Sources: Pirates Fire Coaches; You Won’t Believe Who

Pirates Fire Oscar Marin Among Other Coaches

That the Pirates would dismiss their pitching coaches while retaining hitting coach Matt Hague and assistant hitting coach Christian Marrero is baffling. The 2025 Pirates were one of the worst-hitting teams in all of Major League Baseball. They hit .231/.305/.350 with 117 home runs. Their .655 OPS was the worst in MLB. Only two teams, including, paradoxically, the division-winning Cleveland Guardians, had a worse batting average. No team hit fewer home runs. Conversely, they had one of the best pitching staffs in MLB. The staff recorded a 3.76 team ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.216 WHIP, while leading the majors with 19 shutouts.

One might suggest that Homer Simpson could coach Paul Skenes. However, Marin had many other success stories. Under his watch, Dennis Santana went from a waiver claim that fans greeted with derision to one of the top relievers in baseball. His progress enabled Pittsburgh to trade David Bednar, another pitcher who found himself during Marin’s tenure. Santana’s 0.867 WHIP was better than Skenes’ 0.987. Marin also turned Jose Quintana, who had a 5.13 ERA and 1.471 WHIP for three teams from 2019-21, into a desirable trade commodity in 2022, when he had a 3.50 ERA and 1.272 WHIP as a Pirate.

Marin came to the Pirates in 2020 after they’d fired his predecessor, Ray Searage. Reportedly, owner Bob Nutting soured on Searage when he saw pitchers Gerrit Cole, Tyler Glasnow, and Charlie Morton flourish after leaving Pittsburgh. Marin was charged with developing Mitch Keller into a front-line starter to save the organization from any further embarrassment from seeing a pitcher excel elsewhere. After posting a 6.02 ERA from 2019-21, Keller became a solid No. 2 starter. From 2022-25, Keller registered a 4.15 ERA and 1.297 WHIP. In 2023, Keller struck out 210 batters and was named an All-Star.

Caught in the Crossfire

If Marin’s dismissal was a mystery, so it was, too, that Strom, hired last spring, would be caught in the crossfire. He had been a highly respected pitching coach with the Houston Astros (1996, 2014-21), Kansas City Royals (2000-01), and Arizona Diamondbacks (2022-24). He has a World Series ring from the 2017 Astros, however tainted that championship may be for many. Arizona also won a pennant during his time there.

Manager Don Kelly, who was hired last season and deemed “permanent for this season,” signed a contract extension on Monday. But for Gene Lamont and Chris Truby, all current coaches were part of Derek Shelton’s staff. Perhaps these moves are merely Kelly asserting some newfound autonomy, desiring to hire his own coaches who share his philosophy. He might even have some in mind already from his baseball travels.

Besides serving as the third base coach, Rabelo often took on bench coach duties once Kelly became manager. However, the Pirates haven’t been a good baserunning team for a long time now. One wondered when, if ever, a base coach would face accountability. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of time until the start of 2026 spring training. Time will tell whether the hitting coaches will be given the pink slip as well.