Report: Pirates Hitting Coach Staying On in 2026

Hague took over as the hitting coach ahead of the 2025 season, after the Pirates fired Andy Haines, who served as the team's hitting coach from 2022-24.

He previously served as a major league assistant hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024. He also spent the previous four seasons in their minor league system, as the hitting coach of High-A Dunedin in 2020, before the season closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hitting coach of Double-A New Hampshire in 2021 and 2022 and then the hitting coach of Triple-A Buffalo in 2023.

The Pirates were one of the worst hitting teams in 2025, with the lowest slugging percentage (.350) and OPS (.655), the third lowest batting average (.231) and the eighth lowest on-base percentage (.305).

Pittsburgh also scored the least runs (583) and drove in the least RBIs (561), both lower than the 43-119 Colorado Rockies. They also hit the least home runs (117), 31 home runs less than then second-lowest team in the St. Louis Cardinals at 148 home runs, and had the seventh most strikeouts (1,422).

Center fielder Oneil Cruz, who the Pirates expected would have a statement season struggled from May onwards. He slashed slashing. 200/.298/.378 for an OPS of .676, with 94 hits in 478 at-bats, 18 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 38 stolen bases on 43 attempts and 64 walks to 178 strikeouts.

Cruz had the lowest batting average of any qualified batter, and his on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS all ranked in the bottom 25 in the MLB.

The Pirates only had two batters that played in over 100 games that hit over .250, which includes infielders in Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who hit .264 in 119 games, before the Pirates placed him on waivers in late August, and Spencer Horwitz, who finally came back after wrist surgery and hit .272.

Hague previously worked with Horwitz in Toronto, which showed in the improved results, but the Pirates will need more improvements from their hitters, overall, if they want to achieve their goal of making a postseason in 2026.

The Pirates extended Don Kelly as their manager on Sept. 29, which came after he had a 59-65 record as manager, following the dismissal of Derek Shelton on May 8 after a 12-26 start.

Kelly is building his new staff and the Pirates are reportedly not renewing the contracts of pitching coach Oscar Marin and third base coach Mike Rabelo, while assistant pitching coach Brent Strom decided he was leaving after the end of the season six weeks prior.