Pump the Breaks on Anointing Don Kelly the Pirates’ Full-Time Answer, For Now

The Pirates are 16-15 since Kelly took over for Derek Shelton on May 8.

Donnie Kelly has done a fine job managing the Pittsburgh Pirates since taking over on May 8.

Manager Derek Shelton was let go following a 12-26 start and being swept by the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals to cap a seven-game losing streak.

A chance was necessary. It needed to be made. An ideal candidate was already in-house. In comes Kelly, a former major leaguer who joined the staff in 2020 and entered the year as the Buccos’ bench coach.

Since the move, the Pirates have played their best baseball all year. They’re 16-15 under Kelly and have played better fundamentally and defensively.

Entering Tuesday, the starting rotation ranked second in baseball in ERA (2.66), up from 24th under the former manager.

Kelly has utilized his bullpen effectively and has made proper calls on when to deploy Dennis Santana. He seemingly isn’t married to a specific pitcher as the closer and makes decisions based on matchups and situations.

This is one gripe I had with the previous decision maker, who, most of the time, trusted analytics and the data over a gut feeling.

One example came on Sunday against Philadelphia. I wasn’t pleased Kelly took Paul Skenes out after 7.2 innings, instead of allowing Skenes to pitch to another batter while under 100 pitches, but going to Braxton Ashcraft was the right call.

Ashcraft got the final out of the 8th and shut the door in the ninth to complete the three-game sweep. Kelly said he discussed the inning with Skenes before deploying him for two batters, and the original plan was one.

You have to be adaptable and make adjustments in sports. There hasn’t been “paralysis by analysis” with the current Buccos. They’re stealing bases, bunting runners over, pitching well, and playing better defense.

Kelly has been thrown out three times in his first month. I love it. He’s not afraid to stand up for his players and go the extra mile. If he gets thrown out? So be it.

There have been some questionable decisions Kelly has made, like having Adam Frazier attempt to bunt on Tuesday with two on and no one out in the ninth. Frazier has been the team’s hottest hitter. He did move the runners over on a groundout, but Henry Davis and Ke’Bryan Hayes failed to bring in the tying or winning run.

One thing’s for certain, the Pirates like playing for Kelly.

“Everyone in here loves him,” Brian Reynolds said on Monday. “He’s fun to play for.”

The vibes are better. The mood is better. The Pirates are winning series and performing better on offense.

Playing devil’s advocate, over the course of a 162-game season, don’t you expect a team to get hot? Not everyone is the 41-121 Chicago White Sox last season or 2025 Colorado Rockies (12-55).

The Pirates are going to have stretches and moments where they play good baseball. Their pitching is too good to be a bottom-five team in baseball.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post thinks the Pirates have shown “serious improvement” and that “Kelly already has earned an extension.”

Kelly has done well, but let’s not make a five-week stretch make us forget about the last five years. It’s more of an indictment on the general manager, but Kelly has been on staff since the 2020 season.

It’s easy to wonder what the Pirates would look like with new voices in both positions.

He’s now the main voice in charge rather than playing second fiddle, but it’s still a small sample size.

I’m encouraged by what Kelly has done and am looking forward to seeing how he manages the group over the last four months, but let’s pump the breaks on an extension.

The Pirates extended Derek Shelton during his 20-8 start in 2023. Not a great decision. Kelly has only managed for a month. It might turn out great, or it might not. We need time to be the greatest indicator.

Everything is still fresh. It’s new. I do like how Kelly trusts his gut and his eyes to make decisions. It feels old school when it should have never felt old in the first place. Kelly learned under former Pirates manager Jim Leyland while in Detroit. Kelly has a ton of Leyland in his approach, style, personality, and how he handles the team. Connecting with the players, like Leyland, is vital, and Kelly has done well at taking that to the field every day.

I’m open-minded that Kelly can be the guy, but let’s not jump to conclusions. It’s fair to applaud the work he’s done, while wondering what comes next in the remaining 93. Until then, tip of the cap to Don Kelly and the job he’s done turning the Pirates into a much better team and a team people are enjoying to watch again this season.