Insider proposes Pirates reunion with former bullpen arm for open pitching coach role

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the market for a new pitching coach following the dismissal of Oscar Marin at the end of the 2025 season, and they are kicking off interviews this week.

While it's unknown who exactly is being considered for the role, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently put together a list of seven qualified candidates who would make sense – including former Pirates reliever Jared Hughes.

There are several reasons Hughes would be an intriguing candidate for the pitching coach role with the Pirates, as well as some nuances to keep in mind.

Hughes enjoyed a successful Major League relief career, posting an ERA of 2.96 over 541 1/3 innings (309 with the Pirates). Having “been there” at a high level tends to earn credibility with pitchers, which is important for a coach. Having had a long career and good results, Hughes can serve as a model for durability, adapting career-long adjustments and more.

Someone who spent a long time pitching in relief also knows a lot about situational pitching, bullpen management and preparation. In Hughes' case, that may complement the developmental push, especially given that the Pirates are rebuilding and have a plethora of young arms.

Of course, Hughes also has plenty of familiarity with the Pirates organization. He debuted with the Pirates in 2011 and pitched with the club through 2016. After his playing career came to an end in 2020, Hughes moved into a role as Coordinator of Pitching Analysis with the Los Angeles Angels.

Hughes' dual background as an experienced reliever with an analytics and development mindset aligns with what many organizations look for nowadays in pitching coaches: someone who can connect with players and also speak the language of data and metrics.

Pittsburgh has several young arms and likely needs coaches who can help translate analytics, biomechanics and strategy into actionable coaching for younger pitchers. Hughes’ background in analysis positions him for that, and the Pirates hiring a coach with a developmental and analytical mindset could be very timely.

Hughes retired from playing just five years ago, and he is only 40 years old. Bringing someone who is both familiar with Pittsburgh and also relatively fresh and coachable themselves (i.e., closer to the player timeframe) might appeal to an organization that wants to bridge the past and future.

Jared Hughes is an intriguing, but imperfect, candidate for the Pirates' open pitching coach job

Hughes' qualifications notwithstanding, there are still plenty of challenges and considerations regarding his potential candidacy for the Pirates' open pitching coach job.

For starters, Hughes has limited high-level coaching experience. While he has analytics and coordination experience, he has never been a full-time MLB pitching coach leading a staff. That transition from former player to coach can have growing pains when it comes to managing personalities, full staff responsibilities and more.

Hughes' playing experience was also primarily as a reliever. If the Pirates’ priority is developing young starters (rather than just relievers), there may be a learning curve in starter-specific preparation (longer outings, inning build-up, etc.).

The Pirates will also need to consider Hughes' fit with their organizational direction. They will have to decide if they want a pitching coach who is highly analytics-centric (Hughes seems to lean that way) or one more traditional. It all depends on their current coaching ecosystem and how much change they want.