Pirates Reportedly Moves On From Hitting, Bullpen Coaches

The Pittsburgh Pirates are reportedly making moves after a difficult season.

Changes had to be expected throughout the organization after a second-half collapse that saw the Pirates on the outside looking in at the MLB Playoffs. This season marked the ninth straight year missing the playoffs, with the last time making it being in 2015. The team finished with a 76-86 record, finishing fifth in the National League Central.

A big problem for Pittsburgh was the offensive side of the ball as well as the bullpen, which is why the team has reportedly moved on from hitting coach Andy Haines and bullpen coach Justin Meccage, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles and Andrew Destin.

The offense ranked 28th in the majors with a .295 wOBA, 25th in home runs (160), 24th in runs (665), and 23rd in batting average (.234). When it comes to the bullpen, the ranks were in the bottom 10 — the ERA ranked 27th (4.49), the strikeout rate ranked 20th (22.9%), and SIERA ranked 25th (3.98).

Pittsburgh had successes elsewhere throughout the team, specifically the rotation, so the changes made should hopefully lead to more success next season. The offseason should be a busy one for the Pirates.

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