The Pittsburgh Pirates’ strength in 2025 was undoubtedly its pitching staff.
The Pirates ranked tied for fourth in WHIP (1.22), seventh-best in ERA (3.76), and eighth in hits (1,267).
Pittsburgh led baseball with 19 shutouts and allowed the third-fewest home runs (153) of any team.
Backed by Cy Young Award favorite Paul Skenes, the Pirates admittedly have one of the best young starting rotations in all of baseball. Skenes, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft, Mike Burrows, Jared Jones, and Hunter Barco
are all controllable, young starters who have made their MLB debut and performed well on the mound during their sample sizes.
According to multiple local and national reports on Tuesday, the Pirates are moving on from pitching coach Oscar Marin. Marin had been the pitching coach since being hired by Derek Shelton prior to the 2020 season. He joined the team after a year in the Rangers organization as a bullpen coach and two previous years in Seattle serving as a minor league pitching coordinator.
The Pirates are also not bringing back third base coach Mike Rabelo and assistant pitching coach Brent Strom. All three coaches’ contracts expired at the end of the season.
Pittsburgh led baseball with 19 shutouts and allowed the third-fewest home runs (153) of any team. The franchise missed the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season and finished 71-91, five wins fewer than last year.
The news comes one day after the Pirates extended manager Don Kelly and general manager Ben Cherington confirmed that he will return in 2026.
In six seasons under Cherington, the Pirates are 365-505 and have not sniffed the playoffs. Year 7 is approaching soon.
The Pirates have significant work to do to fix their dormant offense and give their pitching a fighting chance. It’s up to Cherington to trade for and sign key bats to change the trajectory of the organization. President Travis Williams said the Pirates are committed to turning this around,” Period. Full stop.” Go prove it.
