Don Kelly vows to set example, hold Pirates players accountable as Bucs manager

A 2001 Point Park alum, Kelly has been named Pirates manager for the remaining 2025 season after Derek Shelton was fired earlier this week.

It’s the donning of a new era at PNC Park.

The Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton on Thursday and named bench coach Don Kelly manager for the remainder of the 2025 season.

The Pirates entered the weekend 12-26, losers of seven in a row, are in last place in the NL Central, and are the second-worst team in the NL, ahead of the Colorado Rockies (6-31). Though they did get a win last night against the Atlanta Braves.

Shelton owns the third-worst winning percentage (.410) of any manager in baseball history to manage over 700 games (306-440).

One of the main issues clouding the Pirates over the last six years was repeated mistakes defensively and on the bases. The Pirates have also struggled in decision-making and bullpen management.

A Mt. Lebanon native and Point Park grad, Kelly vows to set an example for his players and hold them accountable for their mistakes and other things.

“It doesn’t matter what you say in that moment because it’s how you live it out every single day,” Kelly told the media on Friday. “How you go and interact with the players, how you encourage them, and hold them accountable.”

The Pirates are on pace for over 100 losses despite Oneil Cruz becoming a star player and Paul Skenes earning an ERA below 3.00.

Outside of an occasional day off for a player who may have made a mistake in a previous game, not much has been discussed publicly over how the Pirates hold their players accountable for mishaps and errors. In year six of Ben Cherington’s run as Pirates GM, mistakes that lead to losses and wasted opportunities to win series are further heightened.

“We can have the team meeting, but to me, it’s how you show them that you’re there for them. Sometimes being there for them is holding them accountable,” Kelly said. “Finding a way to let them know that the way we’re doing things isn’t the way that we’re going to be doing those things.”

Cherington thanked Shelton in a press conference at PNC Park Thursday and said Shelton, “worked his tail off for five plus years here. Gave everything that he possibly had… put his whole life into it.” He added the Pirates are not performing the way they need to, and after a rough April and start, “It just became clear that a change became necessary, and we were not in a position to wait any longer.”

The Pirates host the Atlanta Braves for a three-game series at PNC Park this weekend in Kelly’s first opportunity as an MLB manager. He won game one 3-2 on Friday night. Kelly hit .230 in nine MLB seasons and debuted with the Pirates during the 2007 season. Kelly served as the Pirates’ bench coach since 2020.