Pittsburgh Pirates Fire Manager Derek Shelton

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 12-26 to start the 2025 season. They are 27th in batting average, 29th in runs scored, and 22nd in ERA. Things haven’t been going great, and they’ve now decided to move on from their manager. Pirates bench coach Don Kelly will be taking over as the new manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Derek Shelton

Shelton is 54 years old and took over in the 2019-20 offseason, replacing Clint Hurdle. Prior to heading to the Pirates, he was the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins and was a hitting coach with the Cleveland Guardians (formerly Indians), and Tampa Bay Rays. He joined the Blue Jays coaching staff for the 2017 season. After that, it was off to Minnesota. He finishes his Pirates tenure with a 306-440 record for a .410 winning percentage. The Pirates never finished as high as fourth with Shelton at the helm.

Pirates General Manager Ben Charington said

“Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed a lot over five-plus years. His family became a big part of the Pirates family, and we will miss that. He’s an incredibly smart, curious, and driven baseball leader. I believe he was the right person for the job when he was hired. I also believe that a change is now necessary. I wish Derek and his family all the best in their next chapter.”

Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting said

“Derek is a good man who did a lot for the Pirates and Pittsburgh, but it was time for a change. The first quarter of the season has been frustrating and painful for all of us. We have to do better. I know that. Ben knows that. Our coaches know that. Our players know that. There is a lot of baseball left to be played. We need to act with a sense of urgency and take the steps necessary to fix this now to get back on track as a team and organization.”

Don Kelly

Kelly takes over after serving as the Pirates’ bench coach for six seasons. Prior to joining Pittsburgh, he was the first base coach for the Houston Astros

Ben Charington said about Kelly taking over

“I believe strongly Donnie is the right person to manage the team right now. He has the skills and experience needed to do this job really well and deeply cares about the Pirates and Pittsburgh. I look forward to working with him even more closely.”

Bob Nutting said

Donnie is as respected as any person in our clubhouse and throughout our organization. He is a Pirate. He bleeds black and gold. No one is more committed, and no one loves this team or city more than Donnie. He is the right person to manage our team and help get us back on track.”

The Pirates return to the diamond tomorrow night against the Atlanta Braves at 6:40 PM EST.