The Pittsburgh Pirates are ringing in the new year, and it should be a big one for many in the organization.
Among those looking for a big season in 2026 is right-handed pitcher Jared Jones. MLB.com reporter Alex Stumpf listed Jones as the breakout candidate for the Pirates in the upcoming season.
“For most of 2024, Jones and Paul Skenes were the Allegheny Electric Company, mowing down batters with triple-digit heat. A few shaky starts and an oblique injury did inflate Jones’ season stats a bit, though,
and then he missed all of 2025 after elbow surgery,“ Stumpf wrote.
”His rehab is going well and he’s going to slide back into the Pirates’ rotation at some point next year, and he could be the staff’s big breakout star. He was experimenting with a sinker in Spring Training last year, which could help him work north to south more, making his two plus-plus pitches, the four-seamer and slider, play up more.“
Jones underwent surgery for his torn UCL in May, and he is expected to be out until the spring. However, there is a good chance Jones appears for the Pirates at some point in the next season.
If Jones can flash some of the potential the Pirates saw in his rookie season, the team might have another pitcher it can rely on next to Skenes in the rotation.
BD community, what do you think of Jones as a prospect going into the 2026 campaign? Chime off in the comments section below.
