Pirates’ Derek Shelton, Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Strengthen Bond at Training Camp

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers had a couple of guests at training camp on Tuesday at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. Pirates manager Derek Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington made the roughly 50-mile trip from PNC Park to take in practice.

“It was great, I had a great time,” Shelton said on the experience. “I had never been out there before and I really appreciated the invite. It’s so unique … but just to see the intensity, to see the practice, to be able to spend some time with coach Tomlin and talk to him, it was really fun.”

Shelton, in his fifth year as manager of the Pirates, has developed a friendship with Mike Tomlin, the Steelers head coach since 2007.

When Shelton was hired by the Pirates in Nov. 2019, Tomlin reached out to him to welcome him to the city of Pittsburgh and presumably wish him well.

“That’s cool,” Shelton said on the camaraderie the two have developed. “That means a lot to me. … If you spend any time around him, you walk away better because he’s got a ton of energy, he’s very thoughtful about what he’s doing and he’s been able to be very successful at it, so I appreciate any time I’m able to get around him.”

Shelton noted that Tomlin is a baseball fan. He’s aware of what the Pirates have done this season and wanted to talk about specific players. The Pirates roster a few players who look like they could play in the NFL. Whether it be Paul Skenes, who throws a football as part of his pregame warmup, Oneil Cruz, who could give the Steelers what they’re looking for in a wide receiver with speed and length, or others.

During his time observing camp on Tuesday, Shelton’s biggest takeaway was the seven goal-line plays that were run at the beginning of practice. The Steelers kicked off Tuesday’s drills with the highest of leverage situations, and the players were up to the task.

“What I enjoyed today while watching it was the trash-talking that went on amongst the offense, the defense, the coordinators, the coaches,” he explained. “The last play ended – I’m not saying it was a touchdown, I’m not saying it wasn’t a touchdown – they didn’t call it a touchdown and, I’m telling you, the defensive players were letting guys know.

“I think that, in and of itself, because we play every day, you really don’t get that much emotion every single day in a practice and it was kind of cool. No, it wasn’t kind of cool to see. It was really cool to see.”

Shelton will try and bring some of that fire and energy shown back with him to PNC Park. The Pirates start a three-game series with the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. It’s another matchup with a team holding onto a wild card spot.

And no, Shelton did not report any sighting of Brandon Aiyuk on the field or in the dorms in Latrobe.

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