Braxton Ashcraft’s latest milestone shows how dramatically his Pirates role has changed

Heading into 2026, there was something different about Braxton Ashcraft. For the first time in a long time, the promising right-hander was healthy over the offseason. Rather than rehabbing, he could finally focus on honing his skills and leveling up for the season to come. It wasn't obvious then, but it is now, as Ashcraft's August 30 performance against the St. Louis Cardinals earned him his 14th win of the season.

The 14th victory is significant for Ashcraft and the Pirates for a few reasons. The time has long passed since wins were a commonly accepted method of pitcher evaluation, but Ashcraft is now the first Pittsburgh Pitcher to reach the threshold since Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams each notched 14 wins in 2018.

Being able to rack up so many W's is a byproduct of a team that finally has a potent enough offense to support its hurlers and a bullpen that is dominant enough to grab the baton from the starter and lock down the late innings. But first and foremost, it starts with superb starting pitching.

That's what Ashcraft has developed into. It's been a long time coming and something that we weren't sure that we'd ever be able to see. The 2018 second-round pick has always had potential, but he's never been able to realize it in large part due to the fact that he's missed so much time on the mound.

Braxton Ashcraft is proving to be a key pillar of the Pirates' rotation next to Paul Skenes

Despite the struggles, Paul Skenes is still the Pirates' ace. For all the consternation, this was never truly in doubt. He had proven too much for a rough couple of months to significantly change our assessment of him.

With that said, Ashcraft is emerging as a strong No. 2. Not just in terms of what Pittsburgh has at its disposal, either. No, Ashcraft is proving himself to be a legitimate No. 2 starter in a league-wide context.

For a guy who spent most of last season pitching out of the bullpen because he was deemed to fragile and unreliable to truly get a chance in the rotation, he's leveled up. The most convincing part of it all is how he's overcome adversity and adjusted after being punched in the mouth.

Early in the season, Ashcraft was a sensation. Over the season's first two months, the 26-year-old posted a 2.77 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 27.3% strikeout rate, and 5.7% walk rate. It was superb. But then the calendar turned to June, and he recorded a 4.82 ERA. In July, he was even worse, with a 7.78 mark.

It was almost understandable. He hasn't logged many innings in recent years and was probably hitting a wall. It was frustrating because it was hard to tell if the downturn was simply due to fatigue or if the early-season success was a mirage.

But in August, Ashcraft has pitched like a superstar. On August 13, he authored an 85-pitch complete game gem. The sheer and utter dominance to strike out 10 batters over nin innings while throwing only 85 pitches is mind-boggling. He followed that up with eight innings of one-run ball against the Detroit Tigers on August 18. Overall, he finished the month with a 2.13 ERA.

The doubts are over, and Ashcraft has arrived. The Pirates have a co-headliner for the rotation alongside Skenes, and it can't be understated how big of a deal that is.

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