Wednesday, September 23

Welcome to a new edition of the Pirates Beat newsletter. Pittsburgh takes on the Cardinals in the final home series of the year before finishing the season with three games in Detroit.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates knew Murf Gray’s abilities stretched beyond Single-A Bradenton. But to get his feet wet in affiliated baseball in 2026, Gray began the year at the bottom to work his way up. 

Fast-forward six months, and Gray has skyrocketed through Pittsburgh’s system.  

“It's gotten better from who he was in April to who he's finishing up as in September,” Pirates director of coaching and player development Michael Chernow told MLB.com. “He's a better player in September than he was in April, and that's because of the work that he put in, because of the aptitude that he has to understand the game feedback and what's important.” 

Still just 22 years old, Gray finished his first professional season in Double-A Altoona. Across three levels, Gray batted .305 with a .969 OPS and 32 home runs while surging onto MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list (No. 91 overall, No. 4 in the Pirates' system). 

As Gray enters the offseason, even he was shocked at his quick success. 

“Honestly, it surprised me a lot. The first year of pro ball, I went in with an open mind, just being ready to learn and grow as a player,” Gray told MLB.com in the Altoona Curve home dugout. “But along with that, just being a sponge, learning new things, picking up on habits from different guys and just being able to talk about approach, ground ball work, footwork, like every little detail that goes into a long season.”

The Pirates selected Gray out of Fresno State in the 2025 MLB Draft knowing, inside and out, the hit tool he possessed. After his selection in Competitive Balance Round B, Gray didn’t appear in affiliated ball that year as he added to his frame. 

Chernow believes the organization has seen a gradual climb beyond the eye-popping numbers. Gray has leaned on daily improvements at the plate and at third base throughout his career to make bigger strides.

He first realized in his freshman year of college that he could play baseball for a living. While playing for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2024, he picked up the mental side of his game through hitting coach Mike Mobbs. Mobbs taught him to be stubborn in his approach and find consistency. 

“No TOB was a big thing, which is transfer of blame,” Gray said. “So if I get out, make an error, do something wrong, I'm not going to blame that on the game. I'm not going to blame that on anybody else. I'm going to take full accountability for myself, figure it out and move on and learn.”

A key area in which Gray was forced to take accountability was his chase rate. Chernow said the development staff emphasized the “value of a walk” and added patience to open up other avenues for damage.  

Gray’s walk rate increased from High-A Greensboro to Double-A, improving his on-base percentage despite a dip in batting average. Gray found more of a challenge with Altoona, as the opponents’ pitches became better and their locations were more pristine. He still attempts to be a hitter first, with the power following.

“The biggest transition is thinking ahead and playing a chess game,” Gray said. “Making sure that approach carries throughout not only your first at-bat but throughout all your at-bats, throughout the game, and the rest of the season.”

“You're seeing positive trends with swing decisions, and the most encouraging thing is that there's been no trade-off in contact quality as a result,” Chernow said. “He's still getting a swing off; he's still able to do damage, and that's certainly his calling card: his ability to change the game in one swing.”

Gray entered pro ball as a Gold Glove finalist in college, but his large frame (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) points to a possible move to first base in the future. He’s worked to stay at the hot corner -- a position, Chernow says, Gray could ultimately play at the Major League level. Chernow added that the focus entering the offseason will be to improve Gray’s horizontal range. 

“It's just going to be about making sure that that right-left range is in a good spot," Chernow said. "And when he continues to prove that it is, I don't see any reason why he can't play third base."

As proven through recent top picks like Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin, the Pirates aren’t afraid to move prospects quickly through the farm system and to the big leagues if they’re ready. 

Gray’s 2026 season fits the bill. And he’ll be more than happy when that day comes.

“It's going to mean the world, man,” Gray said. “All the hard work, all the late nights, all the early mornings, all the things I can give to everybody that believed in me. If I get that opportunity, I can't be more thankful.” 

The Pirates enter the final week of the season at 79-77, three wins away from securing the organization's fifth winning season in the last 30 years. Pittsburgh has steamrolled through September with a 12-6 record, winning four of six series. To achieve the winning season, the Bucs must go .500 against St. Louis and Detroit after winning the series finale against Milwaukee and sweeping Kansas City.

“To me, it's that fight that they've shown all year,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Whether it was after a tough loss, during a tough stretch, through tough injuries that we dealt with, they've continued to go. And I think that it's something that has stood out to me, and how they've rebounded, how they continue to compete, and we've talked a lot about the 1-0 and dominating today.”

• “Lonely Is The Night” -- Billy Squier

• “If I Can’t” -- 50 Cent

• “Return of the Mack” -- Mark Morrison

• “Carry That Weight” -- The Beatles
• “Head Games” -- Foreigner

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