The best Pirates player from every month during the 2024 season

The Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024 were a roller coaster, going from contenders to last place in just a month. Although they didn't necessarily improve from 2023 when the dust settled (wild, but true), there are still some interesting takeaways from the season. Let's recap the best player from each month from the 2024 season.

These players were the best on the Pirates in each respective month.

March/April

The best player in the first month of the season was Connor Joe, as he led the Pirates to a solid start. The issue for him was, after his impressive start, he fell off and was one of the weakest hitters in the Pirates lineup. That fall off was a big reason why he was non-tendered after the season.

In this particular month-plus, Joe batted .292 while belting three home runs, eight doubles, and driving in 14 runs. His OPS reached .853, his wRC+ climbed to 136, and he struck out at a 16% rate. Those numbers were excellent, and were the best on the Pirates in March and April.

May

In May, the Pirates called up Nick Gonzales, and he got off to a hot start, dominating in 19 games in his first month of the season. His hot start did cool off, but he emerged as a future option at second base in 2024.

Last May, Gonzales belted three home runs, four doubles, and a triple to produce a slugging percentage of .546. That paired with an on-base percentage of .377 to make an OPS of .913. He also put together a wRC+ of 147 and batted .319 to be the Pirates' top player from the month of May.

June

The month of June was led by Mitch Keller, who had a solid 2024 season, but fell apart in the second half after his outstanding month. He was extended before last season and the Pirates got their money's worth in June.

Keller dominated that month by posting an earned run average of 2.35 and a FIP of 2.94 across 30.2 innings, striking out 33 batters. Opposing hitters batted .231 against him, and he walked opponents at a 6.1% clip to generate a WHIP of 1.17. This made him the best Pirates player from June.

July

In July, Bryan Reynolds led the charge, building on his excellent June (a month in which he might've been even better). This month was also significant to Reynolds, as he appeared in his second All-Star Game.

In the month of July, Reynolds produced a wRC+ of 152 and struck out at an 18.5% rate. Additionally, he had an OPS of .909, which came from an on-base percentage of .391 and a slugging percentage of .518. He belted five home runs and drove in 15 to become the team's best player in July.

August

August was an oustanding month for Pirates star slugger Oneil Cruz. He had solid numbers, and took steps towards improving his plate discipline while deemphasizing home runs slightly. It was an important month for his development, and the methodology was impressive.

Cruz came out of August with an OPS of .985 and a season-low strikeout percentage of 23.4%. His wRC+ reached 171, along with a batting average of .389. He also belted a home run and nine doubles, stealing 10 bases. Cruz was excellent in August, and was also the most productive player on the team at that time.

September/October

To close out the season, the National League Rookie of the Year winner, Paul Skenes, was the Pirates' most productive player. He dominated opposing hitters in September and October.

In the last month of the season, Skenes posted an earned run average of 0.75 and a FIP of 1.21 across 24 innings and struck out 34 batters. Opposing hitters batted .186 and put together a slugging percentage of .198 against him. He also produced a WHIP of 0.92 to close out the season as the Pirates' best player (and future centerpiece).