Pair of Pirates' minor-league offenses are absolutely mashing right now

The offense in Pittsburgh has been rough and is a large influence on the Pirates' 8-15 record. This cold stretch has fans very frustrated with the organization, but there are some positives to take away.

Down on the farm, there have been various standout performances from the offenses at two levels: Triple-A and High-A. We'll start off with Indianapolis, because there are a few hot hitters that could definitely find their way to Pittsburgh if the bats stay cold.

Liover Peguero has been one of the heavy hitters in the lineup, batting .323 (21-for-65) with a home run and 10 RBI. He has also added five doubles and a triple, generating a .477 slugging percentage. That pairs with a .380 on-base percentage to create a strong OPS of .857. Those numbers are great, yet the most prominent successes are his low whiff rate of 20.7%, hard-hit rate of 46.2%, and average exit velocity of 90.6 mph.

Following him has been Matt Gorski, a long time Pirate minor-leaguer, who has always had incredible stretches displaying his power. He is in one of those right now, with three home runs and seven doubles, along with 14 RBI and an OPS of .854. His average exit velocity of 95.4 mph is insanely high, but he whiffs at a high rate of 31.5%. That inconsistent contact is why he has yet to debut in Pittsburgh, but when he connects, he hits it hard.

Nick Solak is the third slugger in this Indians lineup. The veteran has an opt out approaching on May 1 which, if the Pirates don't act soon, may allow him a shot somewhere else. His OPS is incredible at 1.061, stemming from a slugging percentage of .630 and on-base percentage of .431. He also adds three home runs and 11 RBI. His whiff rate sits at 18.6%, along with a strong hard-hit rate of 52.5%.

These three are definitely close to the major leagues, but it is unknown whether or not they will get to make an impact in the near future. Peguero is the only one mentioned on the 40-man, so maybe his odds are higher.

In the Pirates' minor leagues, Indianapolis and Greensboro have been hot at the plate.

This group down in Greensboro is much further away from the big leagues, but what they are doing is still impressive.

Esmerlyn Valdez, an unranked prospect, has been mashing to open up the season. He has belted five home runs and three doubles, while driving in 17 runs. His OPS is very high at 1.173, but strikeouts have remained a problem for him. He is striking out over 30% of the time, which is definitely something he'll have to continue working on. The power has been very notable though from the 21 year old.

Keiner Delgado has also been hot at the plate. MLB Pipeline has him ranked as the team's 26th-ranked prospect. So far, Delgado is batting .350 (21-for-60) with seven doubles and 11 RBI. His OPS is also at .876, along with five stolen bases. He is displaying lots of tools to begin 2025 and he needed to do so after his poor 2024.

Javier Rivas is another unranked prospect in the organization who is starting to make a name for himself. He is batting .345 with four home runs and 17 RBI. His OPS is up to .994, coming from a .603 slugging percentage and .391 on-base percentage. The 22-year-old shortstop has been very impressive so far.

Even while the Pirates' offense has lacked in 2025, their young guys are getting it done. Hopefully it translates at some point, because Pittsburgh needs it fast.