Perrotto: Having More Adults in Room Could Pay Dividends for Pirates (+)
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been taking their lumps ever since Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton came to town.
Cherington was hired as the general manager following the 2019 season. Cherington’s first major move was to hire Shelton, who was then the Minnesota Twins’ bench coach, as manager.
The Pirates have gone 142-242 in three seasons under Cherington and finished last in the National League Central each year.
However, Shelton feels like the Pirates finally have a fighting chance in 2023 following a busy offseason by Cherington in which he has added veteran help to all aspects of the roster.
Left-hander Rich Hill and right-hander Vince Velasquez should bolster a relatively young starting rotation. Defensive whiz Austin Hedges should be a major upgrade at catcher.
Designated hitter Carlos Santana, first baseman Ji-Man Choi and outfielder Andrew McCutchen are expected to add a spark to the lineup. Left-handed reliever Jarlin Garcia and infielder/outfielder Connor Joe could be good role players.
“It was time to add players,” Shelton said. “We had the opportunity, especially last year – we used what? 68 players – to give (young players) at-bats, give them innings that can replicate major league experience. The gap between Triple-A and the big leagues is the biggest it’s ever been. So, getting the major league reps was important but now it was time for the ’23 season — and ’24, ’25, ’26 — to add players.
“These guys are still good players and they are going to help us on the field but also help us in the clubhouse, Now we’re to the point where some of these young players are taking steps forward and the veterans are going to be helpful.”
The Pittsburgh Pirates had one of the most inexperienced rosters in the major leagues last and it showed beyond the 62-100 record.
There were plenty of mental mistakes made. Then there were the embarrassing – some would say unprofessional — moments like a cell phone falling out of second baseman Rodolfo Castro’s pocket when he slid into third base during an August game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.
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Shelton believes the newly added veterans – especially Hill, Santana and McCutchen – can provide stability to the clubhouse and also serves as mentors.
“It was important of being able to add guys that people were going to gravitate to,” Shelton said. “It’s not like Cutch is going to, boom, be the leader. Cutch just has to be Cutch, Santana needs to come in and be Santana and the players around them can take something from them and be able to grow.”
Players like Hill, Santana and McCutchen – all 36 or older – can also serve as a conduit between Shelton and the clubhouse when messages need to be sent from the manager’s office to the players. Sometimes, players need to hear things directly from their teammates rather than management.
And not only do the newcomers want to provide leadership but are excited about the Pirates’ young talent.
“When we talked to Carlos, he was talking about our young players,” Shelton said. “When you talk to Cutch, the first thing that comes up is Oneil (Cruz). You talk to Rich Hill and he’s talking about (Mitch) Keller. You talk to Hedges, and he talks about our pitching group.
“The one thing about (free agents) is they have the opportunity to go where they want to go. The exciting thing for us was these guys chose to come here because they’ve seen the culture that you’ve been building and the young players that you have.”
Can the veterans combine with the youngsters to form a contending team in 2023? That’s probably a stretch.
However, the 2023 Pittsburgh Pirates figure to have a good dose of professionalism. That is a key step in at least getting on the path toward eventually winning.
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