Pirates hire Callahan, first female coach in team history

The Pirates have hired Caitlyn Callahan, who had spent the last two years interning with the Reds’ player development team, as a development coach.

Per a team source, she will be the first in-uniform female coach in franchise history and one of the first across baseball.

She will be based out of Pirate City and focus on coaching prospects.

Callahan had spent the last two seasons as a minor-league video and baseball technology intern with the Reds. She has a degree in kinesiology from St. Mary’s College and played over four years of softball with Boston University and St. Mary’s.

She also interned with baseball operations for the Staten Island Yankees and has experience as a scout liaison at the professional level and strength and conditioning coach at the high school level.

Callahan took part in the “Get Better At Baseball” development camp in Bradenton, Fla. in November.

That “Get Better” camp was one of three the Pirates are planning to hold at their Florida complexes this offseason. The third will take place next month and will combine pitchers and position players.

The Pirates will have more details about her coaching assignment once they formally announce their front office hirings and role shifting at a later date.

On Monday, a team source confirmed a trio of front office and minor-league coaching hirings. More hirings are expected to be announced.

Callahan will be one of the first women to hold a prominent coaching or development position in Major League Baseball. Alyssa Nakken of the Giants became the first woman on-field coach in a major-league game in 2020, and Sewickley, Pa. native Bianca Smith became the first black woman to coach minor-league baseball last season when she joined the Red Sox.

As of opening day 2021, there were 23 women coaches across baseball, according to Good Morning America.