Pittsburgh Pirates: Candidates for Pitching Coach

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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.

BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 08: Manager John Farrell of the Boston Red Sox relieves Doug Fister #38 (not pictured) in the second inning against the Houston Astros during game three of the American League Division Series at Fenway Park on October 8, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

John Farrell is currently serving an interesting role with the Cincinnati Reds. He is currently a consultant for player development focusing on pitchers. In this role, he evaluates pitchers and works with the organization’s pitching coaches and coordinators.

Farrell is best known for winning the 2013 World Series as the manager of the Boston Red Sox under, that’s right, Ben Cherington. Cherington, who was then the Red Sox GM, hired Farrell to be Boston’s manager prior to the 2012 season. Farrell was the team’s manager from 2013-2017. He also served as Boston’s pitching coach from 2007-2010 where he helped develop a number of pitchers, including Jon Lester.

In between his roles with Boston, he was the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays for two seasons in 2011 and 2012.

Farrell’s playing career spanned eight seasons and he played for the Indians, Angels and Tigers. He went 36-46 with a 4.56 ERA in 116 games pitched (109 starts).

Farrell’s connection to Pirates general manager Ben Cherington makes him an obvious candidate. In addition to this, he has served in the role of pitching coach before and had success. Lastly, having someone with managerial experience on first-time manager Derek Shelton’s staff would provide benefits to the rookie skipper.

PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 29: Joel Hanrahan #52 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals during the game on August 29, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pirates defeated the Cardinals 5-0. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Joel Hanrahan is remembered by Pirates fans as the team’s lock-down reliever from 2009-2012. Hanrahan was a two-time all-star with the Bucs and had a 2.59 ERA in 229.1 innings. Hanrahan is currently seventh on the Pirates all-time saves list with 82.

Like with Farrell, Hanrahan also has a connection to Ben Cherington. Following his tenure with the Buccos, then-Pirates GM Neal Huntington swung a trade with then-Red Sox GM Ben Cherington that shipped Hanrahan and Brock Holt to Boston.

Hanrahan has been a fast riser as a pitching coach in the Pirates system. In 2017, he served as pitching coach for the Bristol Pirates and served the same role in 2018 for the West Virginia Power. Most recently, Hanrahan was the Altoona Curve’s pitching coach this past season.

During these past three seasons as a pitching coach in the Pirates system, Hanrahan has helped to develop the skills of young pitchers and has gotten positive views from players, coaches and other personnel within the organization.

Hanrahan makes sense as a candidate because the Pirates 2020 pitching staff could be full of young players, headlined by top prospect Mitch Keller. Hanrahan has showed an ability to relate and get a message across to young pitchers in the Pirates system these past three seasons. Another connection to new GM Ben Cherington does not hurt his chances either.

Omaha, NE – JUNE 24: Michigan Wolverines coaches Michael Brdar (L), Nick Schnable (C) and Chris Fetter (R) look on from the dugout prior to game one of the College World Series Championship Series against the Vanderbilt Commodores on June 24, 2019 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images) /

University of Michigan pitching coach Chris Fetter (far right) is another candidate to take over as the Bucs pitching coach. An outside-the-box candidate, Fetter is considered to be a big league manager some day. ESPN’s Jeff Passan said,

The New York Yankees have interviewed Chris Fetter, the University of Michigan pitching coach, for their open pitching coach job, sources tell ESPN. Fetter is considered a rising star in the industry and has drawn significant interest from major league teams, including the Mets.

Fetter, who turns 34 on December 23, has served as pitching coach of the Michigan Wolverines for the past two seasons and has made a strong impact. Michigan’s staff posted a 3.46 ERA in 2019 which was good for 10th in the country. Michigan saw three pitchers get drafted in 2019, including two second-rounders.

Fetter previously interviewed to become the pitching coach of the Yankees and Mets this off season, but those vacancies have since been filled. Still, it is evident that Fetter is a hot commodity in Major League Baseball and appears to be a future big league pitching coach.

Hiring Fetter would give the Pirates a young, analytically-driven pitching coach which could infuse a breath of fresh air into a mostly young staff. Fetter would be an unconventional hire, but he could be a hire that could yield big results.

Any of these three candidates seem like logical fits. Through the course of the coming weeks as Derek Shelton completes his staff, do not be surprised if these three names emerge, as well as others.

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