This story was excerpted from Aiden Stepansky’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
PITTSBURGH -- It’s the final week of October, which means the World Series is underway and awards season is just around the corner. The Pirates’ season ended exactly a month ago in Detroit, when they took down the Tigers to finish 82-80. Pittsburgh’s stat lines were complete, and the opportunity for recognition commenced.
Second baseman Brandon Lowe is set to be a free agent this offseason, but in his first year with the Pirates, he produced one of the best years of his MLB career. He’s reaping the benefits now.
First, let’s start with Lowe’s defense. He improved into elite form by moving a minus-10 fielding run value in 2025 with Tampa Bay to a plus-12 in Pittsburgh. Lowe often credits Pittsburgh’s infield coach Chris Truby for the change in the right direction.
Shortly after Lowe was acquired in the offseason, Truby recommended implementing a bunny hop before the pitch, making Lowe more athletic in the field. It certainly worked, and Lowe was named a Gold Glove finalist for the first time. He has some steep competition with Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt’s 25 outs above average, but Lowe would be the first Pirates Gold Glove winner at second base since José Lind in 1992. Rawlings will announce the winners on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Lowe made even more of a name for himself at the plate, where he hit 35 home runs and recorded 96 RBIs with an .824 OPS. He has never won a Silver Slugger, but he could be a finalist for the second year in a row. Silver Slugger finalists will be announced on Nov. 2, and Lowe is also up for the All-MLB Team, which will be revealed on Nov. 11 at the MLB Awards in Las Vegas.
Lowe isn’t the only Pirates player to be a finalist for a Gold Glove. Utility man Jared Triolo won the award in 2024 and is a finalist again two years later. He played five different positions, primarily filling in for Konnor Griffin at shortstop and staying strong at third base with two errors on 80 chances.
Lowe is also joined by plenty of teammates for the All-MLB Team nominations. Joining Lowe in the infield is Nick Gonzales at third base. The 2020 first-round pick batted .303, sixth best in baseball.
Paul Skenes is one of six players up for their third consecutive All-MLB Team selection, and Braxton Ashcraft is also up for one of the starting spots. Rounding out the nominations is reliever Mason Montgomery, who broke out in the second half to become a dominant leverage arm.
Montgomery’s first year with the Pirates turned into one of their best success stories. He tallied 15 saves and posted 25 straight scoreless outings from July 27 to Sept. 24. From the Trade Deadline on Aug. 3 through the end of the regular season, Montgomery recorded a 1.14 ERA with a 40.9% K rate and 16 saves. The BBWAA will vote for a Reliever of the Year for the first time, and expect Montgomery to receive some votes next to stars like Mason Miller, Cade Smith and more.
Skenes didn’t have as dominant a year as his NL Cy Young-winning campaign in 2025, but he still was among baseball’s best. He tallied a 3.82 ERA in 32 starts with 200 strikeouts and a third All-Star nod. Ashcraft was dominant in his first full MLB season, pitching to a 3.65 ERA in 28 starts. The highlight of his campaign included a complete game on 85 pitches against Miami in August.
Both starters could take home some NL Cy Young votes, while Lowe might receive MVP votes for the first time since 2021. Winners will be revealed on Nov. 11 in Las Vegas.