Spring Training always brings some unexpectedly strong performances. A career minor leaguer can have a sudden hot streak, or a player coming off a down season can look like they’re putting things back together. The mix between a small sample size and facing various levels of competition can create some unlikely Spring Training heroes. The Pittsburgh Pirates have had an extremely promising Spring Training. They’ve been one of the best teams in the pre-season, and can thank multiple strong performances for that. However, while some of their key players are playing like fans hoped they would, others are doing a lot better than what many likely expected.
Billy Cook
Billy Cook’s 2025 did not go as hoped. He only hit .248/.323/.384 with a .320 wOBA, and 90 wRC+ at Triple-A Indianapolis. He struck out at a 27.2% rate, and only hit eight home runs over 375 plate appearances, leading to a .136 isolated slugging percentage. For reference, he hit at least 15 home runs in each of the previous three seasons. Cook’s season came to an end in August after suffering an injury. The outfielder/first baseman has limited MLB playing time. In 19 games and 55 plate appearances, Cook has three home runs and two doubles, but no walks and 20 strikeouts. On the plus side, he has looked outstanding defensively, with +6 defensive runs saved, and +2 outs above average in less than 100 innings in the outfield.
Such a down season likely led to lowered expectations going into 2026. However, he’s looking much more like what he did in 2024. Cook has stepped to the plate 34 times, and has seven hits and six walks. Of Cook’s seven knocks, four have been for extra bases. Cook is ripping the cover off the ball, with a 92.5 MPH exit velocity. The downside is he still has ten strikeouts and a whiff rate of 39.3% in the small sample size.
Unfortunately, the Pirates’ outfield is already very crowded. Oneil Cruz, Ryan O’Hearn, and Bryan Reyolds are the Pirates’ go-to outfielders. Top prospect Jhostynxon Garcia has been tearing through Spring Training pitching like it’s nothing. The Pirates also have Jake Mangum on hand. However, there’s no doubt Cook’s Spring Training has been a massive step in the right direction. He should be one of the first position players up if the Pirates need someone off the bench.
Yordany De Los Santos
Yordany De Los Santos was one of the Pirates’ top international signees in the 2021-2022 offseason. He started his career off with a bang, ripping through Florida Complex League pitching. He has 294 plate appearances at the FCL, where he is hitting .340/.404/.494. However, he hasn’t performed anywhere close to the same level since getting to Bradenton. He has appeared at A-Ball each of the last three seasons, where he has a .230/.312/.348 triple-slash through 766 trips to the dish. On the plus side, he has been successful on the basepaths, with 70 swipes and only getting caught 17 times.
However, De Los Santos has been utterly dominant at the plate in Spring Training. It’s only been 16 plate appearances, but the infielder has six hits. Over half of his hits have been extra base hits. He has three home runs, along with a double. De Los Santos has also struck out just two times, and has drawn a walk. His whiff rate comes in at just 25%, and his exit velocity clocks in at an impressive 94.5 MPH.
De Los Santos will likely report to High-A Greensboro to open 2026. This upcoming season will also be his age-21 campaign. There is still time for him to improve his prospect stock, and look like the top 15 international prospect he was during the 2021-2022 offseason. A promising Spring Training performance is definitely a good place to start.
Endy Rodriguez
It’s hard to assess where Endy Rodriguez stands on the Pirates’ depth chart. The backstop entered 2023 as one of baseball’s best prospects, ranking as a consensus top 60 prospect in the sport. He then showed off some talent at the Major League level in 204 plate appearances. Rodriguez was set to play an important role with the 2024 Pirates, but underwent Tommy John surgery before the season began. Rodriguez looked set to re-join the Major League club in 2025, but would only appear in 18 games. Rodriguez suffered a finger laceration in April, and underwent yet another elbow procedure in May.
The switch-hitter is finally back in action, and from the looks of it, is 100% ready to go. Rodriguez has 30 Spring Training plate appearances where he has collected eight hits. Of his eight hits, two have been home runs, and a third is a double. Rodriguez is not swinging and missing at a very high rate, with just a 25.4% whiff rate. He has struck out eight times, but also has four walks. His Spring Training OPS sits at .977.
Right now, the Pirates have a conundrum for their second catcher spot. Joey Bart, Rafael Flores Jr., and Endy are all potential options to back-up Henry Davis. Davis is reportedly going to be the catcher 60% of the time. When healthy, Rodriguez is arguably the best defender of any Pirates backstop, and he also brings some versatility, able to play first base as well. He has out-hit any Pirates backstop in the pre-season thus far.
