PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Pirates already have a former Cy Young Award winner in Paul Skenes , but Jared Jones might join him among the elite pitchers in baseball.
Jones earned National League Pitcher of the Month honors for September, ending 2026 as the best pitcher in the league and putting him in a great position for 2027.
It ended a 2026 season where Jones got a late start after coming back from injury and struggled at times to find consistency.
Ending this season with these kinds of performances shows that Jones isn't content with pitching well and that he wants to be at the top next season.
There was little Jones did wrong in September, pitching at his best this year and coming close to making MLB history.
Jones finished with a 3-0 record in five starts, a 0.93 ERA over 29.0 innings pitched, 40 strikeouts to four walks, .133 BAA, .0.59 WHIP, 12.41 K/9, 1.24 BB/9 and a 10.00 K/BB.
Sep 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
He is one of just two Pirates pitchers to post 40 strikeouts and less than a 1.00 ERA in a calendar month since Mike Lynch in September 1904, per Alex Stumpf .
Jones is also one of seven Pirates pitchers since World War I to have an ERA under 1.00 (at least five starts and 25 innings pitched), per Noah Wright.
| Stat (Total) |
NL Ranking |
|---|---|
| WHIP (0.59) |
1st |
| BAA (.133) |
1st |
| Strikeouts (40) |
1st |
| BB/9 (1.24) |
2nd |
| BB/K (10.00) |
2nd |
| Wins (3) |
Tied-2nd |
| Innings Pitched (29.0) |
8th |
Jones only gave up runs in one start, three earned runs against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park on Sept. 16, where he still tied his season-high of nine strikeouts.
He allowed no more than one hit in three starts and three hits in his first start vs. the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park on Sept. 4.
Jones took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Sept. 10, finishing with eight strikeouts in the 2-0 win.
He then took a perfect game into the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on Sept. 22 and also tied his season-high of nine strikeouts in another 2-0 victory.
"I think I set the standard a little bit too high, but if I do get one, that's going to be pretty special," Jones said on coming close to a no-hitter and a perfect game. "You don't take those things for granted. It's been a really good month."
The Pirates finally got Jones back from an internal brace surgery, which knocked him out of the 2025 season and prevented him from making a comeback until late May .
Jones had to get his velocity back and also adjust to facing major league-hitting again, which provided some tough times for him in 2026.
Sep 10, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Jones (17) delivers the ball during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Finishing the season how he did was huge for Jones, who was just happy to get back on the field on time from his surgery and pitch for four months.
"Not only did I pitch well to end the season, I kinda look back on every other guy that's had surgery and coming off of it, I didn't have a single bump in the road and that's something I'm super grateful for," Jones said. "The guys taking care of me did one hell of a job."
Jones finished his campaign with a 5-6 record in 21 starts, a 3.72 ERA over 101.2 innings pitched, 123 strikeouts to 21 walks, a .209 BAA and a 1.08 WHIP.
He was one of the better pitchers in baseball since his first start on May 29 (minimum 100 innings pitched), with the ninth-lowest BAA, ninth-best K/9 (10.89), 14th-lowest WHIP and the 20th-best K/BB (3.97).
"Getting into the statistics, it was the best season I've put together as a professional since I signed," Jones said. "Doing that coming off of surgery is really, really cool. I don't like giving myself a lot of props, but I feel like in this time, it's kind of needed and it's really cool to look back on."
Jones can become an even better pitcher in 2027 if he mixes in his curveball and changeup more often, complementing his four-seam fastball and slider combo that opposing hitters can't deal with.
It's something Jones is aiming for next season and he can become that elite pitcher the Pirates envision him becoming if he does so.
"Kinda just becoming a true pitcher," Jones said. "Mixing in the curveball and changeup a lot more this year. And then staying true to my bread and butter when stuff gets tough. Just becoming more of an overall pitcher."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/pirates/onsi as Pirates Next Ace is Already Here .
