A second consecutive 100-loss season will not lead to firings on the Pirates' major-league coaching staff, Ben Cherington told reporters Friday at his year-end media availability at PNC Park.
"If there are any changes to staff, I would expect them to be additive," Cherington said. "That’s not considering someone getting an opportunity somewhere else or something like that. Other than that, we expect the staff to be here. Loved working with them."
Generally speaking, this does not come up as much of a surprise. Cherington gave Derek Shelton a vote of confidence back in August, saying that he was going to be retained as manager. Shelton and Cherington have been on the same page when it comes to regarding the Pirates' rebuild, but it does raise the question how can you properly assess the work being done by a manager who is 142-242 with the team.
"We have to look at how players are improving individually," Cherington said. "Shelty’s not responsible for that himself. He can’t coach all the hitters. He’s not coaching the pitchers. He’s not out there coaching the defenders. He’s helping us create a culture and an environment where that coaching is happening, where players are coming in and wanting to do that work and getting better from that work. He’s an influencer of that even though he’s not doing all the coaching himself. He can’t possibly do that. That probably relates to the cultural piece of leading a culture in that clubhouse that is about accountability and getting better every day and having the toughness to get better every day and being accountable to each other as teammates, too, to push each other, to get better every day and stick with each other. I believe we’re seeing good signal on that too. That, itself, is a process that takes time."
Both Shelton and Cherington spoke highly of the steps the pitching staff has made this year, headed by pitching coach Oscar Marin. Shelton also praised the team's base running late in the season, which is headed by first base/outfield coach Tarrik Brock.
The only question appeared to be on the hitting side. As a team, the Pirates finished 27th in runs scored (591), 29th in batting average (.222), 28th in OPS (.655) and 29th in strikeout rate (25.3%). First year hitting coach Andy Haines inherited a tough situation, not getting to talk to his new players until after the lockout ended and often fielding a lineup with multiple rookies.
"I’m so excited for Andy to have a year now of the relationships being built, a year of learning and to be able to go into what should be a more normal offseason, partly because he knows everybody, partly because, hopefully, there’s not a lockout," Cherington said. "We’ll be able to continue that work through the offseason and go into spring training in a much stronger spot than we would’ve last February.”
The rest of the 2022 coaching staff consisted of bench coach Don Kelly (who has been attached to managerial openings the last two winters), assistant hitting coach Christian Marrero, third base coach/field coordinator Mike Rabelo, bullpen coach Justin Meccage, game planning/strategy coach Radley Haddad, bullpen catcher/catching coach Jordan Comadena and major-league assistants Jeremy Bleich and Tim McKeithan.
Last winter, the Pirates added primarily to the pitching side on the coaching staff, bringing in Haddad and special advisor to pitching development Dewey Robinson. That does not guarantee that any potential additions would go to the offensive side, though.
"Our hitting team has not had as much time together as our pitching team," Cherington said, referring not just to the major-league staff but also the development team and farm system. "I’m saying all of this to suggest that I think it takes more time with hitting to see the tangible signs of improvement. Part of that is because the group of people need more time together. Part of that is because the skill itself is different. Practicing and improving, it is different."
This is the second time in three years where the Pirates didn't fire any coaches, the other being after the abbreviated 2020 season. Last winter, they dismissed hitting coach Rick Eckstein midseason and third base coach Joey Cora shortly after the season, while major-league coach Glenn Sherlock and bullpen catcher Heberto Andrade left for different opportunities.
"I believe trust is being built inside that room," Cherington said. "It’s never a straight line, but we see it growing. I believe it’s growing over time. I think it comes out in the way we play, in the way that guys talk to each other and the way guys talk publicly and in improvement that we’re seeing even though we know it’s not clearly enough. There’s lot to do to get better... I’m excited about spring training when I think about the players. I’m also excited about spring training and think about getting back in that room and with Shelty and his staff and continuing the work we’re doing."
