Pittsburgh Review

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced they will not retain hitting coach Andy Haines and bullpen coach Justin Meccage. This decision follows a season where the team failed to meet expectations, finishing with a 76-86 record for the second consecutive year.

General Manager Ben Cherington explained the rationale behind these changes: "We learned a lot this year... While we have made improvement in the way that players are improving at the Major League level and performing at the Major League level. We see evidence that we're able to identify the things that we need to identify and coach players towards improvement. We also believe that we need to do that more, and faster. Ultimately, I decided that in order to do it better and faster, some changes were necessary."

Cherington emphasized a desire for more cohesion on the hitting side, focusing on delivering consistent guidance to hitters. He stated, "I just think we need to deliver in a more consistent, clarifying, simple way, and follow through all the way, and do that as consistently as we can."

Ke’Bryan Hayes remains a crucial part of the team's future plans despite his struggles with back issues limiting him to 96 games this season. Cherington expressed optimism about Hayes' recovery: “We need him on the field. Period... We gotta keep working to help him be that.”

The Pirates' bullpen also underperformed this season, ranking 27th in ERA (4.49) and tying for second-worst in blown saves (29). However, Cherington is hopeful for improvement: “A bullpen... tends to be an area that can improve quicker if we do our work well.”

David Bednar faced challenges throughout the season but retains support from Cherington as a potential closer next year. Despite his struggles resulting in a 5.77 ERA and seven blown saves out of 30 chances, Cherington believes Bednar's abilities remain intact: “The pitch qualities are there... It’s a tiny sample, and that’s really dangerous."

Cherington remains optimistic about Bednar's potential return to form after observing encouraging performances late in September.