{"id":121828,"date":"2026-05-13T18:25:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=121828"},"modified":"2026-05-13T18:25:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:25:56","slug":"pirates-garcia-over-mangum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/13\/pirates-garcia-over-mangum\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the Pirates Need Jhostynxon Garcia Instead of Jake Mangum"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Pirates made a handful of notable acquisitions this past offseason. One of the biggest moves the Pirates made this past offseason was acquiring outfield prospect<\/a> Jhostynxon Garcia<\/a> (along with flamethrowing pitching prospect Jesus Travieso<\/a>) from the Boston Red Sox, in exchange for Johan Oviedo<\/a> and two prospects. Since returning from the injured list, ‘The Password’ has done nothing but rip the cover off the ball. The Pirates must choose him over Jake Mangum<\/a>, another offseason trade acquisition.<\/p>\n

The Pirates must choose to promote Jhostynxon Garcia over Jake Mangum<\/h2>\n

A poor start to 2026, but an immediate rebound<\/h2>\n
\"Pirates
Mar 1, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Jhostynxon Garcia (34) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Garcia definitely did not start 2026 off on the right foot, after a strong spring training<\/a>. He had just nine hits and one extra base hit (a double) throughout his first 59 plate appearances of the season at Triple-A Indianapolis. He drew just two walks and struck out 18 times. He then landed on the injured list on April 15 with back tightness. However, the injury has definitely not lingered since his return to action.<\/p>\n

Garcia has stepped to the plate 30 times since the start of his rehab at A-Ball Bradenton through his return to Triple-A Indy. In that time, he has collected 13 hits, with at least one base knock in six of his last seven games. Over half of Garcia\u2019s hits have gone for extra bases. That includes a whopping six home runs and a double. He has struck out just five times and has a pair of walks.<\/p>\n

Garcia\u2019s most recent contest at the time of writing makes the point of promoting him all the more important. He went five-for-five in his first game back at Indy since landing on the IL. Of those five hits, three were home runs. His two other hits were singles. All but one of Garcia\u2019s five hits left the bat slower than 107 MPH.<\/p>\n

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Jhostynxon Garcia’s first 3 at-bats of the day for the Triple-A @indyindians<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u26ab\ufe0f 107.3 mph homer
\n\ud83d\udfe1 109.9 mph homer
\n\u26ab\ufe0f 113.5 mph homer@Pirates<\/a> | @YoungBucsPIT<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZWG31wgE9z<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n