Spring Training games are just around the corner. The Pittsburgh Pirates’ very first Spring game is February 21 against the Baltimore Orioles. Like every team, there are going to be plenty of storylines to follow throughout the pre-season in Pirates camp. Between position battles and prospects gunning for an Opening Day roster spot, there will be no shortage of interesting things to look forward to during Spring Training. However, there are three storylines fans shouold be focusing on to see how they playout in the pre-season.
Storylines every Pirates fan should be focusing on in Spring Training.
The chance to make history
There isn’t a single Pirates fan who doesn’t want to see Konnor Griffin open the year as the Pirates’ starting shortstop. He became baseball’s consensus number one prospect for a good reason. The 2024 first-round pick slashed .333/.415/.527 with an astounding 165 wRC+ over 563 plate appearances. Griffin went yard 21 times and stole a whopping 65 bags. He only struck out 21.7% of the time with a respectable 8.9% walk rate.
Griffin doesn’t have one particular weakness in his game. Baseball America grades all of his tools as 60 or better. That means his worst tools (which are his hit tool and fielding) are still plus skills. However, that still means his defense at shortstop could make him a Gold Glove finalist, and his hit tool could be good enough to bat .275+. There’s no question Griffin has enough power and speed to have a 30/30 season.
Griffin began 2025 at A-Ball and made it to Double-A by the end of the year. His wRC+ rose at every level, starting at 156 at Bradenton, and climbing to 175 by the time he reached Altoona. The most amazing thing of all of this is that Griffin doesn’t turn 20 until late April. Very few teenagers have ever broken camp with their MLB team. There also isn’t anyone blocking Griffin at shortstop. Nick Gonzales and Jared Triolo can play shortstop, but there’s no reason, except for an injury, that Griffin can’t start over either of them.
Finding another catcher
The Pirates have a plethora of catchers who are gunning for an Opening Day roster spot. According to Jason Mackey, Davis will be the catcher 60% of the time. The former first overall pick made massive strides in his defense last year, with +8 defensive runs saved and +0.5 framing runs. He also went from -2 blocking runs above average in 271.1 innings in ‘24 to only -1 in 681.1 innings in ‘25. Hopefully, his bat takes a similar big step forward this year, as he only had a 41 wRC+ over 283 plate appearances.
Davis has become a well-liked catcher by the Pirates’ pitching staff, but he won’t be the only backstop. Rafael Flores will be one of the players competing for time behind the plate. Acquired in the David Bednar swap, Flores slashed .283/.354/.470 with a 134 wRC+ in the minor leagues this year. The young backstop went yard 22 times with a 9.7% walk rate. However, he also struck out 25.7% of the time. Flores made a brief MLB cameo last year, collecting 17 plate appearances over seven games.
Flores saw time both behind the plate and at first base last year. He could be an option to give Davis time off, and platoon with Spencer Horwitz at first base. Endy Rodriguez will also be in the mix. The former consensus top 100 prospect had a promising start to his MLB career in 2023, but has since suffered multiple injuries. He did not play in 2024 and appeared in only 18 MLB and 8 minor league games in 2025. Hopefully, Rodriguez can stay healthy and put things back on track in 2026.
The biggest question mark is Joey Bart. Bart has been a solid hitter since the Pirates acquired him in April 2024. He has a 110 wRC+ and 17 home runs in 614 plate appearances. However, he also has -10 DRS and -4.3 framing runs with the Bucs. Bart’s name has floated around trade rumors now, and he could be moved before the start of the MLB season to free up some space on the depth chart.
While Davis is assured a roster spot, the backup role will be up for grabs. Bart brings the most offense if he isn’t traded. Flores has the highest upside, as he ranks as a top ten Pirates prospect. Rodriguez is the best defender, but has the biggest question marks surrounding him. That could all be decided in Spring Training.
Carmen Mlodzinski is a starter once more
Carmen Mlodzinski is going to be stretched out as a starting pitcher once again. The former first-round competitive balance pick opened 2025 as a starter, but it did not go very well. In nine starts and 39.1 innings, Mlodzinski owned a 5.67 ERA, with a 15.6% K%, and a 6.7% walk rate. He also had a solid 1.13 HR/9 ratio and 7.9% barrel rate, but that’s about where the positives end.
The Pirates moved Mlodzinski back into a multi-inning/opener role, and it resulted in much better numbers. He pitched to a 2.12 ERA, a 2.65 FIP, and 1.10 WHIP throughout his final 59.1 innings of 2025. He continued to post a low walk rate of 6.3%, but his K% rose to 25.5%. The right-hander allowed three more home runs all year and had a strong 4.4% barrel percentage. Only one of Mlodzinski’s outings out of the pen lasted less than 1.2 innings, and all but three went two or more frames.
Most of the Pirates’ rotation is set. Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Braxton Ashcraft, and Bubba Chandler are the Pirates’ 1-4. Prior to announcing Mlodzinski as a starting rotation option, the Bucs had top prospects Hunter Barco and Thomas Harrington, along with free agent signee Jose Urquidy, as their only rotation options on the 40-man roster.
Pirates fans should be watching to see how Mlodzinski uses his pitches. Last year, he used his four-seamer 36.1% of the time. He used his splitter, sinker, slider, sweeper, and curveball all between 8.9% and 15.2% of the time. We may see him utilize one of his secondaries more frequently or drop his least effective offering. It will certainly be interesting to see the changes Mlodzinski makes to prepare as a starter.
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