Former Pirates Manager Gets New Short Gig

PITTSBURGH — A former Pittsburgh Pirates manager will work an important baseball event during the month of June.

USA Baseball announced in their press release that former Pirates manager Derek Shelton will work for the MLB Network, providing on-site coverage from the MLB Draft Combine, June 17-21 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This will serve as the first notable work for Shelton, following the Pirates firing him a month prior.

Shelton took over as the Pirates manager on Nov. 27, 2019, after Clint Hurdle served as manager for nine seasons.

Pittsburgh finished with the worst record during the 2020 season, the first under Shelton, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, at 19-41 overall. They also finished with back-to-back 100-loss seasons afterwards, 61-101 in 2021 and 62-100 in 2022.

The Pirates had better starts the following two seasons, which gave the fanbase some interest early on.

They started 20-8 overall in 2023, before losing 11 of the next 12 games and eventually falling below .500 for a 76-86 record.

Pittsburgh had a record of 9-2 and 11-5 in April 2024, before falling below .500. They would get themselves back slightly above .500, 55-52 by July 30 and put themselves in contention for a Wild Card spot, but went 8-19 in August, with a 10-game losing streak, ending those chances.

The Pirates had a terrible start to 2025, with just one win in four games in their opening series vs. the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park.

They would lose two road series to the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium. They also lost two series at PNC Park to the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs.

The Pirates suffered sweeps to the Cleveland Guardians and the San Diego Padres at home, plus the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals on the road.

This included a seven-game losing streak that concluded his time in Pittsburgh, as the Pirates replaced him with bench coach Don Kelly on May 8.

The Pirates finished with a 306-440 record under Derek Shelton, a .410 winning percentage. They haven't made the playoffs since 2015 and had a winning season since 2018.