Report: Pirates Let Go of Assistant Pitching Coach

Strom joined the Pirates as their assistant pitching coach on Nov. 13, 2024, spending the 2025 season in the role with the franchise.

He helped the Pirates have one of the most efficient pitching staffs in baseball, as they finished with the fourth lowest WHIP (1.22), seventh lowest team ERA (3.76), the seventh least walks (473) and the eighth lowest opposing batting average (.236).

The Pirates also led the MLB in shutouts with 19, two more than both the two second place teams in the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, who had 17.

Strom worked with a great pitching staff in Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Johan Oviedo and rookies in Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco, Mike Burrows and Bubba Chandler.

This also included bullpen arms like Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski and Dennis Santana, while also helping David Bednar get back to form, before the Pirates traded him to the New York Yankees.

His work with Skenes proved vital, as he had a sensational season in 2025, his first complete campaign at the MLB level.

Skenes posted the lowest ERA (1.97) in the MLB, tied for the fourth most strikeouts (216), the fourth lowest WHIP (0.95), the sixth lowest batting average (.199) and the 10th most innings pitched (187.2), plus the fifth best K/BB (5.14), seventh best K/9 (10.36) and ninth best BB/9 (2.01).

He started the All-Star game for the second season, the first pitcher to ever do that in their first two season in MLB history. He also made Pirates history, with his 216 strikeouts the most for a right-handed pitcher in the live-ball era (since 1920).

Skenes also finished as the first pitcher to have a sub-2.00 ERA over a season since Justin Verlander did so with the Houston Astros in 2022.

He will likely go on and win the NL Cy Young Award, making him the first Pirates pitcher to do so in 34 years, since Doug Drabek in 1990 and the third Pirates pitcher ever, along with Pirates Hall of Famer Vern Law in 1960.

Strom has had a storied career as a coach, serving as pitching coach of Arizona Diamondbacks from 2021-24 and the Astros from 2014-21. He also worked as a minor league pitching instructor in the St. Louis Cardinals and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals organizations.

The New York Mets took Strom as the third overall pick in the 1970 MLB Draft, after he won two National Championships with USC.

He pitched for the Mets in 1972, the Cleveland Indians in 1973 and the San Diego Padres from 1975-77, finishing his five-year MLB career with 75 starts in 100 games pitched, 501.8 innings pitched, a 22-39 record, 3.95 ERA and 278 strikeouts to 170 walks.