3-27-25 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X
The Pittsburgh Pirates open the 2025 season in Miami for a second consecutive year, looking to start strong and find consistency after two false-starts in 2023 and 2024.
Neither of these teams have been lighting it up offensively, ranking 24th (Pirates, 665) and 27th (Marlins, 637) in runs scored last season and both project to be bottom third offensively again this year as neither added much in a way of impact bats.
3/27
Pirates – Paul Skenes (R) – 11-3, 133 IP, 1.96 ERA, 170 Ks/32 walks, 0.95 WHIP
Marlins – Sandy Alcantara (R) (2023) – 7-12, 184.2 IP, 4.14 ERA, 151 Ks/42 walks, 1.21 WHIP
3/28
Pirates – Mitch Keller (R) – 11-8, 168.1 IP, 3.69 ERA, 193 Ks/66 walks, 1.23 WHIP
Marlins – Connor Gillispie (R) – 6-6, 128.2 IP, 3.43 ERA, 102 Ks/41 walks, 1.13 WHIP
3/29
Pirates – Bailey Falter (L) – 7-9, 155 IP, 4.53 ERA, 144 Ks/51 walks, 1.33 WHIP
Marlins – Valente Bellozo (R) – 11-11, 173 IP, 4.21 ERA, 160 Ks/48 walks, 1.29 WHIP
3/30
Pirates – Andrew Heaney (L) – 7-9, 155 IP, 4.53 ERA, 144 Ks/51 walks, 1.33 WHIP
Marlins – Max Meyer (R) – 11-11, 173 IP, 4.21 ERA, 160 Ks/48 walks, 1.29 WHIP
Pirates: Joey Bart – Looking to follow up on his breakout since coming over to Pittsburgh via trade early last season, Bart slashed .350/.429/.625 this spring clubbing 3 home runs over 15 games. Bart will be primary catcher heading into the season and, following a .799 OPS year where Bart played 80 games, fans will be eager to see if he can take another step forward offensively.
Marlins: Xavier Edwards – There are not many bats to like on the Marlins right now as the perpetual tear downs have relieved Miami of much offensive output. That said, Edwards is poised to be a bright spot for the Fish this year.
After posting an .820 OPS with 31 stolen bases through just 70 MLB games last season, Edwards hit .308 this spring, stole 3 bases and walked (11) more times than he struck out (9).
Pirates: Andrew McCutchen – Cutch had a shortened spring training last year due to recovering from his torn Achilles suffered the previous season but performed well when he played, posting a .908 OPS over 21 plate appearances.
This spring, he hasn’t looked as ready to go, scuffling to a .543 OPS and batting just .156 with no extra base hits over 15 games played. Given that he has become a DH-only player, Cutch will have to bring the bat to provide value to the Pirates in 2025.
Marlins: Kyle Stowers – Coming over from Baltimore at the trade deadline last year, Stowers was looking to take advantage of ample playing time to prove himself capable of an everyday major league job. Unfortunately, all he has proven is how overmatched a person can look.
After hitting .306 over 19 games with the Orioles, he struggled once he arrived in Miami, posting a .186/.262/.295 slash line through the next 50 games. He hit just .175 over 40 at-bats this spring, striking out nearly half of the time (18) – a recurring issue for the lefty outfielder.
Key Injuries
Pirates: Jared Jones (right elbow discomfort) – The news from this week was about as positive as we could have hoped for but Jones will still open the season on the IL and miss a good portion of the first half of the season.
Marlins: Ryan Weathers (left forearm strain) – Weathers was looking like a breakout candidate this spring when he allowed just one run off 3 hits with 11 strikeouts through 11.1 innings but forearm strain to the pitching arm is always concerning.
Team Notes
Former Indianapolis Indians broadcaster, Jack McMullen, has joined the Marlins broadcast booth and will call his first MLB series with many players he’s seen play at the Pirates top affiliate the past few years.
The Pirates won all 7 games against the Marlins last season, the first time they went undefeated against them in a single season in franchise history.
Steel City Pirates 