BRADENTON, Fla. -- While much has been made of 19-year-old Konnor Griffin or a Pirates offense that appears far better equipped to do damage in 2026, starting pitching remains the team’s backbone.
Paul Skenes, yes. But also young guys with power stuff like Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft, who started split-squad contests in Dunedin and Bradenton, respectively, on Friday afternoon.
Each had work to do.
And the results showed important progress for the Pirates.
Ashcraft continued what has been a strong spring for him, cruising through three innings before encountering some bad luck in the fourth, the right-hander ultimately allowing two earned runs on three hits while walking none and striking out five.
The Pirates dropped a wild one at home, 14-10, to the Phillies.
Chandler, meanwhile, has struggled with fastball command. Pitching at TD Ballpark against the Blue Jays, he did walk three but also struck out five and gave up just one earned run in three innings. Despite another Pirates loss (9-2), it was easily Chandler’s best start of the spring.
In their own ways, the outings represented important steps forward for 40% of Pittsburgh’s starting rotation.
Especially sharp for Ashcraft (3.38 spring ERA) were his slider and curveball, the spin pitches accounting for all of his strikeouts and eight of his 10 whiffs.
“That was a point of emphasis [Friday], going in and spinning the ball well,” Ashcraft said. “It’s fun to see the work you put in pay dividends.”
The other goal for Ashcraft in his third Grapefruit League start was his sinker, which he threw just 14.8% of the time in 2025. That should tick up this season. On Friday, Ashcraft threw 20 of them among his 53 pitches (38%).
It’s all part of a plan to be able to work up and down and in and out, Ashcraft employing ways to be equally as effective against left-handed and right-handed hitters.
“Being able to maintain that versatility and transition from one to the other is really important for me,” Ashcraft said of mixing power with finesse and attacking all quadrants of the strike zone. “It’s something I’ve taken pride in being able to do.”
Chandler, meanwhile, continued to fire some truly dominant stuff; his fastball averaged 99.1 mph, while 15 heaters went at least 99.0 mph, per Statcast. He topped out at 100.1 mph. Along with throwing 35 of his 57 pitches for strikes (61.4%), Chandler racked up 13 whiffs.
Averaging roughly a walk per inning obviously isn’t ideal, but with Chandler, it’s hardly a lack of ability. If anything, he’s been trying a little too hard.
Speaking before the game, Pirates manager Don Kelly chalked Chandler’s control issues up to nerves, encouraging Chandler to be himself, compete and pitch with an edge.
“This will be good for him in the long run,” Kelly said. “There’s no doubt that he’s going to figure it out and get the fastball back in the zone.”
The importance of Ashcraft and Chandler is obviously tough to overstate. Mitch Keller has been steady. We’re certainly wasting time worrying about Skenes. There’s also more to learn about the fifth-starter competition among José Urquidy, Mike Clevinger, Carmen Mlodzinski and Hunter Barco.
In the middle of their rotation, the Pirates need Ashcraft and Chandler to become horses in their sophomore seasons, reliable starters capable of pounding the strike zone and getting guys out a number of ways.
What they did Friday to reinforce that was encouraging.
‘That’s my job’
Ryan O’Hearn’s leadership and personality have certainly resonated inside the Pirates’ clubhouse. The results he’s produced thus far at the plate have been even better, including his second spring homer on Friday.
The right fielder got a 2-1 sinker located low and away and put an excellent swing on it at LECOM Park, driving it over the fence in left-center field at 101.6 mph.
O’Hearn was also on base three times thanks to a walk and a hit by pitch, and he's now hitting .500 with a 1.632 OPS in seven Grapefruit League games.
“I feel like I can hit different types of pitches, different speeds, different shapes and do damage,” O’Hearn said. “Ultimately that’s my job, to get on base and drive in runs. Be a productive offensive player. Just wanna continue that.”
Other notable performances
Isaac Mattson cruised through the fifth and sixth at LECOM Park. He’s made four appearances this spring -- one against Team Colombia that didn’t count -- and it feels like each one of them has lasted about five minutes. The righty reliever has allowed one hit and one walk while striking out five over four innings of Grapefruit play.
In Dunedin, Jake Mangum picked up two more hits, increasing his average this spring to .400. Griffin went 0-for-2, dropping his average to .188.
Dominic Fletcher had the biggest game for a Pirate against the Blue Jays, homering and adding a double.
Who’s on first?
The scene at first base on Thursday morning at LECOM Park was hardly surprising: Joey Bart trying his hand at a new position.
It makes sense. It’s conceivably another way to get Bart’s bat in the lineup against lefties. But will it stick?
I have a tough time seeing it, honestly.
Now, finding playing time for Bart does deserve some attention. His .891 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025 was the best on the team, though it'll be tough for Bart to recapture his 2024 form (team-high .799 OPS) without consistent at-bats.
But where? Let’s work through the scenario.
Marcell Ozuna is the Pirates’ everyday designated hitter. Spencer Horwitz will, and should, start at first base against right-handed pitchers, as nobody had a better OPS (.813) against them last season. O’Hearn (.832 OPS vs. lefties in 2025) makes more sense at first base against southpaws.
What the Bart experiment does, however, is give the Pirates options if some part of the ideal plan goes awry.
It’s also not a current thing. It’s more down the road, to see if something sticks.
“I’ve never done it before,” Bart said Thursday when asked about playing first base. “I kind of like the conditioning part of it, honestly. It keeps you moving. But it’s something I have to get more comfortable with.”
We’ll see how this progresses throughout spring. In the meantime, here’s guessing Bart wouldn’t mind seeing a few more offensive results.
He’s hitting just .063 (1-for-16) while striking out eight times and grounding into three double plays. It’s Spring Training. Those results don’t matter. But they’re still not fun to experience.
“Not really happy or frustrated. Just have to get into a rhythm,” Bart said. “That’s basically all it comes down to in spring. The schedule is a little bit different than the regular season. Just keep working on the right things every day. That’s kind of how I approach it.”
Jason Mackey writes for Pirates.com. Email him at Jason.Mackey@pirates.com or follow him on X @JMackey_PGH.