The Pirates’ fall each within the NL Central and the NL wild-card hunt has prompted loads of hypothesis concerning the job safety of supervisor Derek Shelton. Nonetheless, common supervisor Ben Cherington advised the group’s beat Wednesday that he feels Shelton is the “proper individual to handle this group in 2025” and mentioned he expects Shelton will return subsequent season (X hyperlink by way of Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Overview). Shelton initially signed a four-year deal spanning the 2020-23 seasons and was prolonged early within the ’23 marketing campaign.
It’s the second straight 12 months during which the Pirates have proven indicators of returning to competition within the NL Central, solely to fade considerably. The ’23 Pirates received out to one of many hottest begins of any membership in baseball however wilted because the season wore on. This 12 months’s membership rebounded from a sluggish begin with a sizzling summer time displaying, going 29-22 in June and July to place themselves as a wild-card contender. Cherington added Bryan De La Cruz, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jalen Beeks on the deadline in hopes of sparking a postseason push for his membership, however the Bucs responded with a disastrous 8-19 report in August, tanking their playoff hopes. They’re at present 69-76, sitting in final place within the division.
Shelton, 54, is in his fifth season managing the Pirates. They’ve but to supply a profitable report or end higher than fourth within the division below his watch, though, as is the case with any supervisor of a rebuilding membership, that’s hardly a mirrored image of his effectiveness. The Pirates tore down a lot of the roster and launched into a prolonged rebuilding effort when Cherington was employed, and Shelton has not often been given the makings of a aggressive big-league roster. That mentioned, the Buccos have had a greater basis lately — actually this season, with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones arriving on the scene — however have but to seem like a well-rounded membership constantly.
Beginning pitching is the group’s power, with Skenes, Jones and Mitch Keller comprising a robust trio atop the rotation. However most of the Pirates’ most touted younger hitters have did not progress as hoped — whether or not that be third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who’s declined on the plate amid a collection of again accidents, or former No. 1 total choose Henry Davis, who’s mashed in Triple-A however has but to hold that manufacturing to the majors. Cherington additionally touted Pittsburgh’s bullpen as a possible power heading into the season however has typically floundered this season, largely due to a shocking step again from former All-Star nearer and Pittsburgh native David Bednar.
Bolstering the lineup and enhancing the bullpen determine to be focal factors for the entrance workplace this offseason, though perennially frugal proprietor Bob Nutting isn’t possible to provide Cherington & Co. a lot to work with relating to monetary assets. That’ll solely enhance the significance of extracting probably the most from their in-house younger skills. Given among the myriad struggles up and down the roster, it’s loads possible that there’ll be modifications made to Shelton’s teaching workers. Barring a turnaround subsequent season, it additionally stands to purpose that Shelton himself could possibly be on skinny ice sooner slightly than later.
It’s at the least anecdotally notable that Shelton’s predecessor, Clint Hurdle, publicly said late within the 2019 season that he’d been advised he’d return for the 2020 season — solely to be fired a matter of days later. This case isn’t precisely analogous, because it’s the final supervisor and never Shelton himself making this assertion. Cherington’s remark does cease in need of firmly declaring that Shelton will probably be retained, which technically leaves the door cracked for proprietor Bob Nutting to step in and make a change, however the overwhelming chances are now that Shelton will get a sixth go at helming the ship and making an attempt to steer the Pirates right into a authentic postseason contender.
