Pirates Predicted To Make World Series In Near Future
Could the Pittsburgh Pirates be close to contending and reaching the playoffs?
MLB.com's Will Leitch believes so, and he believes Pittsburgh could be ready to win it all in the near future. Leitch predicted the next 10 World Series and had the Pirates reaching Fall Classic in 2028 and facing the Baltimore Orioles. Leitch picked the Orioles over Pittsburgh in what would be the third meeting in the World Series between the two teams.
The Pirates beat the Orioles in seven games in the 1971 and 1979 World Series.
"This is a rematch of the 1971 and 1979 World Series, and I don’t think there’s any question that we should demand each team wear the jerseys they wore then, at least for one game," Leitch writes. "This seems like the right year for both of these teams."
Baltimore boasts one of the best young cores in baseball headlined by catcher Adley Rutschman and shortstop Gunnar Henderson. The Orioles also have a bevy of prospects who could soon make their big league debuts, or they could be used in trades to establish proven big league talent.
Pittsburgh's young pitching staff, headlined by 2024 Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, has a chance to be one of baseball's best, especially if its top pitching prospects reach the big leagues and carry over their success from the minor leagues. Right-handed pitchers Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Thomas Harrington all reached Triple-A last season and could be in the Pirates' plans in 2025.
Chandler, Ashcraft and Harrington are all ranked in MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects. Chandler, the Pirates' top prospect, is the No. 2 pitching prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline. Ashcraft is the 85th-ranked prospect, while Harrington is 91st.
Along with the Pirates' pitching being among baseball's best, they'll need their young position players to progress both in the big leagues and through the minor leagues. Pirates first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, shortstop Konnor Griffin, could be poised to make an impact in 2028.
Still, even if the Pirates keep mostly the same team intact, Leitch believes Skenes could be more than enough to get Pittsburgh to its first World Series since 1979.
"The Paul Skenes experience will be in full flower by this point: He’ll only be 26, after all," Leitch writes. "At some point, he may carry a team to the World Series by himself. He’ll look fantastic in those “We Are Family” throwbacks."
