Don Kelly has a tall task in front of him as the new manager of a Pirates team that is currently 12-26 and sits at the bottom of the National League Central. However, Kelly, a Butler, Pa native who grew up in Mt. Lebanon and attended Point Park, said this afternoon that he is excited about the opportunity in front of him.

"When we look at these things, yes the record isn’t where any of us hope it would be right now, but there’s a lot of opportunity for growth, there’s a lot of opportunity to get better and I’m excited about that," Kelly said.

Kelly has been on staff as the Pirates' bench coach since 2020 and learned of Derek Shelton's firing yesterday when Shelton called him and told him the news. After that, Kelly said he had a long conversation with Ben Cherington. Kelly didn't share the details of that conversation with Cherington, but it's evident what Kelly wants to stress this season. 

Throughout his 12-minute press conference, Kelly mentioned enthusiasm and attitude multiple times and said he shared that with his players during their meeting this morning.

"Talking to the players earlier just challenging them. How do we show up every day? How do we show up with that enthusiasm like we did when we were in Little League, high school and bring that enthusiasm out onto the field and show up every day to get better and show up every day to help the team win a ball game," Kelly said. "I think that’s something that I’m looking forward to from these guys, is seeing every single day that intent to get better, the intent to win and playing with that enthusiasm every single day."

The Pirates return to PNC Park amid a seven-game losing streak and have lost nine of their last 10 games. They have one of the worst offenses in all of Major League Baseball and have struggled to consistently produce runs. The type of impact a manager can have in a situation like this is unknown because it's the play on the field that matters the most. 

Kelly said he understands that only time will show how much he can actually help, but said he plans to lead with his actions rather than his words.

"When we talk to the team, you try to say the right words, you try to say the right things but, ultimately, it doesn't matter what you say in that moment, because it's how you live it out every single day," Kelly said. "How you go and you interact with the players. How you encourage them, how you hold them accountable, how you do all these things. We can have the team meeting, we can have all that stuff but to me it's how you live it out every day and show them that you're there for them and show them sometimes being there for them is holding them accountable and finding a way to let them know that the way we're doing things isn't the way we're going to be doing those things."

Here's Kelly's full press conference: