3 frustrating Pirates who are actively holding the team back to start season

The Pirates currently remain a handful of games under .500, but the team is actually starting to shape up, looking better after their initial ice cold stretch to begin the season. While some key players are finally heating up, three still have been frustrating and are holding this team back from taking off.

There is obviously still a lot of time to turn things around, but with key players nearing a return from the injured list, two of these three could also be working their way off the active roster (joining one of the players mentioned within, who's already suffered that fate). Here are three Pirates who are still holding the team back from a sustained hot streak.

These three Pirates must get back on track for the team to have consistent success.

Tommy Pham

Tommy Pham has really struggled at the plate to begin 2025. He has not found a groove offensively, and that is holding the Pirates lineup back. Pham's worsening of the issues he arrived to fix in the outfield is making this look more and more like a rough signing so far.

Pham is currently batting .184 (11-for-76) with six RBI and a strikeout rate of 26.7%. His 38 wRC+ is way below the league average of 100, along with a poor OPS of .491. One positive has been his defense, accounting for six DRS. He needs offense to pair with that, though, as an everyday starter in the outfield.

Andrew McCutchen's response to criticism hit the nail on the head, though. The season does not end in April. There is still time for Pham to turn things around, but this start has been less than ideal.

Carmen Mlodzinski

Putting Carmen Mlodzinski in the starting rotation did not make sense during spring training and, through four starts, the decision looks even worse. Stretching him into a starter was unnecessary, with younger options waiting in Triple-A and the lack of bullpen arms as is.

Through his first four starts, Mlodzinski posted a 7.41 ERA across 17 innings and has a K/9 of 7.41. His WHIP got all the way up to 2.00, stemming from an opposing average of .351 and 9.8% walk rate. His numbers against guys the first time through are dominant, but the second or third time through, things change entirely. His fifth start on Thursday was more of the same - a great three innings, followed by a fourth inning flop in an eventual loss.

His role is what's holding the team back. The Pirates do not need a struggling fifth starter when they could have a dominant high-leverage reliever.

Jack Suwinski

Jack Suwinski just cannot seem to find a groove here. When he puts the ball in play, he mashes it, but making contact remains an issue for him. His strikeout rate is at 42.2%, which is unserviceable. That resulted in an option down to Indianapolis, which is exactly how he started the 2024 season as well.

Suwinski started his season batting .128 (5-for-39) with an RBI and a 14 wRC+. His defense was also below average, ranking in the 37th percentile in OAA. Suwinski is running out of time to re-establish himself in Pittsburgh and he is losing his slim amount of chances left.