The Pittsburgh Pirates are changing the team after finishing with a 76-86 record for the second straight season.
The Pirates had high hopes for the 2024 season and were even in the playoff race for a while, but fell flat after going 8-19 in August. There were positives for Pittsburgh this season, like the emergence of superstar rookie pitcher Paul Skenes and the overall success of the starting rotation. The Pirates still have areas that they need to improve in.
The overall lack of offense and poor performances by the bullpen fell short of expectations for Pittsburgh this season, which resulted in them not retaining hitting coach Andy Haines and bullpen coach Justin Meccage. General Manager Ben Cherington commented on the offense and bullpen following the coaching dismissals on MLB.com.
“We see evidence that we’re able to identify the things that we need to identify and coach players towards improvement,” Cherington said. “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.”
“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. Ultimately, serve the hitters. The hitters go up there every night, and they got to do something that’s really hard. And, we want all of them to be in the clearest frame of mind possible when they’re doing it.”
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There is optimism for next season. The Pirates have a great starting rotation, rising stars like Oneil Cruz, and solid prospects. The future is bright for Pittsburgh.
More MLB: Pirates General Manager Sets Out Plan For Roster Improvement
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