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Major League Baseball saw his first manager shooting the season this week when Pittsburgh’s pirates eliminated Derek Shelton after a start of 12-26.
It has been a good time for pirates since its brief postseason stretch a decade ago. But with the young talent in Paul Skenes, Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes and others, have not met expectations.
Skenes admitted that “he was not surprised” by the movement.
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Pittsburgh Pirates, Paul Skenes (30), gives the ball to Manager Derek Shelton (right) when he is removed from a game against Chicago puppies during the fifth entry in PNC Park. (Charles Leclaire/USA Today Sports)
“We have 12-26. Someone must be responsible for someone,” he told reporters on Friday. “Unfortunately, right now, it’s him.”
But Skenes said that a management change will not work much because, ultimately, it depends on the players.
“How is it going. I don’t know if the root of the problem solves. We just need to play better,” he added.
“Derek worked incredibly hard and sacrificed much more than five years. His family became a large part of the Pirates family, and we will lose it,” said the general manager of the pirates, Ben Cherington, in a statement. “He is an incredibly intelligent, curious and motivated baseball leader. I think he was the right person for work when he was hired. I also believe that a change is now necessary. I wish Derek and his family the best in his next chapter.”
The pirate banking coach, Don Kelly, was named Shelton replacement.
The Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton, left, talks to referee Mike Estabrook between entries of a game against San Diego’s parents in Pittsburgh on May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
“Derek is a good man who did a lot for pirates and Pittsburgh, but it was time for a change,” said the president of the Pirates, Bob Nutting. “The first quarter of the season has been frustrating and painful for all of us. We have to do better. I know it. Ben knows. Our coaches know it. Our players know it.
“There is a lot of baseball to play. We need to act with a sense of urgency and take the necessary steps to solve this now to return to the track as a team and organization.”
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton, is in the shelter during a game against San Diego’s parents in Pittsburgh on May 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh was in dispute last summer before finishing 76-86.
