Braxton Ashcraft entered 2026 needing to prove he could hold up as a Major League starter. He finished it as an All-Star and the Pirates’ Steve Blass Award winner. On OffBeat, Alex Stumpf looks at the enormous step Ashcraft took this season, why another jump could still be coming and what his emergence alongside Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler could mean for Pittsburgh’s 2027 rotation.

Watch the full episode on North Shore Nine.