Former Pirates Outfielder Questions Derek Shelton's Lineup Decisions
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It's been a disastrous start to the 2025 season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and even with the excitement of Paul Skenes and an elite starting rotation, most saw this disappointing start coming. Why? Because the Pirates can't hit.
The Pirates were one of MLB's worst offensive teams a year ago, and instead of spending money in free agency on a first baseman and/or corner outfielder, they sat on their hands and did nothing.
Well, that's not entirely true. They gave up a valuable arm in Luis Ortiz to acquire a run-of-the-mill first baseman with a known wrist injury in Spencer Horwitz, and then signed 37-year-old Tommy Pham for $4 million, who has gone a whopping 10-for-67 to begin the season.
This weekend, the Bucs were swept by the Cleveland Guardians, and manager Derek Shelton didn't gain any new supporters, thanks to some of the head-scratching decisions he made with the lineup on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, he excluded Andrew McCutchen from the lineup despite putting Oneil Cruz in the DH spot, which opened a spot in the outfield. Shelton went with Jack Suwinski instead, who went 0-for-2 before being pinch-hit for by Alexander Canario. When the opportunity arose for a pinch hitter, McCutchen remained on the bench.
When pressed why McCutchen didn't DH, Shelton said he wanted to give Cruz "a day off" from the field but wanted to keep him in the lineup "because he's been swinging the bat probably as well as anybody except for (Emanuel) Valdez."
On Sunday, Shelton then kept Cruz out of the lineup completely, which contradicted his reasoning for the lineup decision the day prior. Mind you, the Pirates are off today, so keeping him out of the starting lineup on Sunday made little sense.
Former Pirates outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba, who played for Shelton from 2022-23, was just as confused by the handling of the lineup over the weekend.
My two cents… Cruz and Cutch in the lineup everyday who cares who’s throwing...?? Cutch is Mr do his job.. and Cruz can change the game with one swing.. and….. he’s the hottest hitter rn lol
— Canaan Smith-Njigba (@CanaanSmith_) April 20, 2025
Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.