cook is the only one of those three to be on the 40-man roster and is likely the first to get promoted next season.
Fletcher could turn out to be a very sneaky addition in 2026. Just on a simple minor league deal, Fletcher brings sneaky pop from the left side, but hasn’t found a consistent groove in the big leagues just yet. There’s a chance he could flip that narrative in Pittsburgh this summer, but for now, he is just a depth piece in the organization.
