Let’s be honest. This season is just about lost.
On an off day before a six-game home stand that sees them host the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Pirates sit at 32-50. The trade deadline is just over a month away, and soon the roster will likely be carrying multiple players who are auditioning for 2026 jobs.
Before that takes place, or at the latest, when it does, Ronny Simon should be someone the Pirates give some runway to. He brings a unique skill set to the organization, and if he continues to play the way he has down on the farm this year, he will have more than earned a look with the Pirates.
Simon was a waiver claim by the Pirates from the Miami Marlins back on June 2nd. Right-handed reliever Tanner Rainey was designated for assignment to make room for him, and the Pirates optioned Simon to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Simon had started his season in Triple-A with Miami’s affiliate in Jacksonville. In 15 games there, he slashed a stellar .354/.441/.521 with a homer and nine RBI.
He was promoted to the big leagues with the Marlins towards the end of April, playing in 19 games for Miami through the end of May. Simon made his major league debut on April 21st and slashed .234/.327/.277 during his brief run.
Though he played a few games as the team’s designated hitter, Simon split his defensive time between second base and left field. In three starts and 30 total innings in left, Simon had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Second base was a bit of a different story. Simon started eight games at second and played 60 total innings. He has four errors that the position, but they all came in one just truly awful night for the 25-year-old. His errors certainly weren’t for a lack of trying, and he was visibly emotional after it.
There are some concerns about Simon’s defensive game, but not to the extent that he displayed that night. Look, it happens. We all have days where nothing goes right for us. Simon just happened to have one of those days on a Major League Baseball field.
In Jacksonville, Simon had four total errors, all while in the infield. His defensive work as an outfielder is much better, and the Pirates organization has taken that into account with his defensive deployment.
Aside from two games as the DH, Simon has played exclusively outfield for Indianapolis, posting 22 putouts on 24 chances from left field. Though there is certainly still time for Simon to grow as an infielder, it’s clear that he is better serving his team on the field from the grass.
Since being claimed, Simon is slashing .277/.382/.477 through 16 games in Indianapolis. He has already racked up three home runs and 12 RBI. He looks more and more comfortable as the games go on.
Yesterday, as Indianapolis took on the Omaha Storm Chasers, Simon hit a grand slam off righty Chandler Champlain, giving the Indians a 5-0 lead at the time. While never being considered a huge home run hitter, Simon is showing the occasional pop in his bat with Indianapolis.
What is also very encouraging is are his eyes. On a team like the Pirates, who are top five in baseball in Ks, Simon would be a breath of fresh air. He struck out just seven times in 56 plate appearances in Miami (along with seven walks), and he put up similarly good rates in Triple-A.
With Jacksonville, he struck out 16.6% of the time, and with Indianapolis, 16.9% of the time. By comparison, his walk rates with each team have been 15% and 14.2%, respectively.
If it’s a larger sample size you are looking for, Simon played 130 for Triple-A Durham (affiliate of Tampa Bay) last season, where he struck out at a 18.8% clip.
Though his batting performance still heavily favors right-handed pitching, Simon is a switch hitter. At the Triple-A level, Simon is batting .305 with a .846 OPS against righties, while batting .219 with a .694 OPS.
Simon had a similar story in the major leagues; all but one of his 11 big league hits came against righties. But even with the pretty lopsided splits, a switch hitter who gives you some extra options is never a bad thing.
He is also speedy on the bases. Simon has 11 stolen bases this season between Jacksonville and Indianapolis, only getting caught three times. Last year, with Durham, he was 20-for-27 in stolen base tries, and has two 30+ steal seasons in his minor league résumé.
He has a lot of tools that can make him a successful major leaguer. In my mind, Miami was hasty to DFA him when they did. Simon’s three-error game was his last as a Marlin, and perhaps the team made a knee-jerk reaction based on that game.
But I get why there would be doubt; Pittsburgh is Simon’s fifth MLB organization at only 25 years old, and he hasn’t found a way to latch on anywhere yet. However, there’s two ways to look at that. Teams have always seen him as expendable, or, teams are always trying to get him.
Simon has been traded for twice, signed as a free agent, and now claimed off waivers. Clearly there is something that a lot of organizations see in this kid, enough to bring him in and stash him somewhere, even if that huge major league opportunity hasn’t happened yet.
Pittsburgh should be the ones to break the trend. Roster spots will be open after the deadline, but I wouldn’t mind if they jumped the gun and called him before that. In a lost season, he’s certainly worth a look.
You have to imagine that after the way things ended in Miami that he would be desperate to showcase what he can do in another chance. And if you’re the Pirates, what more do you have to lose?
Fifth Avenue Sports 
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