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Pirates Manager Gets 'Serious' Attention Amid Paul Skenes Speculation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Kaplan | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 11:49 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton on May 8 after a 12-26 start to the season, and replaced Shelton with bench coach Don Kelly, who became the interim head coach.

Amid growing frustration around baseball with the Pirates' lack of competitiveness with Paul Skenes in tow, the move to fire Shelton signaled urgency to start trying to win more ballgames.

Skenes' 4-6 record despite his 1.88 ERA and 0.84 WHIP is just bad for baseball, and complaints over his stats seem to be redundant at this point.

However, Kelly is quietly earning praise for his handling of a tough situation.

Since Kelly took over, the Pirates are 15-14, but they have fallen to 13.5 games out of first place, down from 10 on May 8.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted Kelly's local roots as a Mount Lebanon native who found his way to the big leagues after playing infield for nearby Point Park University.

Pirates are showing serious improvement. Kelly already has earned an extension. https://t.co/uHb7SnIt8i
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 10, 2025

Jon Heyman, insider for MLB Network, even went as far as to say that Kelly has already earned an extension.

The Gazette's Jason Mackey asserted that Kelly's ejection on May 10 was a suggestion from legendary manager Jim Leyland as a means of earning respect. Leyland, who coached the Pirates from 1986-1996, was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2024.

Mackey, along with ESPN insider Jeff Passan, have praised the job Kelly has done at stabilizing the trajectory of the Pirates' season.

Even if the idea of a playoff bid feels laughable, the new skipper has commanded the respect of the city and seems to enjoy this newfound attention.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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