Sep 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A hat and glove belonging to Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo (not pictured) on the field against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pirates Make Coaching Changes, Thomas Whisett Stepping Away

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI
By Dominic Campbell | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 11:20 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly recently made alterations to the coaching staff after a sudden change.

Pirates assistant pitching coach Thomas Whisett recently resigned for personal reasons and Cibney Bello has taken over the same role ahead of the 2026 season. Bello was the Triple-A Indianapolis pitching coach the past two seasons.

Whisett joined the Pirates along with new pitching coach Bill Murphy, as the two worked together with the Houston Astros. Whisett worked as the Triple-A Suger Land pitching coach and was also the assistant minor league coordinator in 2023.

Murphy will now have a new pitching coach alongside him with a great pitching staff that has the potential of leading Pittsburgh to the postseason.

Cibney Bello Background

Bello's work with the Pirates at the Triple-A level is crucial for a mostly young staff that has emerged as one of the most impressive in all of baseball.

He's worked with the likes of 2024 National League Rookie of the Year and 2025 NL Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes, star rookies in Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco and Bubba Chandler, plus bullpen pitchers including Carmen Mlodzinski, Isaac Mattson, Justin Lawrence and others.

Skenes, Ashcraft and Chandler will have important roles in the starting rotation, Barco will get his shot as well, while Mlodzinski, Mattson and Lawrence were excellent in relief for the Pirates in 2025.

Bello also worked down in the Dominican Republic at the Pirates academy there this offseason, with 2025 sixth overall pick Seth Hernandez pitching down there this past fall/winter.

He has shown success with those players in the past and will now get to work with them again at the major league level, where they have playoff aspirations.

What Bill Murphy Brings to the Pirates

Murphy and Bello are now together as the main pitching instructors for the Pirates, bringing great external success to a team that needs it and internal improvements that the front office would like to see continue.

He joined the Astros in 2016 as a rookie ball pitching coach,became the minor league pitching coordinator in 2019, the Astros assistant pitching coach in 2021 and then their pitching coach in 2022, where he worked the past four seasons.

Murphy helped an Astros pitching staff achieve great feats throughout his tenure, including the lowest ERA and the second-best K/9.

He also helped the Astros win the 2022 World Series Title, with the pitching staff leading the American League in both ERA (2.90), shutouts (18), WHIP (1.09) and batting average allowed (.212).

Murphy worked with the likes of Luis García, Cristian Javier, Ryan Pressly, new Pirates pitcher José Urquidy, Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander, all of whom excelled under his tutelage and earned many honors and awards.

His relationship with Kelly, who was the Astros first base coach in 2019, played a big role in getting the new gig, but now gets a chance to really improve the Pirates pitching staff into an elite group in 2026.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Pirates on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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