Perrotto: New Pirates Hitting Coach Matt Hague Wants to Write Happy Story

Matt Hague has a big job ahead of him.

Hague was hired as the hitting coach by the Pittsburgh Pirates last week. He inherits an offense that needs a lot of fixing.

The Pirates were 23rd in the major leagues in batting average last season, 24th in runs scored, 25th in home runs, 26th in on-base percentage and 27th in OPS. The lack of offense played a significant role in the Pirates’ finishing 76-86 for the second straight season despite being 15th among the 30 MLB teams in ERA.

However, Hague is excited about the challenge.

“You’re going to hear me talk about the athleticism a lot,” Hague said. “Just going through the process and understanding the want for growth within the front office, the organization, the players, I enjoy that. I love the thrill of being in it with the players and the organization to take that next step. It seems from all my conversations, everybody wants that. That’s what I found myself. I tend to thrive on and really stimulate my brain on, how to create those road maps with those guys. That’s extremely appealing.”

Coming to the Pirates also represents a homecoming for the 39-year-old. He was their ninth-round draft pick in 2008 from Oklahoma State and made his major-league debut four years later as a first baseman.

Hague appeared in 33 games with the Pirates – 30 in 2012 and three in 2014. He also played in the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays, the minor leagues with the Minnesota Twins, Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners. He had a stint in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball before his career ended in 2018.

Hague was in the organization in 2013 when the Pirates reached the postseason for the first time since 1992. The Pirates haven’t been to the playoffs since 2015, but Hague knows what it feels like when PNC Park is packed.

“My playing experience here with the Pirates, when it was popping and we were in the playoffs and kind of seeing that environment come alive, it’s extremely enticing on my end,” Hague said. “Even understanding the starting points and what the Pirates have done before, as far as what they put into their players and what they put into the organization, it’s top-notch. All the foundation is there. It’s kind of like a now-what situation, where I tend to really enjoy myself being in that. And I like Pittsburgh, man. Pittsburgh’s great.”

Hague spent the past five seasons as a hitting coach with the Blue Jays organization, including this past season as an assistant at the major-league level. He believes his apprenticeship with Toronto will serve him well as he takes over for the fired Andy Haines as the Pirates’ primary hitting coach.

“With the Blue Jays, they were just so supportive of just growth,” Hague said. “That was the big thing, resource-wise, and they had a massive amount of resources to nurture that. I think just with the resources and all the emphasis they tried to put on, really understanding what’s occurring. There’s a lot of stuff out there. The hitting world can be chaotic at times with how much information is being put out in the world.

“I think being able to digest that and I think using all the resources, experiences, player experiences, it’s ultimately going to tell a story to a player. That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to tell a story in a simple form in their simple hitting language, but they have to feel that the source of that story is very well thought out. It’s a complex source, but you’re filtering it simply into their hitter’s language.”