Pirates 2026 outlook suddenly revolves around surprising player

With so many new additions on the offensive end and a handful of up-and-coming youngsters on the pitching staff, there are a lot of choices for "most important" player on the Pittsburgh Pirates' roster. An argument could be made for a man (kid?) who didn't even make the Opening Day roster in Konnor Griffin.

Pirates insider Noah Hiles makes the case for a different player altogether, and he's one that might surprise you. In his opinion, the guy who can have the greatest impact is Jared Triolo.

With Triolo expected to be the starting shortstop, the crux of Hiles' argument comes down to the defensive importance of shortstop and Triolo's defensive value. That will be tested as Pittsburgh's failure to acquire a legitimate third baseman over the offseason will force a subpar defender in at the hot corner, likely Nick Gonzales, who has just 10 innings of big league experience at the position.

Hiles points out that it goes deeper, too. When and if Griffin arrives, it likely kicks Triolo over to third, which might be the 2024 Gold Glover's best position.

In short, Triolo is the key to making the Pirates' exchange of run prevention for offensive firepower work in 2026. In order for it all to come together, though, they'll need more than just Triolo's glove.

Jared Triolo could be the key for the Pirates' offense-for-defense swap paying dividends, but only if he hits

The Pirates clearly think highly of Triolo, and it's not just about his glove. The 28-year-old received praise from Ben Cherington at various points over the offseason and had Don Kelly raving about how he goes about his business earlier in spring training.

Part of that business is being a productive hitter at the plate. Triolo doesn't need to be a star, but he can't be a complete zero in the batter's box either.

There are a few reasons to believe that he could level up just enough to become the lynchpin that Hiles envisions. For one thing, his 2025 second-half performance was very encouraging, with Triolo hitting .276/.353/.422 down the stretch. That was good for a 117 wRC+. Over the course of his career, he's typically been much better in the second half, so if he can figure out how to get off to better starts, he might be a pleasant surprise.

Also, while this might not be worth as much, Triolo had most of his plate appearances last year come while playing shortstop, and his best offensive performance came at the position with him hitting .248/,335/.379 over a decent-sized 174-plate appearance sample. That was good for a 101 wRC+, which is all Pittsburgh would really need from him. Some guys hit better when challenged defensively, and that just might be the case with Triolo.

Things could be taken to the next level when Griffin comes up and Triolo slides to third; the defense could level up, too. That will take care of two of the most important infield positions, and if Oneil Cruz takes his lessons from Kevin Kiermaier to heart and leverages his tools to become a positive defender in center field, things might not look as bleak. The Pirates wouldn't be as good defensively as they were last year in this scenario, but if they can be an average defensive team, it could be worthwhile.

All in all, the most important thing is that Triolo hits somewhere around league average. If he can put together a 95 wRC+ or better, his defense can make him an immensely impactful player. That's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.