Shelton Takes Over As Pirates Manager

December 5, 2019 4:57 am

Derek Shelton’s garage is clean, the byproduct of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ drawn out managerial hiring process, one that took extended after the club fired general manager Neal Huntington in late October. A 49-year-old baseball lifer who spent last season as the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins, Shelton already had interviewed for the chance to be Clint Hurdle’s replacement when Huntington was let go on Oct. 28. While the search was paused until Huntington’s successor was hired, Shelton wandered around his Florida home to burn off the nervous energy. He kept finding himself in the garage, arranging and rearranging in a waiting game that he admits made him “a little bit uncomfortable.” Shelton estimated he went through the garage “about 15 times.” The Pirates introduced Shelton as the team’s 40th manager on Wednesday, tasking him to create a more positive clubhouse culture following a second-half slide that included sloppy play and a series of clashes between players and staff off the field. The self-described former “poor minor league catcher” said his focus will be on making sure players don’t settle for thinking they’ve arrived once they reach the majors.