Following a subpar 12-26 start to the season that has them already sitting 10 games out of first place, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a long-overdue change in leadership. The team announced on Thursday that it had relieved manager Derek Shelton of his duties.Â
Bench coach Don Kelly was named as Shelton’s replacement.Â
Shelton enjoyed a respected career as a hitting coach in Cleveland and Tampa Bay before landing a role as the Twins bench coach for the 2018-19 seasons. Viewed as an up-and-coming baseball mind, Pittsburgh hired Shelton to manage the team beginning with the 2020 season.Â
The Pirates have struggled in recent years, totaling a 306-440 record (.410 winning percentage) under Shelton’s guidance. Their start to the 2025 season would mark the lowest winning percentage (.316) since he took over. It was time for the Bucs to make a change.Â
Kelly, 45, was a versatile infielder who made his MLB debut with the Pirates during the 2007 season and spent most of his nine-year playing career with the Detroit Tigers.Â
The Pennsylvania native spent a year with the Astros as their first base coach before joining the Pirates after Shelton’s hiring as his bench coach.Â
Pittsburgh’s struggles won’t instantly be resolved by a change in leadership. Kelly knows the clubhouse and is well-respected around the league, though, so it’s safe to assume he’ll be given a fair chance to turn things around before any decisions are made about a long-term hiring. Kelly may not have been given an “interim” tag on his title, but until the club commits to a new contract with him, his future is likely uncertain.Â
Pittsburgh’s offense has mustered just a .626 OPS on the season, 29th in all of MLB. The team has scored the second-fewest runs, and only the Blue Jays have hit fewer home runs. The pitching staff, even with superstar Paul Skenes leading the way, has pitched to a 4.31 ERA (21st in MLB).Â
New leadership will help, but the Pirates need more players to step up their production to right this ship.Â
