Pirates' Don Kelly Praises New Bench Coach

The Mariners had success with Negrón on their coaching staff, with four winning seasons, including making the American League Divisional Series in 2022, ending a 20-year postseason drought.

Seattle made the ALCS this most recent season, falling to the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games, just one shy of their first World Series appearance.

Negrón started his coaching career after retiring from baseball in 2019, as the Mariners hired him as an assistant to the director of player development.

He took over as the manager of Triple-A Tacoma on Jan. 27, 2021, and led them to a 78-52 record and a Western Division Title. Negrón earned Triple-A West Manager of the Year honors for that season.

Negrón Playing Career

Negrón hails from New Jersey but went to Vanden High School in Fairfield, Calif. He eventually attended UC Davis for one season before transferring to Consumnes River College in Sacramento, Calif.

The Boston Red Sox took Negrón in the seventh round in the 2006 MLB Draft and they would trade him to the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 14, 2009.

Negrón made his debut in 2012 and played for two more seasons with the Reds in 2014 and 2015, totaling 96 games with the franchise.

He spent the rest of his MLB career out west, playing in different stints with the Arizona Diamondbacks, 16 games in from 2017-18, 28 games with the Mariners in 2018 and 2019 and 30 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019.

Negrón finished his MLB career by slashing .221/.291/.336 for an OPS of .627 in 170 games, with 83 hits, 14 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 32 RBIs and 32 walks to 107 strikeouts.

He played every position on the baseball field, aside from pitcher and catcher, serving as a true utility man.

Coaching Changes for the Pirates this Offseason

The Pirates and Kelly agreed on an extension on the first day of the offseason and Kelly has already made a few other changes to his staff.

Kelly let go of pitching coach Oscar Marin on Sept. 30, as they decided they wouldn't renew his contract after the season. They also did the same for third base coach Mike Rabelo and assistant pitching coach Brent Strom made his mind up six weeks before the end of the 2025 campaign that he didn't want to stay on.

The Pirates did hire Bill Murphy as their new pitching coach, who came from the Houston Astros, where he had postseason success and led some of the best pitching staffs in baseball. 

Kelly also has a new third base coach in Tony Beasley, who was previously in the same role with the Texas Rangers and worked as a coach for the Pirates in a variety of roles.

Former Pirates infield coach Mendy López isn't returning next season, which Kelly will need to fill. Gorman reported that coach Chris Truby is a strong candidate to replace López.