Staff Shakeups for Pirates to Consider (+)
The expectation is that Derek Shelton will be back to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025. At least, general manager Ben Cherington said as much earlier this month.
On another note, nobody knows for sure as to whether or not Cherington returns next season. Nobody in the organization has said anything to to contrary, but no one has said he’ll be back either.
For now, let’s just assume that both Cherington and Shelton will continue to lead the Pirates. If that assumption is accurate, changes need to come in other forms.
The Pirates fell to the New York Yankees on Sunday in the final game of the regular season. With the loss, the Pirates finished the year in last place in the National League Central at 76-86, the same record they had in 2023.
Only last year’s 76-win season was a drastic 14-game improvement from a 62-100 showing in 2022. Instead of taking things one step further into contention this year, the Pirates finished in the cellar of the division for the fourth time in five years since Cherington, Shelton and team president Travis Williams took over control of the organization.
Yet another losing season of baseball in Pittsburgh should call for more drastic measures to try and improve the team in 2025. But if the voices in the top leadership positions truly do not change, there are a couple of areas on the major-league coaching staff that could have new faces next year.
Hitting coach Andy Haines
Haines had been the subject of scrutiny for much of the 2024 season. Since he was hired as the team’s hitting coach prior to the 2022 season, the Pirates’ offense has been one of the worst-performing units in the league.
This year, the Pirates were again near the bottom in most of the major offensive categories. The Bucs were 23rd in batting average (.234), 26th in on-base percentage (.301), 27th in slugging (.371) and 27th in OPS (.672). They had a worse OPS than the Miami Marlins (.678), who were the worst team in the National League this year at 62-100.
The Pirates slugged 160 home runs this season, one more than they did in 2023, but good for 25th in the league.
Additionally, the Pirates struck out 1,506 times this year, which set a franchise record for most strikeouts in a season. Only three teams struck out more than Pittsburgh in 2024 — the Seattle Mariners (1,625), Colorado Rockies (1,617) and Boston Red Sox (1,570).
It appears as a new hitting philosophy is necessary to help jumpstart a continually underperforming offense.
One potential replacement if the Pirates decide to move on from Haines is Triple-A Indianapolis hitting coach Eric Munson, who has been in his position since 2022.
It’s tough to simply look at performances of different hitters and what their success means at the Triple-A level given the drop-off in pitching talent, but Munson is someone who is respected in the organization.
Bullpen Coach Justin Meccage
Entering the season, it looked like the bullpen was going to be the Pirates’ greatest strength. It certainly didn’t turn out that way.
Pirates’ relievers combined to finish with a 4.49 ERA this season. Only three teams had a worse mark — the Colorado Rockies (5.41), Toronto Blue Jays (4.82) and Chicago White Sox (4.75).
Two-time All-Star closer David Bednar drastically regressed and lost his spot handling the ninth. Colin Holderman was lights out to begin the year but started to fade in the middle of the season.
At the same time, Dennis Santana emerged as arguably the Pirates’ top reliever after he was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers in June.
How much credit or blame goes to Meccage, who has been on the Pirates’ big-league staff since 2018 and in his current role as bullpen coach in 2020? It’s hard to say for sure, but if the Pirates are looking for another scapegoat, fingers could point towards the disappointing bullpen.
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