Former Pirates Manager Addresses Firing

Shelton spoke with Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports about his firing, in an article featuring fired managers in 2025, including Bud Black of the Colorado Rockies and Brandon Hyde of the Baltimore Orioles.

He told Nightengale that once he got fired, he packed what he could from his office and departed for his home in Treasure Island, Fla.

Shelton also started spending more time with his family, including watching his 15-year old daughter Gianna compete in a volleyball tournament, as this marked the first time in almost 30 years, that he wasn't doing something baseball-related in the summer.

He told Nightengale that after the firing, he learned about what went wrong and how he could've done things better, especially without the constant pressure to win games.

“The one thing about being let go early in the season is that you not only have the opportunity to watch games and reflect, but think about things you wish you could have done differently," Shelton said. "You reflect on decisions, relationships, how you can be a better manager, leader and a better person.

“Now that there’s not the pressure of winning every day, there are decisions I wish I would have done differently. I’m not sure you grasp that when you’re managing every day."

Shelton hasn't completely gone away from baseball, working part-time with MLB radio and also going down to Phoenix to help MLB Network with their 2025 MLB Draft Combine coverage.

He didn't lie to Nightengale, especially when he discussed his frustration from the firing, but used that moment to learn from those experiences and get better overall.

“The biggest thing is that it takes time," Shelton said. “It takes time to get past the initial anger, the hurt, being pissed off. But then you realize you’ve got to learn from it to become a better leader."

Shelton also said that going through the rebuild with the Pirates, even unsuccessfully, gave him great insight on how to do it again and what things he would do differently.

It also showed him how hard it really is for an MLB manager and that even though things didn't work out in Pittsburgh, he would want another managerial opportunity in the future.

“When you go through a situation that’s a rebuild and all of the challenges for that, it helps you prepare for the next opportunity," Shelton said. "You have an opportunity to reflect on how you would have done X, Y and Z differently. How you build your roster. How you build your staff. Everything.

“You also realize is that how special it is to be part of this fraternity. The only people that understand it are the people that are in it. When you’re sitting in that chair, you appreciate all of the other managers and what they go through. I’d love to have another opportunity.’’