Pirates 2025 MLB season previews: Outfield

The Pirates outfield will be depended on as the main source of offense in 2025 to take the Pirates to a new level.

The Pittsburgh Pirates first spring training game is Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles and it’s the perfect time to look ahead to the 2025 season. The Pirates outfield should be a main offensive strength led by veteran contributors. Here is how the outfield shakes out at the start of spring training.

Tommy Pham

The Pirates’ new left fielder as Bryan Reynolds shifts over to right, Tommy Pham brings 11 years of experience to the team.

Pittsburgh will be Pham’s 10th team and third inside the NL Central after playing for the Cardinals (2014-18, 2024) and Reds (2022) in recent seasons.

Pham experienced one of the best seasons of his career two years ago, helping the Arizona Diamondbacks reach the 2023 World Series. In 129 games between the New York Mets and Arizona, Pham slashed .256/.328/.446 with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs.

2024 was a different story. Pham signed with the Chicago White Sox entering what became one of the worst seasons for a baseball franchise in MLB history (41-121) before being moved to St. Louis and eventually landing in Kansas City. Pham needs to turn back the clock and could bat leadoff or lengthen the lineup in the six or seven spots in the order.

He hit .248 with 20 doubles, nine homers, and 39 RBIs in 116 games. We are Pham-a-lee has a nice ring to it if Pham can find the fountain of youth this season.

Oneil Cruz

The outfielder with the most eyes on him is unquestionably Oneil Cruz. While many questions remain around the roster, like Ke’Bryan Hayes’ health and the status of No. 1 draft pick Henry Davis, Cruz hasn’t been a big topic of discussion yet. Transitioning to center field during the final month of the season, Cruz did a solid job tracking down balls in his first-ever action in the outfield.

Cruz needs to improve on throwing to the cutoff man and accuracy, but he held his own for such an abrupt change from shortstop. He set career-best marks in doubles (30), home runs (21), RBIs (76), batting average (.259), and OPS (.773).

Cruz took a step up at the plate but needs to become a more consistent hitter and cut down on the 181 strikeouts in 146 games. Moving tuners over and doing the little things will help Cruz become the star many believe he is capable of becoming.

Bryan Reynolds

Bryan Reynolds is the linchpin in an outfield with two new Opening-Day starters compared to a year ago. Manager Derek Shelton announced Reynolds will shift to right with Pham in the mix, meaning Reynolds will have played all three outfield spots during this career. Reynolds ranked in the worst percentile, 1%, in fielding run value (-12) last year.

The change is similar to Andrew McCutchen moving to right in 2017 and allowing more premiere defenders man the two largest parts of the park. Pittsburgh’s most consistent offensive player, Reynolds led the Pirates with 171 hits teams along a .275 average, and team-highs in homers (24) and RBIs (88).

Reynolds will slot into the No. 2 spot in the batting order and anchor a top-heavy lineup with questions throughout. The Pirates will be depending significantly on Reynolds to have his best offensive season. Reynolds said at PiratesFest that he wants the team to use more consistent lineups. Other than Reynolds and Cruz back-to-back, the Pirates need to find stability at first base, shortstop, and health at other positions to turn the wish into a desired outcome and a reality.

The Battle for the 4th Outfield Roster Pick

Multiple players will factor into the race to become the extra outfielder on the Pirates bench. Josh Palacios, Billy Cook, utilityman Nick Yorke, and Jack Suwinski are a few options Shelton could deploy.

The Pirates cut their losses on Edward Olivares during the season after acquiring him from Kansas City and let Bryan De La Cruz go following a disastrous second half. Acquired at the trade deadline, De La Cruz posted the worst WAR (-1.2) of any player traded for at the deadline.

Palacios, Cook, and Yorke are intriguing options that could provide a big few hits apiece to help the Bucs win games this season, but the pressure is on Suwinski.

Questions remain if Suwinski can be an impactful bat and concern has turned to serious panic. The lefty hitter clobbered 26 homers in 2023 but followed it up with a .182/.264/..324 slash line and nine home runs in 88 games. His defense suffered and contributed to a -1.7 WAR. Suwinski is a boom or bust candidate and could be a difference maker in bringing more power to the Pirates offense lacking multiple big bats.