{"id":114677,"date":"2026-02-24T22:07:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T03:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=114677"},"modified":"2026-02-24T22:07:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T03:07:17","slug":"three-pitchers-pirates-must-figure-out-2026-nicolas-sisk-harrington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/02\/24\/three-pitchers-pirates-must-figure-out-2026-nicolas-sisk-harrington\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Pitchers the Pirates Need to Figure Out in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there is one thing the Pittsburgh Pirates have figured out, it\u2019s developing pitchers. Braxton Ashcraft<\/a>, Bubba Chandler<\/a>, Jared Jones<\/a>, and many more have gone from prospects to legitimate MLB pitchers. They\u2019ve also found plenty of relievers and turned them into quality bullpen arms. 2026 will be a pivotal year for multiple hurlers on the Pirates\u2019 roster. The question is, after struggling at times in the major leagues, can the Pirates figure them out to help them succeed this year?<\/p>\n

Three Pitchers for the Pirates to Figure Out This Season<\/h2>\n

Kyle Nicolas<\/h3>\n

2025 was a summation of a usual Kyle Nicolas<\/a> season: plenty of ups and downs throughout. He struggled badly early in the year. In just 7.2 innings, Nicolas allowed nine earned runs and eight walks. Two of the ten hits he surrendered were home runs. That led to his demotion at the start of May. Nicolas made a brief appearance in June and would get another shot to stick in the bullpen in August. This time, the numbers were a lot better.<\/p>\n

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Jun 12, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas (62) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The right-hander pitched to a much healthier 3.46 ERA, 2.90 FIP, and 1.15 WHIP over his last 26 innings of 2025. His walk rate shrunk to 8.4%, while his strikeout rate rose to 24.3%. Nicolas only allowed a single home run with a solid 7.1% barrel percentage. He also had a 44.9% ground-ball percentage.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s never been a question about Nicolas\u2019 abilities. His four-seam fastball sat at 97.6 MPH last season. He did so with just 11.6 inches of vertical break and 6.9 inches of horizontal movement. His low-90s slider also has plus movement and induced a whiff 45.1% of the time. Nicolas only allowed a single hit on the 144 curveballs he threw last season, and had a 50% whiff rate on the pitch. On top of that, he was in the 93rd percentile of extension, making his already blazing fastball that much faster. That all culminated in a strong 106 FanGraphs Stuff+ mark.<\/p>\n

Having consistent command over his pitches has always been a problem for Nicolas. Even as a draft prospect in 2020, MLB Pipeline only projected him to have 45-grade control. There are a lot of pitchers who throw hard and never figure it out. However, Nicolas is on a team well-equipped to try and figure it out. His overall stuff is too good not to figure it out.<\/p>\n

Evan Sisk<\/h3>\n

Evan Sisk<\/a> was a trade deadline acquisition by the Bucs. He was sent over from the Kansas City Royals, alongside first base prospect Callan Moss<\/a>, for left-handed starter Bailey Falter<\/a>. The southpaw reliever spent most of his year at Triple-A, where he had a 4.38 ERA, 3.93 FIP, and 1.649 WHIP. A .382 batting average on balls in play made his ERA suffer. Sisk put up solid peripherals, with a 24.4% strikeout rate, 8.7% BB%, and induced ground balls at an impressive 61.6% clip.<\/p>\n

Sisk pitched 17 2\/3 innings in the big leagues with the Royals and Pirates, where he only allowed seven earned runs, one home run, and had a 50% ground ball rate. The Southpaw racked up 25 strikeouts and induced a whiff at a 31.3% rate. The only downside was that he allowed 10 free passes in the small sample size.<\/p>\n

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Evan Sisk’s first strikeout in Black & Gold \ud83d\udc4f pic.twitter.com\/o0RLRLlNEr<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 15, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n