Heading into 2026, Hunter Barco ranked among the Pittsburgh Pirates' best prospects . Baseball America ranked him among the team's top ten prospects, while MLB Pipeline was even more bullish , placing him on their top 100 prospects list. However, the Southpaw failed to meet expectations. With his down season in 2026, one has to wonder what his role with the Pirates is moving forward.
Barco pitched 17.2 innings in MLB this season, allowing 15 earned runs on 21 hits. Of those 21 hits, four left the park. He also struggled to limit free passes, as 13 players reached base via walk. He also only struck out 14 opponents. Barco's WHIP in the small sample size was nearly 2.00, sitting at 1.92.
He spent most of his season at Triple-A, where he posted respectable numbers. In 80 innings, Barco posted a 3.79 ERA, 4.14 FIP, and 1.53 WHIP. He struck out 22.3% of batters with a 23.8% whiff rate, and struggled to limit walks. The left-hander dished out a free pass to 11.5% of batters at Triple-A. On the plus side, he held opposing hitters to a 5.3% barrel rate and a 0.57 HR/9 ratio.
However, Barco isn't far removed from his promising 2025 campaign. In 99.1 innings between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indy, he pitched to a 2.81 ERA, 3.54 FIP, and a 1.20 WHIP. He still struggled to keep batters off the basepaths with walks, clocking in with an 11.8% BB%, however, he struck out more batters with a 27.8% K%, while posting a 0.45 HR/9 ratio and a 45.8% ground ball rate. Barco made his MLB debut in September 2025, pitching three shutout innings with a trio of K's.
Mar 1, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Hunter Barco (45) warms up before the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Barco's stuff has graded out well in MLB. FanGraphs Stuff+ puts him at 103 for his career thus far. He threw six different pitches this year. His primary offering is a four-seamer that averaged around 94 MPH. Although the pitch only had 12.4 inches of induced vertical drop, he also threw it with 14.4 inches of arm-side break. However, opposing hitters didn't have a hard time catching up with it, knocking it around the park for a .432 xwOBA.
His low-80s slider showed above-average vertical break but induced only a 17.2% whiff rate. Barco's third most-used offering was his 93-94 MPH sinker with 16.5 inches of horizontal movement. He also mixed in a change-up, sweeper, and splitter, but used each pitch less than 10% of the time.
Barco will have a tough time breaking into the Pirates' rotation in 2027. As things currently stand, Paul Skenes , Braxton Ashcraft , Jared Jones , and Bubba Chandler are penciled in as the Pirates' 1-4 starters. Mitch Keller could return next year to round out the rotation after missing most of the second half with a teres major strain. Even if the Pirates find a way to move Keller's remaining contract, Barco will have to step over Wilber Dotel , Khristian Curtis , and possibly even Antwone Kelly , and Carmen Mlodzinski for the fifth starting rotation spot. If the Pirates want a lefty in the rotation, they could turn to a free agent , or to rising prospect Connor Wietgrefe.
The other alternative is moving Barco to the bullpen. The lefty has spent nearly his entire career as a starter; however, all of his appearances in MLB so far have come out of the bullpen. Also, only 15 of his 22 outings in the minor leagues this season were starts. The Pirates' only other non- Mason Montgomery relievers right now include Brandon Eisert and Evan Sisk , and Barco has a higher ceiling than both.
Barco may need to cut back on the number of pitches he uses. In 2025, he primarily threw three pitches, that being his four-seam fastball, slider, and splitter. He also threw a cutter, but less than 5% of the time, and tossed a change-up and sweeper less than 1% of the time. He used just his four-seamer, slider, and splitter in his brief look in MLB during 2025. Barco added his change-up, sweeper, and sinker last offseason and is heading into Spring Training. A move to the pen would also allow him to focus on just two or three pitches. Shorter stints out of the pen could also allow him to unleash more velocity on his fastball.
The other alternative is to improve one or two of his newly added pitches. Of course, that is easier said than done. However, he has had another season of experience throwing these pitches. With the right adjustments, Barco could improve at least one of his pitches enough to become a long-term starter.
As of right now, Barco is looking like he'll have to figure things out in the Pirates' bullpen before he earns a spot in the rotation. Unless the Pirates sign multiple relief pitchers this offseason, he'll have the opportunity to be a lefty reliever for the Bucs next season. Hopefully, pitching shorter outings can help him improve his velocity and let him focus on just two or three pitches in his arsenal instead of six.
Main Photo: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
