3 Pirates players that could become first time All-Stars in 2026

Every winter we hear about how this might be the year the Pittsburgh Pirates send more than one token All-Star to the Midsummer Classic.

But 2026 feels different. For once, the Pirates aren’t just hoping for someone to stumble into All-Star consideration alongside Paul Skenes. They’ve got three legitimate, bona fide “this could actually happen if the baseball gods don’t hate us” first-time All-Star candidates.

If things go right, 2026 might be the first time in years when Pirates fans watch the All-Star Game and actually see more than just "Paul Skenes representing Pittsburgh." For once, it wouldn’t feel like charity — it would feel earned.

And yes, it’s okay to get excited about that.

3 Pirates players that could become first time All-Stars in 2026

Braxton Ashcraft

You don’t get named to MLB.com’s Top 40 long-term value list by accident. When national writers — not just Pirates fans — start saying, *“Hey, this guys has legit frontline potential,”* you perk up a little.

Braxton Ashcraft’s stuff already looks like All-Star material. He has a mid-to-upper 90s fastball, a wipeout breaking ball, strike-throwing that keeps getting better and an analytical profile that the Moneyball nerds absolutely adore.

Ashcraft feels like the guy who posts a 2.90 ERA at the break, quietly sits in the National League top ten in FIP, and suddenly every “All-Star snubs” debate includes some version of: “Why is a Pirates starter pitching like this and not in the Midsummer Classic?”

Ashcraft could legitimately be Pittsburgh’s *second* All-Star pitcher behind Skenes. Imagine saying that three years ago.

Nick Gonzales

The version of Nick Gonzales we saw in late 2025 is a completely different player from the rookie who looked overwhelmed. Something clicked — approach, swing decisions, confidence, all of it. That’s how All-Stars are born.

Gonzales is exactly the profile that sneaks onto the All-Star roster as a reserve. He boasts a .280+ batting average, line drives sprayed everywhere, gap power showing up in doubles, a little pop, a little speed and clean, steady defense at a thin NL position.

If Gonzales is carrying a .285/.350/.450 line into July, that's the exact stat line that gets picked when managers and players start filling out ballots.

He’s not flashy. He’s not loud. But All-Star teams need those glue guys, and Gonzales is suddenly looking like one.

Jared Triolo

Every All-Star Game has one dude that shocks the casuals but not the nerds. Jared Triolo screams that guy.

Triolo already has one of the best infield gloves in the league. The defense alone puts him in early All-Star math. But his offense — quietly solid, quietly improving — could push him over the line. If he’s hitting over .270 while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at third base or shortstop, players vote that kind of guy in every year.

If Triolo is sitting on 2.5–3 WAR at the break, which is absolutely realistic, he’ll be in every “Who’s the Pirates’ All-Star?” debate — and maybe even the answer.