Maybe this group should move to little league.
The Pirates regular season is just around the corner, and with the team in Spring Training, a lot of attention will be on the coaching staff that has put this team on the field. Some new faces, and some unfortunate familiar ones, make up an average group of coaches.
Manager Derek Shelton
The man at the helm of the Jolly Roger is none other than Derek Shelton, who is on an unprecedented streak of mediocrity in North American sports. His long leash is starting to choke the life out of this ball club and the fans that pay their hard earned money to see their favorite team. Shelton has a 294-414 record over five seasons, and has never finished higher than fourth in the division. Any other coach would’ve been fired at this point, but it seems as though Shelton is here to stay as long as Ben Cherington is the General Manager.
Bench Coach Don Kelly
Don Kelly has so much experience from his playing days, which makes him perfect for this Pirates team, and all of the young players on the roster. Kelly played every position in baseball during his playing career, to include pitcher, so he has a wealth of knowledge to share with this squad. The way a large part of the team has been constructed includes having players that can play multiple positions and be flexible if need be, so Kelly should be seen as an asset to the staff as they tinker and play with the lineups throughout the season.
screw it, 2024 Derek Shelton highlights pic.twitter.com/HndvjNVDl8
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) February 12, 2025
Hitting Coaches Matt Hague and Christian Marrero
The release of former hitting coach, Andy Haines, resulted in the signing of Matt Hague this offseason as the Pirates are in desperate need of developing their hitters. Hague spent the beginning of his coaching career in the Blue Jay’s organization as one of their hitting coaches, so at the very least he has experience, but he also has quite the project. Last year the Pirates offense ranked 24th in runs scored, and 27th in team OPS. Christian Marrero was kept last year despite the firing of Haines, so maybe the team sees something in him. There were some shimmers of hope last year, but there are still several players that need to take the next step at the plate, so hopefully Hague and Marrero can nudge them in the right direction.
Pitching Coaches Oscar Marin and Brent Strom
If anyone has an easy job on the Pirates coaching staff, it’s gotta be Oscar Marin and Brent Strom. Marin has been on the staff since 2020, and since then he has seen a plentiful amount of ace pitchers come through the organization. Strom has been a pitching coach in Major League Baseball since 1996, and has been known to blend the philosophies of old school baseball techniques with new school analytics. Given the starters that these two have to work with, like Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, they should have little issue building a strong rotation. The bullpen is maybe a couple of steps behind, but even still they have some quality arms to work with. The addition of Strom to the staff should provide a lot of insight to a very young pitching core.
This staff is far from a group of All-Stars, but perhaps the adjustments they made over the offseason can impact some winning and have the team finish with a couple more wins. Still though, I won’t believe it until I see it.