Pittsburgh Pirates’ right-handed reliever Yohan Ramirez has never found his proper footing in a Major League bullpen. Before 2026, he had never pitched in at least 40 games in a season since he debuted in 2020, had pitched in the Major Leagues for eight different teams, and his ERA and ERA+ were only 4.71 and 90, respectively. This included a stint with the Pirates in 2022 and 2023, before they picked him back up again last year.
However, the Pirates gave Ramirez another chance to secure a bullpen spot this year. Not only did he open the year with the ballclub, but up until the trade deadline, he was one of, if not the Pirates’ best reliever. At the very minimum, he was their best right-handed bullpen arm until they acquired Luke Weaver.
Ramirez has pitched 64.1 innings this season. In that time, he has a 2.80 ERA, 3.79 FIP, and 1.29 WHIP. He embodies an effectively wild pitcher. While he has walked 13.3% of batters he has faced, Ramirez is above the 75th percentile of strikeout rate (26.6%), exit velocity (84.8 MPH), and barrel percentage (5.1%). His ability to induce ground balls at a 49% clip, along with preventing hard contact, has helped him limit batters to a 0.56 HR/9 ratio.
There’s never been a question if Ramirez had the stuff to be an effective relief pitcher. He has a career 110 FanGraphs Stuff+, and a 110 mark this year. 2026 marks the first year he has used anything other than his four-seamer or sinker as his primary pitch. His mid-80s sweeper has taken priority, and has induced just a .228 xwOBA, 78.9 MPH exit velocity, and 40.1% whiff percentage.
The biggest thing Ramirez has brought to the Pirates’ pitching staff, aside from his performance, is his versatility to pitch in any role. Of his 45 appearances, 19 have lasted more than one inning. Two saw him go at least three frames. He has pitched a dozen times in the 7th inning or later in a two-run game or closer as well. Along with pitching multiple innings and in higher leverage, Ramirez has even opened a game.
Ramirez’s effectiveness has obviously been a massive help in a bullpen that has struggled for most of the 2026 season. However, combined with his ability to pitch well in any situation the Pirates have asked him to pitch in, it has made him one of the team’s most valuable hurlers in 2026. It sets him up nicely as a key member of the Pirates’ bullpen for next year.
