Dodgers' legendary pitcher was a better hitter than the 2025 Pittsburgh Pirates

Billy Heyen

Dodgers' legendary pitcher was a better hitter than the 2025 Pittsburgh Pirates image

Pitchers don't hit anymore.

Even when they did, they weren't exactly sluggers, as long as you don't count Babe Ruth.

So when there's a very real stat out there that says one former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher had a better career slugging percentage than the 2025 Pittsburgh Pirates have as a team, that doesn't seem ideal.

But here's that stat. Zack Greinke delivers the magic.

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Greinke was one of the better hitting pitchers, to be fair. But not great.

His career batting average was .225. In 600 plate appearances, he had 29 doubles and nine homers (and nine steals in 10 tries).

A lineup full of Greinkes would be slightly better than this season's Pirates.

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It's not the fault of everyone Pittsburgh writes on the lineup card, but as a whole, it's been brutal.

Greinke hasn't played in MLB since 2023, but it's fun to see his name surface again, even if it's just a stat that's a bummer for Pirates fans.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle