The writing was on the wall for Pittsburgh Pirates supervisor Derek Shelton.
The Pirates have been an intriguing crew heading into the 2025 season. A rotation led by burgeoning star Paul Skenes, an impressive crop of young pitching prospects on the cusp of reaching the majors and development from their youthful gamers led to the hope that the Pirates would take the subsequent step towards rivalry.
As an alternative, the Pirates are again within the NL Central basement with a 12-26 document heading into Thursday, 10 video games behind first. The Pirates have the third-worst record within the majors, forward of the moribund White Sox and Rockies. Somebody needed to take the autumn for that efficiency.
The axe fell on Shelton Thursday morning because the Pirates announced he was fired because the supervisor. Bench coach Don Kelly was named as Shelton’s alternative.
In a vacuum, firing Shelton is sensible. The Pirates steadily improved throughout his first 4 years as supervisor however plateaued at a 76-86 document in 2023 and 2024. A disappointing season begin might imply a unique voice is required.
Nonetheless, it’s truthful to surprise how a lot of the Pirates’ disappointing efficiency is Shelton’s fault. Though outfielder Oneil Cruz has taken the subsequent step to stardom and catcher Joey Bart has resurrected his profession, the remainder of the lineup has been mediocre at greatest. The Pirates have a .219/.300/.325 batting line heading into Thursday, ranking 29th in the majors with a .626 OPS.
The blame ought to fall on possession. Crew proprietor Bob Nutting referred to a “sense of urgency” within the assertion concerning Shelton’s dismissal, though his refusal to spend belies that assertion.
As an alternative of fortifying the roster, the Pirates signed rental players to one-year contracts. Fan-favorite outfielder Andrew McCutchen and pitcher Andrew Heaney have been probably the most notable free-agent signings for a crew that has not given a free agent a multiyear contract since Ivan Nova signed a three-year, $26 million contract throughout the 2016-17 offseason.
Shelton has been eliminated as Pirates supervisor. Except possession opens up the checkbook, nothing goes to alter.
