Pittsburgh Pirates: lineup and rotation patterns
What 2023–2025 Retrosheet data tells us about how the Pittsburgh Pirates set their lineups and used their pitchers.
A record of past seasons, not a forecast: 2027 projections will be added once rosters take shape. About these team pages.
Our read on the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh's lineup changed shape against left-handed starters more than most: on average only 0.61 left-handed hitters started against left-handers, second fewest in the league, compared with 2.68 against right-handers. Spencer Horwitz started 73% of games against right-handed starters and 6% against left-handers, and Oneil Cruz, the most frequent leadoff hitter with only 60 games there, 87% against 39%. Alexander Canario was the reverse (23% against right-handers, 78% against left-handers).
Andrew McCutchen was the main DH with 120 starts (74%), and only 5 players started there. Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller made 32 starts each, and 10 pitchers started a game all season. No catcher started half the games; Joey Bart led with 76, and his start rate did not drop in day games after night games (48% against 47% otherwise).
Where the Pittsburgh Pirates ranked in 2025
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Avg | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 71 | 81.0 | 26 |
| Different batting orders | 146 | 135.9 | T-9 |
| Same order as previous game | 5.0% | 4.8% | T-12 |
| Most uses of one order | 4 | 4.8 | T-18 |
| Same leadoff as previous game | 63% | 75% | 24 |
| Players in the lineup | 27 | 24.4 | T-6 |
| Games vs LHP | 36 | 42.6 | T-25 |
| Lefty hitters vs RHP | 2.7 | 3.6 | 27 |
| Lefty hitters vs LHP | 0.6 | 2.0 | 29 |
| Starting pitchers | 10 | 13.2 | T-22 |
| Top-five starters' share | 79% | 76% | T-9 |
| Starts on 4 days' rest or less* | 32% | 31% | 14 |
| Starts after 10+ days* | 4% | 5% | 20 |
| Primary catcher's starts | 47% | 58% | 22 |
| Players at DH | 5 | 10.7 | T-27 |
| Top DH's share | 74% | 51% | 6 |
Three seasons at a glance
| Season | W–L | Games vs RHP / LHP starters | Different batting orders | Different players in the starting lineup | Starting pitchers used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 76–86 | 108 / 54 | 157 | 29 | 15 |
| 2024 | 76–86 | 115 / 47 | 154 | 25 | 12 |
| 2025 | 71–91 | 126 / 36 | 146 | 27 | 10 |
Who played where, 2023–2025
| Position | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Austin Hedges (61) | Joey Bart (62) | Joey Bart (76) |
| 1B | Carlos Santana (85) | Rowdy Tellez (105) | Spencer Horwitz (93) |
| 2B | Ji Hwan Bae (56) | Nick Gonzales (83) | Nick Gonzales (84) |
| 3B | Ke'Bryan Hayes (118) | Ke'Bryan Hayes (93) | Ke'Bryan Hayes (97) |
| SS | Tucupita Marcano (44) | Oneil Cruz (107) | Isiah Kiner-Falefa (93) |
| LF | Bryan Reynolds (112) | Bryan Reynolds (117) | Tommy Pham (104) |
| CF | Jack Suwinski (112) | Michael Taylor (79) | Oneil Cruz (120) |
| RF | Henry Davis (49) | Edward Olivares (41) | Bryan Reynolds (117) |
| DH | Andrew McCutchen (97) | Andrew McCutchen (113) | Andrew McCutchen (120) |
Month by month in 2025
| Month | Games | W–L | Games vs LHP | Different batting orders | Starting pitchers used | First start of the season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | 31 | 12–19 | 8 | 27 | 6 | – |
| May | 28 | 10–18 | 5 | 26 | 6 | Liover Peguero, Nick Solak, Spencer Horwitz |
| June | 27 | 14–13 | 7 | 23 | 6 | Billy Cook, Brett Sullivan |
| July | 23 | 11–12 | 3 | 21 | 5 | none |
| August | 29 | 14–15 | 6 | 28 | 7 | Cam Devanney, Ronny Simon |
| September | 24 | 10–14 | 7 | 22 | 7 | Nick Yorke, Rafael Flores |
Batting order and positions in 2025
Most starts by batting slot: 1. Oneil Cruz (60); 2. Andrew McCutchen (61); 3. Bryan Reynolds (106); 4. Nick Gonzales (42); 5. Andrew McCutchen (33); 6. Ke'Bryan Hayes (34); 7. Adam Frazier (28); 8. Henry Davis (32); 9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (98).
| Position | Next most starts (leader: see above) | Players who started there | Starter changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | Henry Davis (74) | 5 | 68% |
| 1B | Enmanuel Valdez (22) | 9 | 42% |
| 2B | Adam Frazier (47) | 7 | 29% |
| 3B | Jared Triolo (30) | 4 | 25% |
| SS | Jared Triolo (44) | 5 | 24% |
| LF | Alexander Canario (21) | 8 | 57% |
| CF | Alexander Canario (23) | 6 | 35% |
| RF | Alexander Canario (13) | 9 | 42% |
| DH | Bryan Reynolds (34) | 5 | 36% |
Against left- and right-handed starters
| Opposing starter | Left-handed | Right-handed | Switch-hitters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed | 2.7 | 5.2 | 1.1 |
| Left-handed | 0.6 | 7.5 | 0.9 |
| Player | Bats | Start rate vs RHP (starts) | Start rate vs LHP (starts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Horwitz | left-handed | 73% (92) | 6% (2) |
| Alexander Canario | right-handed | 23% (29) | 78% (28) |
| Oneil Cruz | left-handed | 87% (109) | 39% (14) |
| Jared Triolo | right-handed | 50% (63) | 92% (33) |
| Adam Frazier | left-handed | 48% (60) | 8% (3) |
| Jack Suwinski | left-handed | 33% (42) | 3% (1) |
Gaps may reflect timing, not a platoon (guide).
Rotation and rest in 2025
| Pitcher | Throws | Starts | First start | Last start | Median days of rest | Starts on 4 days or fewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Skenes | RHP | 32 | March 27, 2025 | Sept. 24, 2025 | 5 | 11 |
| Mitch Keller | RHP | 32 | March 28, 2025 | Sept. 26, 2025 | 5 | 11 |
| Andrew Heaney | LHP | 23 | March 30, 2025 | Aug. 11, 2025 | 5 | 8 |
| Bailey Falter | LHP | 22 | March 29, 2025 | July 29, 2025 | 5 | 8 |
| Mike Burrows | RHP | 19 | May 22, 2025 | Sept. 21, 2025 | 5 | 6 |
| Carmen Mlodzinski | RHP | 12 | March 31, 2025 | Sept. 2, 2025 | 5 | 2 |
| Johan Oviedo | RHP | 9 | Aug. 4, 2025 | Sept. 28, 2025 | 5 | 3 |
| Braxton Ashcraft | RHP | 8 | June 23, 2025 | Sept. 25, 2025 | 5 | 0 |
| Rest before start | Pittsburgh Pirates | League average |
|---|---|---|
| 4 days or fewer | 32% | 31% |
| 5 days | 48% | 49% |
| 6 to 10 days | 16% | 15% |
| More than 10 days | 4% | 5% |
Catcher and DH in 2025
| Games | Team-games | Primary catcher started | League average |
|---|---|---|---|
| All games | 162 | 47% | 58% |
| Day game after a night game | 44 | 48% | 44% |
| All other games | 118 | 47% | – |
| Player | DH starts | Share of DH starts |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew McCutchen | 120 | 74% |
| Bryan Reynolds | 34 | 21% |
| Joey Bart | 4 | 2% |
Most common lineups in 2025
The most common exact batting order was used only 4 times (club average 4.8).
Lineup 1 (4 times, last on April 27, 2025): 1. Oneil Cruz CF, 2. Bryan Reynolds RF, 3. Andrew McCutchen DH, 4. Enmanuel Valdez 1B, 5. Joey Bart C, 6. Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B, 7. Adam Frazier 2B, 8. Tommy Pham LF, 9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS.
Lineup 2 (3 times, last on June 21, 2025): 1. Oneil Cruz CF, 2. Andrew McCutchen DH, 3. Bryan Reynolds RF, 4. Spencer Horwitz 1B, 5. Nick Gonzales 2B, 6. Adam Frazier LF, 7. Henry Davis C, 8. Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B, 9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS.
Lineup 3 (2 times, last on April 30, 2025): 1. Oneil Cruz CF, 2. Bryan Reynolds RF, 3. Andrew McCutchen DH, 4. Joey Bart C, 5. Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B, 6. Matt Gorski 1B, 7. Tommy Pham LF, 8. Jared Triolo 2B, 9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS.
Top nine vs RHP (6/126): Adam Frazier, Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds, Enmanuel Valdez, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Joey Bart, Ke'Bryan Hayes, Oneil Cruz, Tommy Pham.
Top nine vs LHP (4/36): Alexander Canario, Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jared Triolo, Joey Bart, Liover Peguero, Nick Gonzales, Tommy Pham.
Our own calculations from Retrosheet game logs, regular seasons only: notes, methodology.