3 awful spring training performances Pirates fans are overreacting to in 2025

Some of the individual performances at Pittsburgh Pirates spring training this year have been less than ideal, and fans have noticed.

It can often take players weeks or even months to ramp back up to game speed after a long winter without baseball; it's quite literally the reason that spring training exists. Still, whether it's a pitcher's ballooning ERA or a hitter's minuscule batting average, fans love to overreact to essentially meaningless stats every February and March.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at three Pirates players who shouldn't be written off yet, despite their concerning numbers at spring training this year.

3 awful spring training performances Pirates fans are overreacting to in 2025

Bubba Chandler

Right-hander Bubba Chandler, the Pirates' No. 1 prospect and the No. 15 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, entered spring training as a potential candidate to crack the Opening Day roster as a member of Pittsburgh's starting rotation. However, his Grapefruit League performance this spring left much to be desired.

Before his assignment to minor league camp last week, Chandler pitched 2 1/3 innings across three Grapefruit League appearances in which he allowed five runs on three hits, struck out two and walked four. That was good for an 0-1 record and a 19.29 ERA.

Chandler redeemed himself in the Spring Breakout game, when he struck out four Philadelphia Phillies prospects – including two in MLB Pipeline's Top 100 – over two scoreless innings en route to earning All-Spring Breakout honors. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, it is still extremely likely that we will see his MLB debut with Pittsburgh in 2025. Remember – Paul Skenes didn't break camp with the big league roster last year, either.

Andrew Heaney

Left-hander Andrew Heaney, who signed a one-year, $5.25 million contract with the Pirates in free agency last month, entered spring training as a lock to fill one of the spots at the back of the Pirates' rotation. The 33-year-old helped the Texas Rangers win a World Series title in 2023, but he is coming off a rough 2024 season looking to prove that it was merely a bump in the road.

So far this spring, though, Heaney hasn't looked like the 2023 version of himself. He's 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA in three starts for the Pirates, allowing 12 runs on 12 hits while striking out five and walking five across eight innings of work. However, Heaney himself acknowledged that he historically struggles in spring training, so we're not putting too much stock into his numbers just yet.

Billy Cook

Billy Cook, acquired in a trade deadline prospect swap with the Baltimore Orioles last year, made his MLB debut with the Pirates in September after raking in Triple-A Indianapolis. He has hit just .160 in 25 at-bats this spring, however, leading to rising doubt that he will break camp with the big league club.

Cook's defensive versatility is an asset, though, as is his plate discipline; he's drawn eight walks in 14 Grapefruit League games. He isn't someone who would be an everyday starter on Pittsburgh's roster regardless, so his poor showing at the plate this spring shouldn't be the one thing keeping him off the roster. He's also one of the few remaining internal options who can play first base for the Pirates on a part-time basis while Spencer Horwitz is sidelined with an injury to start the season.

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