The Pittsburgh Pirates are moving on from manager Derek Shelton after six seasons at the helm. The team fired Shelton on Thursday after the Pirates started the season 12-26.
The team announced Shelton’s firing in a statement. General manager Ben Cherington thanked Shelton for his time in the organization, calling him a “smart, curious and driven baseball leader.”
“Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years. His family became a big part of the Pirates family, and we will miss that,” said Pirates general manager Ben Cherington. “He’s an incredibly smart, curious and driven baseball leader. I believe he was the right person for the job when he was hired. I also believe that a change is now necessary. I wish Derek and his family all the best in their next chapter.”
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Team owner Bob Nutting echoed that sentiment, but added the team “has to do better.”
Pirates bench coach Don Kelly will take over as the team’s manager following Shelton’s firing.
Shelton was hired by the team ahead of the 2020 MLB season. Prior to his firing, the Pirates were scuffling. After making three straight playoff appearances, Pittsburgh put up a .471 winning percentage between 2016-19. The team finished no higher than third in the NL Central over that period.
After finishing in last place in the division in 2019, the Pirates fired Clint Hurdle and hired Shelton.
The Pirates finished with an MLB-worst 19 wins during the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020, Shelton’s first season at the helm. The team failed to progress under Shelton, finishing no higher than fourth in the division in Shelton’s first five seasons with the club. The team sat in last place in the NL Central when Shelton was fired Thursday. Shelton complied a 306-440 record with the Pirates, good for a .410 winning percentage.
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The arrival of Paul Skenes in 2024 brought excitement to a Pirates team desperately in need of young stars. It’s possible more help is on the way soon. Pitcher Bubba Chandler, one of the consensus top prospects in the game, is bound to join the Pirates any day now.
With Skenes excelling in the majors and Chandler on his way, the Pirates will turn to Kelly to hope he can get the team on the right path.
That might prove difficult without help from the front office. Cherington followed up Skenes’ arrival with a quiet offseason, in which the Pirates brought in barely any notable players. That was the case throughout most of Shelton’s tenure with the team. The team struggled, but he didn’t exactly have star players at his disposal.
Getting the Pirates back to contention is going to require a full organization shift. Maybe Kelly is the right person to lead that charge, but he’ll need support — emotionally and financially — from the front office and Nutting to make it happen.
Skenes’ arrival looked like the start of something promising in Pittsburgh. Thursday’s firing seems to indicate the Pirates have higher expectations with their young star finally here. Shelton was the first casualty of the team’s failure to show growth, but he shouldn’t be the only person in the organization held to that standard.
