The Pittsburgh Pirates infield group of 2025 saw a fair amount of turnover, but overall was a mostly solid group defensively.
First Base
For the past couple of seasons the Pirates have been lacking a real first baseman,
but last December they made the move to acquire Spencer Horwitz, who should be the future of the position for the team. Though he spent a decent chunk of the beginning of the season sidelined for wrist surgery, he put together a solid campaign once he did join the team. He ended the season with 11 homers and a .272 batting average, so all things considered, he was one of the better offensive threats in the lineup. I am looking forward to a full season of Horwitz with the club.
Moving forward, Rafael Flores and Endy Rodriguez will likely also be in rotation at first, but Horwitz is the clear leader of the group at this time. Flores also seems to have a bright future at catcher, and Rodriguez needs to get healthy before he’s made a part of any longterm plans for the club.
Second Base
Another year has passed with Termarr Johnson still not sniffing a shot at the Major Leagues. Johnson was supposed to be the longterm answer for the Pirates at second base, but has struggled with inconsistent play and has not elevated past Double-A Altoona.
This season, Nick Gonzales saw a majority of the reps at second, appearing there in 85 games before moving back over to shortstop following the departure of Isiah Kiner-Falefa. 2025 saw Gonzales appear in 96 contests, the most in his career so far, but his numbers did take a slight dip from 2024. He only had 5 homers on the year, with a .260 batting average and .299 OBP. He was, however, a stud defensively, holding a respectable .974 fielding percentage while playing second base.
When IKF was traded, Nick Yorke received the call-up from Triple-A Indianapolis, and he finished the season seeing the most action at second base. He is currently atop the depth chart for the position, even though he didn’t do anything rather noteworthy in his short stint with the team this year. A full campaign will be a better indicator as to how serviceable Yorke is, but it feels like once again the Pirates have a weak spot at second.
Shortstop
Kiner-Falefa was the Pirates’ shortstop for most of the season before being placed on waivers and signed by the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug 31. During his time with the Pirates, he was once again the shutdown defender that he has been known to be in years past. He had a .977 fielding percentage during his time as Pittsburgh’s shortstop in 2025, but ultimately was not a solid option to keep around in the Pirates’ lineup, having just a single home run in 428 plate appearances.
Gonzales would take over at short when IKF was placed on waivers, and he is currently number one on that position’s depth chart. Cam Devaney was called up on August 30. and is currently the team’s third shortstop.
This is another position group that can be far better, but it’s certainly a better group than second base. If Gonzales can take another big step in 2026, then I’ll feel much better about this group as a whole.
Third Base
2025 finally saw the Pirates move on from longtime third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. I don’t really think this move did anything to help the Pirates compete, other than getting away from Hayes’ big contract. A big part of the reason he was traded seemed to be his lack of offensive production, which he just hasn’t taken to the second gear. That being said, he’s also one of if not the best defensive third baseman in all of baseball. In 2025 between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, he led the National League in fielding percentage, games played, assists and total zone runs above average.
Hayes got to finally experience postseason baseball with the Reds, albeit short-lived.
Jared Triolo is the ultimate utility man
I wanted to give Jared Triolo his flowers with his own portion of this piece, because he has played at every position in the infield and once again showed this year why he’s one of the best defensive utility men in baseball.
He made most of his appearances at shortstop, totaling 47, but was a huge impact piece when Hayes was traded as he took over his duties at third base. He had a 1.000 fielding percentage at both first and second base, while holding a .967 mark at short and a .972 fielding percentage at third base.
Offensively, he also showed some improvement, striking nearly 50 less times in 2025 compared to 2024. His batting average also improved from 2024, as did his slugging percentage and OPS. I don’t know that Triolo will ever be a full time fixture in a team’s lineup, but he excels in the role that he currently fills as one of the most well rounded defenders in Major League Baseball. 2024 saw Triolo be awarded the inaugural utility man Gold Glove Award, and he very well could win it again in 2025.
The Pirates infield has some work to do offensively, but overall, this is a young group of ballplayers who are all above average defenders, but no one is really elite in this group.
