PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a strong season so far and have had some impressive performances so far. The Pirates sit 22-19 after 41 games, with the ninth-best record in baseball, but just the fourth-best record in the National League Central, as they are in the toughest division in baseball. It's still a massive turnaround for the Pirates, who were 14-27 at this same time last year and had recently fired manager Derek Shelton after a 12-26 start. The Pirates have gotten here thanks to a few stand out players and also three players having much better showings in 2026 than anyone would've anticipated. Nick Gonzales Amongst Best Hitters in Baseball No one would've really expected Nick Gonzales to have the season he's had so far, but the Pirates will take his performances every game going forward. Gonzales has slashed .316/.380/.360 for an OPS of .740 in 37 games, with 43 hits in 136 at-bats, six doubles, 18 RBI and 11 walks to 26 strikeouts.…