Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds are considered unquestioned starters who comprise two-thirds of the outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates, yet both players provided plenty of question marks last season.
With Cruz in center field and Reynolds in right, the Pirates are more concerned with who will cover the cavernous ground in left field.
It promises to be one of the more intriguing position battles of spring training. The Pirates have two new acquisitions in Jake Mangum and Jhostynxon Garcia, a former top 100 prospect nicknamed The Password.
The Pirates also return struggling slugger Jack Suwinski and Billy Cook, both of whom spent most of 2025 in the minors. And Esmerlyn Valdez was added to the 40-man roster after hitting 26 homers with 86 RBIs between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona.
“We think we have a number of good options for left field,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said in December after landing Mangum from Tampa Bay and Garcia from Boston in trades. “The Password is obviously a young, less proven player with a ton of upside. We want to get to know him better. He’ll have opportunity in spring training to show people if he’s ready for that. We expect at some point he can make an impact on our team and maybe that’s Opening Day or early in the season. We’ll see.
“Mangum just strengthens the group a little bit further. He can play left, play center, do some different things. Still believe in Jack Suwinski, what he’s capable of doing. We’ve got other guys on the roster who are capable of playing productive baseball, I believe in left field. But we’ll stay open-minded. Again, if we can, our desire would be to add one more position player who’s got a little bit more of a proven track record at the major-league level. I think we’ve got some flexibility as to where that player might fit in.”
What the Pirates need most is for Cruz and Reynolds to perform at a higher level than last season.
A two-time All-Star, Reynolds struggled to a .225 batting average in the first half before returning to form. Despite batting .195 in July, the 31-year-old right fielder finished with .245/.318/.402 slash line that represented significant drops from the previous season. Even so, Reynolds led the Pirates with 73 RBIs and a career-best 38 doubles.
“What I saw with Bryan in 2025 is a reminder of how hard the game is,” Cherington said. “This has been one of the most reliable, consistent hitters in the major leagues for several years. He’s very accountable. He cares. He holds himself to a very high standard. He went through a stretch where he faced some challenges. There was a little bad luck probably mixed in there. Then he picked it up and got back closer to Bryan Reynolds.”
After a hot first month – he hit eight homers with 16 RBIs, a .902 OPS and 12 stolen bases through his first 28 games – Cruz went cold following a standout showing in the Home Run Derby.
The 6-foot-7, 240-pounder hit 20 home runs for the second consecutive season and tied for the National League lead with 38 stolen bases, but batted below the Mendoza Line in June (.176), August (.133) and September (.167) and saw his OPS drop 97 points from 2024.
A converted shortstop, Cruz is more comfortable in center after a full season at his new position. He’s spent the offseason concentrating on the nuances of learning to better read the batted ball, his quickness and reaction and throwing to the correct bases.
“Definitely helps to get those games under my belt,” Cruz said through interpreter Stephen Morales last month at PiratesFest. “I think it’s going to put me in a really good spot now because I have a better idea how to react to balls, directions, angles and all that. I think I’m going to be in a way better spot for spring training.”
Suwinski, 27, showed his prodigious power by leading the Pirates with 26 homers in 2023 but has batted below the Mendoza Line in each of his past two seasons. He’s out of minor league options, so this could be his best and last chance to prove to the Pirates he can be the power bat they so desperately need.
The 23-year-old Garcia, a right-handed hitter, had 21 homers and 75 RBIs in 489 plate appearances between Boston’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates before making his major league debut in late August. He went 1 for 7 with a double in five games for the Red Sox but was caught in a crowded outfield that returned Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and rookie sensation Roman Anthony.
“No question, they’ve got a pretty loaded outfield there, and so he may have been blocked a bit right now,” Cherington said. “But this is a player we’ve been on for a while. The answer is really in the total combination of skills. We think he’s a player that can do a lot of different things to help a team win. It’s not a one-skilled player. We think he can be valuable on the bases. We think he can be valuable defensively, whether that’s in center or left. He’s obviously got power. We’ve seen him use his power to all parts of the field. He’s an aggressive player. He needs to continue to hone in on selectivity and just kind of shrink the strike zone just a little bit. But he’s a young player, and we’ve seen young players do that. So yeah, a guy that we think can contribute to the game in different ways, and he’s young, and a lot of days ahead of him, and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Mangum made his debut at 29 last season, and the switch hitter batted .296/.330/.368 with 18 doubles but only three homers and 40 RBIS in 118 games. He used his speed to leg out 32 infield hits – tied with Trea Turner for the MLB lead – and steal 27 bases. Mangum also was worth six Outs Above Average after not committing an error in the outfield.
“I know I can play all three outfield spots at a high level. As far as what position, I don’t really know. They just said, ‘Be ready to play,’” Mangum said. “Look, I’m an outfielder who can play all three spots. I’m a switch hitter. I don’t know what role my role will quite be. I know Ben mentioned something about left and center. But as far as I know, I’m told Ben I’m going to play all three outfield spots if you need me. Wherever you need me, I’ll be ready to play.”