Pittsburgh Pirates: Through the Eyes of a Coach Kieran Mattison

In the latest edition of ‘Through the Eyes of a Coach’ I spoke with one of the most genuine and wholesome human being I’ve ever talked to in the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates Low-A affiliate, the Greensboro Grasshoppers, Kieran Mattison

In sports, you often find yourself looking at a player or a coach, and you just see them as that. We tend to forget that they have real human emotions and have opinions. We now are seeing that players and coaches are more than the game with several figures speaking out of the tragedies dealt by the hand of the authorities. This is no different with coaches in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

One of those MEN who I spoke to is newly promoted Greensboro Grasshoppers manager Kieran Mattison. Before the interview even got started, the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league coach had a message that I think we all should hear out.

“Before I get talking about myself, I just want to say something for the record. My heart goes out to the Floyd family, Breonna Taylor’s family, the Arbery family, and all the lost loved ones due to injustice and police brutality. This has been a tough week for myself and my family. I continue to have my faith in Jesus that he can heal our world and work as one. God has given me a platform.”

Mattison continued, “I’ve dealt with a lot growing up in South Carolina, and by the grace of God, he’s pulled me through it. I had a good foundation with my parents, who taught me to be proud to be black and know that I have a responsibility when I obtain certain positions like being an athlete, student, or helping the community I have to represent my culture and people. I learned at an early age that it’s not about me, and it’s about everyone else. God’s expanded my heart, and that’s why I love the players and have the responsibility to work with each day.”

This beautiful message continued, “I give the players all I got no matter their background because that’s my job, and that’s what I love to do. I try to work on developing them not only as a player but as men. Some of them are husbands and fathers now, and I hope I can make a positive impact with everyone I come in contact with.”

After such an impactful message, I couldn’t help but tear up a little. You could tell that all of the stories about Mattison were true. This man is not only an excellent coach but a genuine human being as well. You rarely get to hear and see the true side of an athlete or coach, and I’m so grateful I could hear his message and the Pittsburgh Pirates are lucky to have him in their organization.

We then got into Mattsion’s playing days. Mattison spent a total of nine seasons in pro ball. Five of those seasons were spent in the minor league system. As a minor league guy, I wanted to know what those days taught him both as a player and as a man.

“I feel like I learned just as many lessons in independent ball as well as the minors. In the minors, you have more of a structured system in place, in independent ball, you put your own system in place and put it to the test. I played in the Kansas City system after signing as an undrafted free agent out of college. We had some great pitching coaches over there, and actually, my career got off to a great start over there. It came to a halt when I got to the Cleveland organization I was dealing with some things personally, and it was a challenge.”

Mattison continued, “I learned a lot of lessons on how to be a pro and how to go about your business. I played for some great managers like Torey Lovullo, Luis Rivera, and Mike Saurbaugh. Those guys and other coaches really poured into me as a player and taught me the little details on how to perform, survive, and go about your business. Those lessons I still use today and give it to the players I coach now.”

Baseball isn’t the sexiest sport, and we all know that. So when players or coaches come on and agree to talk to me, I ask them if there was a certain person that got them into the game we love.

“Actually, my mom is the one that inspired me to stick with baseball. It all started during my childhood. My mom, THANK GOD, she noticed I had a gift as a child. I was a three sport athlete since I was five years old through high school. I was honestly going to quit baseball on two occasions. Going into my freshman year of high school, I was unmotivated to keep playing baseball. The hot topic that’s going on today, I dealt with as a kid, and it stole my joy of just playing and going out on the field. Sports like football and basketball I was good at, so I said I’ll just stick with that and forget baseball.”

Mattison continued, ” My mom didn’t force me to stay with baseball, but she really made me think about it. I remember the whole fall of my freshman year; she would periodically motivate me to keep playing (baseball). My varsity coach was on board with keeping me motivated, and he was also my JV football coach. During the basketball season of my freshman year, I decided that I’ll continue to play baseball in the spring. It was a great decision I started all four years I was a starting right fielder my freshman yea. I was a starting third baseman in my sophomore year, junior and senior year I played everywhere.”

He then got on the subject of pitching and how he got into it. “When I pitched, I would just rear back and throw as hard as I could. I didn’t really give much thought into pitching. Things came easy as far as grips go, my high school coach would show me a grip, and I’d try it, and it would work. I think it came from throwing rocks as a kid. I think the creativity you have as a kid plays a big role in your athletic career.”

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He touched on creativity a bit more here, “I see now with reading and studying trying to be the best coach I can be, we coach a lot of that creativity out of kids when they get into organized sports. We strip away that athleticism instead of continuing to challenge them to be athletic movers. If you don’t know how to move, you’re a robot.”

We then moved the conversation to inspirational coaches in his life. I wanted to know if there were any in particular that had a huge impact on his life.

“My college coach, Keith LeClair, he’s passed on now. He was a big impact on the way I teach. He was a big teacher he would stop practice and explain to the whole team what was going on. I can’t say, one particular person. Now that I’m with the Pittsburgh Pirates, I can say some guys have taken me under their wing. I have learned a lot on how to teach from these guys. I’m hungry to learn. I’m a student at heart, and I just want to be a better teacher.”

Everyone has a story or a reason for why they are doing what they’re doing. As far as Mattison goes, I wanted to know if there was anyone who suggested that he get into coaching when he was done playing.

“Spencer Graham. He’s the scout that signed me to an undrafted free agent contract to give me a chance to play at the professional level. We still talk to this day. When I was about 25 or 26, and I was in and out of minor league baseball and independent ball, I was working my tail off. I worked two jobs to make ends meet, but I never missed a workout. There were times I was working out at five in the morning with frost on the ground and then go work two jobs.”

Mattison continued, “So when I was about 26, Spencer asked me if I ever considered coaching. I got so defensive and offended and said WHAT DO YOU MEAN!? I still got a lot in the tank, and my time isn’t up yet. What’s crazy is two years later, I had my first coaching job at 27 years old. I was literally a player/coach in independent ball. I would pitch, and then I would serve as the pitching coach. It was in a new league in Texas called the Continental Baseball League. It was awesome and challenging because whatever I taught the players, I too had to go out there and execute.”

He also emphasized to me about being a great teammate. He preaches to his guys to always have each other’s backs and watch out for one another. Truly this man is one of the most wholesome people I’ve ever encountered.

In 2016, Mattison served as the hitting coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates Gulf Cost League club. I wanted to know as a former pitcher what that was like teaching the hitters.

“I loved it. I feel like I was always a hitting coach, one because that’s how I put food on the table, and I had to read swings as a pitcher I wasn’t just throwing out there. I always hung out with everyone on the team, and I had a great relationship with the position players.”

Mattison continued, “When I stopped playing, I was doing private lessons, and I just started diving deeper into the terminology and understand the fundamentals of hitting and become better at it. When I was the hitting coach in 2016, I always played the devil’s advocate, I always kept that pitcher’s lens. I would know what the pitcher was trying to do, and I’d try to formulate a plan and set a strong foundation for the hitters to get synced up.”

Jump forward to 2018, Kieran was named the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates short-season West Virginia Black Bears club. Me being the curious person I am, I wanted to know what that experience was like for him.

“It was a good experience, but in the midst of the season, it was frustrating. We went through some stuff I have never seen before as a player or a coach. We went out every day, and the guys would do everything the staff asked them to do, and they worked their tails off. We lost 28 games by one run or had the tying run come to the plate. I was frustrated and not frustrated because of the result but feeling bad for the guys. They would work their tail off, and we would just fall short.”

Mattison continued, “We kept up and continued to stray on the path, and honestly, the last three weeks of the season, we were the best team in the league. They were asking why weren’t things like this before, and I said we figured out that one pitch or that one at-bat to seize that moment. I learned a lot, and I look back, and I see it was a lot of growing pains, and I became a better manager because of it. I learned when to give guys a push and when to step back and learn things on their own.”

He mentioned growing pains, and I think it was those same growing pains that paid off for him and his team next year. In 2019 he got the job with Bristol, and in that year, they earned a playoff berth. Other than the DSL Pirates, they were the only team in the system to make the playoffs. I wanted to know the formula to success that year.

“Like I said, I learned a lot from the year before, and I remember we had a great extended spring training, and the guys came in from the draft. We got off to a slow start though we were in last place after the first ten games. The difference for me from 2018 to 2019 was I wasn’t focused on the problems as much as focused on where we were going. I would tell the guys these are great lessons, and we’re becoming a better team amidst the failure. When we start executing, I wouldn’t want to play this team. The chemistry and the way we worked it was all there. We kept pushing and kept our heads up.”

That 2019 Bristol staff featured some really great baseball minds with Jonathan Prieto as the hitting coach and Eric Minshall as the pitching coach. My question to Mattison was what did that staff mean to him as a whole?

“They meant a lot to me. We worked together, and there was a lot of chemistry on the staff. JP (Jonathan Prieto) was the hitting coach, and it was the second year in a row we worked together. We had a bad taste in our mouths from 2018, and we wanted to rite the ship. Eric Minshall, it was his first year in pro ball, and he came with a lot of energy and knowledge and was awesome. Those pitchers got better, and the hitters got better. Matt McNamee, our trainer, I called him the body doctor. A guy would have a soreness, and he would work his magic. We worked as one, and I think we got those guys in the right spot to succeed.”

We continued to talk about the special arms that were with the club that year, guys like Tahnaj Thomas, Santiago Florez, and a whole crop of potential superstars. He mentioned to me how special they were and how he became a fan at times watching them pitch. I can imagine watching someone like Tahnaj throwing 100 MPH and just being blown away by his talent.

In more recent news, Mattison was named the newest manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates full-season Low-A affiliate, the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Although there may not be a minor league season, I wanted to know what that new title meant to him and how he felt about the promotion.

“It means a lot for the simple fact that my mother and brother live close by. That meant a lot, and I also looked forward to working with the staff. We’re still working together in times like this, and this is a very talented staff with Johnny Tucker, Stan Kyles, and Matt McNamee returning with me. We’ve actually created a great chemistry during this time apart, and we try to keep in contact with the players we thought would be on this team.”

He mentioned that they are keeping in touch with the players that will be on the team. I wanted to get a feel for what their energy is like and what their outlook on this season or next season is.

“It’s times like this they show you why they are where they are. You talk to them, and they continue to work, and they are hungry. It says a lot; my level of respect was high, but it just went to a whole new level. I told them to stay at it, and the fruits of your labor will not go in vain. Continue to stay positive and cherish this moment you have with your family and continue to do what you love doing.”

As you all know, I’m a minor league junkie, and I think new Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington is as well with his history of building farm systems up from nothing. I wanted to know if Mattison has spoken to Cherington and what he thought of the new sheriff in town.

“I spoke to Mr. Cherington a few times now, and I’m very excited. I believe in the things he is saying and the direction he wants us to go. He leads by example, and he’s shown that in this time off. I’m excited to have someone like Ben at that helm, and I want to do everything I can to help make this organization a championship organization. Guys like that motivate you to keep pushing forward. I know we will do great things in the near future. This guy is a learner, and he continues to evolve like we are doing.”

Here comes the food question, people! Now, Mattison, boy let me tell you this guy has traveled so much that he couldn’t even begin to tell me his favorite food joint. He told me he became a burger guy when he was in France for a time. He’s an open-minded guy and willing to try anything you put in front of him.

We then strayed away from baseball and talked more about life in general. To be more specific, we talked about the George Floyd situation and police brutality as a whole. He mentioned he saw a minister speak on a post and talked about it.

“The minister said right now we have to make a decision, and that decision is, are we going to be one nation under God? Or are we going to choose to be divided and apart from God? That really resided with me, and I want to know what can I do to bring unity and help the community? I’m a righteous guy, and I believe in standing up and doing the right thing.”

Mattison continued, “My mom and Dad brought my brothers and me up with right is right and wrong is wrong. If you’re wrong, I’m not going to stand up for your wrong. Any time there is injustice, that is not right! Anytime there isn’t an equal opportunity, that is not right! When the playing field is not level, that’s not right!”

His amazing story continues, “Every human being deserves to be loved, and if they’re down, we’re supposed to help them. That’s what I preach in the clubhouse for the guys to get to know each other not because you’re just teammates but because you might learn a lot about life from your teammate. When I was coaching in France, we had 13 different nationalities, and it didn’t matter. We honored every culture. We would play different music during practice to honor them. When practice was over, we sat around and talked all evening when we couldn’t see anymore.”

Kieran is one of the most humble, intelligent, caring, and amazing people I’ve ever talked to. Forget about baseball and his coaching ability this man is so genuine and kind I can’t help but feel love and respect for this man. I know this is very informal and unprofessional to say, but I hope you as the reader go out today and love your fellow man.