4 key Pirates coaching additions that should justify their staff overhaul

Miguel Perez, Bullpen Coach

Perez is the only member of this group who was promoted from within. While he is new to coaching at the major league level, he's far from a newcomer when it comes to the Pirates organization.

A catcher in his playing days, Perez's MLB playing career consisted of three plate appearances and two innings behind the plate with the Reds in 2005. As a minor leaguer, Perez was acquired by the Pirates six times, and this familiarity led to him joining the coaching ranks in 2013 and eventually becoming the manager of the Rookie League Bristol Pirates in 2017.

Perez climbed the minor league ladder as a manager, spending two seasons in Bristol, one in Low-A Greensboro, one in Double-A Altoona, and three in Triple-A Indianapolis. After being introduced as the new bullpen coach, Perez told the media that he sees his job as "creating winning mentalities and preparing guys for certain situations." He also recounted the joys of telling players of their promotions to the big leagues and the relationships he's built with those pitchers.

Many of those guys who pitched for Perez throughout the minors could factor into the team's bullpen in 2025. Among those are Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski, Dauri Moreta, Kyle Nicolas, Johan Oviedo, Yohan Ramirez, and Hunter Stratton. Additionally, he has overseen rehab assignments of pitchers like David Bednar, Colin Holderman, and Ryan Borucki.

Perez's experience handling pitchers as a player makes him a solid choice to lead the Bucs' young bullpen, and his pre-existing relationships with many of those players is certainly an added bonus.

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