Friday Insider: Pirates feel 'freed up' with Kelly at helm
Before Derek Shelton’s firing last week, players had said there was an uneasy feeling among the clubhouse as the Pirates had lost seven straight games, including 10 of 11.
The offense ranked at or near the bottom of Major League Baseball in most categories, continuous defensive and baserunning mistakes kept popping up, and a rotation that currently has the third-most quality starts (20) was often hung out to dry by all that.
“People didn’t know what was going to happen,” Isiah Kiner-Falefa told me at Citi Field this week. “We knew we were underperforming and not playing well and ... what could happen when you’re underperforming, ended up happening. But I think everyone was kinda pressing to avoid that, instead of going out there and being free.”
I was told uneasy feelings started to develop with the ebbs and flows of the season. They’d lose a series, build themselves up with a series win and then fall right back down. It was like "riding a wave," Kiner-Falefa told me.
The series win over the Angels in Anaheim, Calif. gave the players some energy as Paul Skenes led the team to a 3-0 shutout over the Dodgers on April 25. But, when the seven-game losing streak began, and they returned home to PNC Park, the atmosphere began to change.
“I wouldn’t say it wasn’t weighing on us, but you could definitely tell there was just an aura to the locker room and stuff,” Ryan Borucki said.
When Don Kelly was named manager, Kiner-Falefa said, the players finally felt "freed up," both on the field and in the clubhouse.
"I think now, you just feel like the coaches are a lot looser, everybody is just loose because this is what we got now," Kiner-Falefa said. "Before it was kinda just, we didn’t know what was going to happen, people didn’t know what was going to happen, everybody was kinda just fending for themselves. You could feel the energy throughout, so I think that was just, the decision was made. We got our guy and it’s over."
• If there was one thing I took away from the three-game series against the Mets, it was how much the players respect Kelly. He's been the team's bench coach since 2020, which has allowed him to build close relationships. He was described to me as personable, accountable, approachable, a great communicator and a hands-on leader by multiple players.
"Ever since I’ve been traded over here, he’s been a really good guy to lean on," Bailey Falter said. "He’s been a leader for us, even as the bench coach, now he’s managing. I’m happy for him, I’m happy for us, I feel like that we’re just all clicking at a high cylinder right now."
• Kelly's history as a player has allowed him to connect with the players on a deeper level. He understands what they go through and it gives him a perspective that wasn't necessarily utilized under Shelton. Rather than relying on data and analytics, players said Kelly is trusting his eyes.
"He kinda sees the flow of the game, sees how guys are doing," Borucki said. "If guys are throwing well, he lets them keep going. He’s not just looking at the numbers and looking at matchups. He’s using his eyes and kinda managing it as an ex-player."
• The results haven't been there yet. The Pirates are 3-3 since Kelly took over, although five of those were decided by one run.
"The way we are competing, to me, that’s the mindset, the attitude, the energy, that we’re looking for every day to carry through the rest of the season," Kelly told me. "The dam is going to break when somebody gets that big hit and then hopefully everything will start to roll. I’m just very encouraged and proud of these guys with the way they are going about it every single day."
• Bubba Chandler has been great for Class AAA Indianapolis and was recently named MLB Pipeline's top pitching prospect. He has a 1.91 ERA over eight starts, 49 strikeouts and a .168 opponents' batting average. I've been told Chandler is on the same track as Skenes was last year and that there was an expectation that he would make his Pittsburgh debut sometime this month. He is expected to make his next Indianapolis start Sunday against Louisville, which could put him in line to pitch sometime during the Pirates' next homestand against the Reds and Brewers.
• Dejan Kovacevic is covering the series this weekend in Philadelphia.
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
4:19 am - 05.16.2025New YorkFriday Insider: Pirates feel 'freed up' with Kelly at helm
Before Derek Shelton’s firing last week, players had said there was an uneasy feeling among the clubhouse as the Pirates had lost seven straight games, including 10 of 11.
The offense ranked at or near the bottom of Major League Baseball in most categories, continuous defensive and baserunning mistakes kept popping up, and a rotation that currently has the third-most quality starts (20) was often hung out to dry by all that.
“People didn’t know what was going to happen,” Isiah Kiner-Falefa told me at Citi Field this week. “We knew we were underperforming and not playing well and ... what could happen when you’re underperforming, ended up happening. But I think everyone was kinda pressing to avoid that, instead of going out there and being free.”
I was told uneasy feelings started to develop with the ebbs and flows of the season. They’d lose a series, build themselves up with a series win and then fall right back down. It was like "riding a wave," Kiner-Falefa told me.
The series win over the Angels in Anaheim, Calif. gave the players some energy as Paul Skenes led the team to a 3-0 shutout over the Dodgers on April 25. But, when the seven-game losing streak began, and they returned home to PNC Park, the atmosphere began to change.
“I wouldn’t say it wasn’t weighing on us, but you could definitely tell there was just an aura to the locker room and stuff,” Ryan Borucki said.
When Don Kelly was named manager, Kiner-Falefa said, the players finally felt "freed up," both on the field and in the clubhouse.
"I think now, you just feel like the coaches are a lot looser, everybody is just loose because this is what we got now," Kiner-Falefa said. "Before it was kinda just, we didn’t know what was going to happen, people didn’t know what was going to happen, everybody was kinda just fending for themselves. You could feel the energy throughout, so I think that was just, the decision was made. We got our guy and it’s over."
• If there was one thing I took away from the three-game series against the Mets, it was how much the players respect Kelly. He's been the team's bench coach since 2020, which has allowed him to build close relationships. He was described to me as personable, accountable, approachable, a great communicator and a hands-on leader by multiple players.
"Ever since I’ve been traded over here, he’s been a really good guy to lean on," Bailey Falter said. "He’s been a leader for us, even as the bench coach, now he’s managing. I’m happy for him, I’m happy for us, I feel like that we’re just all clicking at a high cylinder right now."
• Kelly's history as a player has allowed him to connect with the players on a deeper level. He understands what they go through and it gives him a perspective that wasn't necessarily utilized under Shelton. Rather than relying on data and analytics, players said Kelly is trusting his eyes.
"He kinda sees the flow of the game, sees how guys are doing," Borucki said. "If guys are throwing well, he lets them keep going. He’s not just looking at the numbers and looking at matchups. He’s using his eyes and kinda managing it as an ex-player."
• The results haven't been there yet. The Pirates are 3-3 since Kelly took over, although five of those were decided by one run.
"The way we are competing, to me, that’s the mindset, the attitude, the energy, that we’re looking for every day to carry through the rest of the season," Kelly told me. "The dam is going to break when somebody gets that big hit and then hopefully everything will start to roll. I’m just very encouraged and proud of these guys with the way they are going about it every single day."
• Bubba Chandler has been great for Class AAA Indianapolis and was recently named MLB Pipeline's top pitching prospect. He has a 1.91 ERA over eight starts, 49 strikeouts and a .168 opponents' batting average. I've been told Chandler is on the same track as Skenes was last year and that there was an expectation that he would make his Pittsburgh debut sometime this month. He is expected to make his next Indianapolis start Sunday against Louisville, which could put him in line to pitch sometime during the Pirates' next homestand against the Reds and Brewers.
• Dejan Kovacevic is covering the series this weekend in Philadelphia.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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