Pittsburgh Pirates: Candidates for Pitching Coach

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 26: Joe Musgrove #59 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch in the bottom of the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 26, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 26: Joe Musgrove #59 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a pitch in the bottom of the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 26, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Now that Derek Shelton is in place as the team’s manager, one of his first orders of business will be to find a new pitching coach.  Let’s examine some potential candidates.

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced Derek Shelton as the 41st manager in franchise history.  Shelton comes over from the Minnesota Twins after serving as the team’s bench coach for the past two seasons.  Shelton will be introduced in a press conference on Wednesday.

One of Shelton’s first priorities is to fill out his staff.  The team is currently seeking a bench coach, a pitching coach and an assistant hitting coach.  In addition to this, Shelton has to decide whether or not to retain hitting coach Rick Eckstein, third base coach Joey Cora and first base coach Kimera Bartee.

Last season, the Pirates pitching staff posted a 5.1

8 ERA which was 26th in MLB.  This led to the dismissal of long-time pitching coach Ray Searage after the conclusion of the season.

As we stand now, the Pirates rotation for 2020 includes Joe Musgrove, Chris Archer, Trevor Williams, Steven Brault and Mitch Keller.  Chad Kuhl will be back after missing all of 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and it is unsure what his role will be.  Edgar Santana joins Kuhl in coming back and will join a bullpen that currently consists of Keone Kela, Kyle Crick, Richard Rodriguez, Michael Feliz and others.

So, who will lead the Pirates pitchers in 2020? Let’s look at some possibilities.