Braxton Ashcraft hasn’t had trouble staying busy this offseason. The 26-year-old Waco, Texas, native got married. He and his wife, Cassidy, also bought their first home and attended a few weddings.

“A lot of moving parts,” Ashcraft said with a smile at PiratesFest.

One thing Ashcraft didn’t do, however, was rehab an injury. Ashcraft dealt with shoulder, forearm and elbow issues throughout his time in the minor leagues but became a healthy, consistent force for the Pirates in 2025.

After debuting as a reliever, Ashcraft made 26 appearances (eight starts) and produced a 2.71 ERA in 69 2/3 innings, walking 24 and striking out 71. Only Paul Skenes had a better ERA among Pirates starters.

It was a hugely important season for Ashcraft, who has four legitimate pitches and wields 97-mph velocity. It’s a performance the Pirates certainly need to continue into 2026.

“I’ve had goals since I was in T-ball,” Ashcraft said. “To realize them and have some success, it was really cool.”

Given what we’ve seen from Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller, as well as what’s still to come with Bubba Chandler, Ashcraft can get overlooked. That’s a mistake. He had a really good season.

Ashcraft’s velocity (96.8 mph) put him in the 86th percentile across MLB, according to Baseball Savant, while his average exit velocity (88.0 mph) was in the 80th. His barrel percentage (4.6%, 94th percentile) was downright elite.

The right-hander achieved those numbers with a spin-heavy mix that worked — but still left room for improvement with his fastball.

Opponents hit .225 and slugged .333 against Ashcraft’s slider, which he threw 31.2% of the time, most of any offering. Ashcraft’s throwback, knee-buckling curve sliced those numbers to .122 and .204. A sinker helped produce weak contact.

Still, one of new pitching coach Bill Murphy’s first tasks with Ashcraft should be accentuating his fastball, which didn’t stand out as much as it should with a .323 batting average and .462 slugging percentage against.

Perhaps it was usage or something subtle in Ashcraft’s delivery that offered a tell. There are always improvements with pitch execution, though it’s a nitpick considering everything else Ashcraft does at a high level.

It’s simply to remind that Ashcraft is very much capable of becoming an elite starter.

“Whenever you go into an offseason in the minor leagues, you’re always pressing towards that ultimate goal of reaching the big leagues,” Ashcraft said. “The difference this year is I’ve been in the big leagues and had some success. There’s comfort that comes with that but also pressure. You have to come into the next season better than you left the last.

“It’s tough to take time off, get back into stuff and not skip a beat, but that’s part of being a professional. Prioritizing that every day makes it a little bit easier.”

The good news for the Pirates is that how Ashcraft carries himself is already outstanding.

He’s polite and well-spoken, a proud Texan who grew up playing high school football — allegedly catching 37 touchdown passes in a single season — and loves rocking cowboy boots.

Nothing’s too big for Ashcraft, who takes it all in stride. It’s a mindset he learned while rehabbing shoulder surgery in 2019 and Tommy John two years later and also while dealing with forearm tightness prior to his promotion.

It’s been a long road for the 2018 second-round draft pick. Yet it is also one that has given him knowledge and perspective on how to work and what’s truly important.

“When you go through rehabs, you don’t ever get away from that mindset,” Ashcraft said. “I haven’t because if you’re not healthy and you’re doing everything to get healthy, why wouldn’t you continue to do those things?”

Along with maintaining health, Ashcraft has focused this winter on finding consistency with his changeup, tweaking how his two-seamer moves and achieving pinpoint slider control, plus obviously building strength and durability in his body.

“If you throw the ball where you want it to go, you’re probably going to have success,” Ashcraft said. “We’re always working toward that, but when you’re not trying to focus on getting healthy, it’s a lot easier to do in the offseason.”

Ashcraft doesn’t get the same shine as some of his fellow starters, but his presence is no less important, especially when it comes to volume. After working 118 combined innings last year, the Pirates need Ashcraft to exceed 140 and continue his ascent.

It’s why Ashcraft continues to push, to keep transitioning to hopeful minor leaguer to young guy with potential to someone a little more established — a husband, homeowner and key piece of a dominant rotation.

More invitees

The Pirates on Tuesday announced six additional non-roster invitees to spring training, which will begin with the first workout for pitchers and catchers on Feb. 11 at Pirate City.

Those players include catcher Derek Berg, first baseman Nick Cimillo, pitchers Michael Darrell-Hicks and Nick Dombkowski, utility player Mitch Jebb and infielder Alika Williams.

That last one is probably most familiar, as Williams appeared in 83 games for the Pirates between 2023-24 after they acquired him in a trade for reliever Robert Stephenson. Williams spent 2025 with Triple-A Indianapolis, hitting .268 in 103 games.

Jebb, ranked 19th among Pirates prospects by MLB Pipeline, hit .265 with 11 doubles, six triples, 34 RBIs, 59 walks, 33 steals and 55 runs scored in 122 games with Double-A Altoona in 2025. The 2023 second-round pick was second among Pirates minor leaguers in triples, tied for third in walks and tied for fourth in hits.

Dombkowski went 3-6 with a 5.12 ERA in 32 games (12 starts) split among High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. His 75 strikeouts were the fourth-most among lefties in Pittsburgh’s minor-league system.

Cimillo hit .239 with 26 doubles, 20 home runs and 71 RBIs in 112 games for Double-A Altoona, ranking second among Pirates farmhands in doubles and extra-base hits (50).

Berg batted .230 with seven homers and 37 RBIs across 88 games at Low-A, High-A and Double-A last summer.