Pirates Players Had Role in Pitching Coach Change
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a surprise coaching change after the end of the 2025 season, but the players on the team
The Pirates reportedly let go of pitching coach Oscar Marin on Sept. 30, as they decided they wouldn't renew his contract after the season. They also reportedly did the same for third base coach Mike Rabelo and assistant pitching coach Brent Strom made his mind up six weeks before the end of the 2025 campaign that he didn't want to stay on.
These decisions came after the Pirates officially announced they signed manager Don Kelly to an extension, after he took over from Derek Shelton on May 8, who the franchise fired after a 12-26 start.
Marin joined the original coaching staff under Shelton on Dec. 17, 2019 and the Pirates ERA fell each year as manager from 2020-25.
This culminated in an excellent 2025 season from the Pirates pitching staff, as they had the third least home runs allowed (153), fourth lowest WHIP (1.22), seventh lowest team ERA (3.76), the seventh least walks (473) and the eighth lowest opposing batting average (.236).
Pittsburgh also led the MLB in shutouts with 19, two more than both the two second place teams in the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, who had 17.
This Pirates' pitching staff featured many strong performers, but none better than ace Paul Skenes, who came off a 2024 year where he won National League Rookie of the Year, earned All-MLB First Team honors and finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting.
Skenes had a great first full year at the MLB level, with the lowest ERA (1.97), tied for the fourth most strikeouts (216), the fourth lowest WHIP (0.95), the sixth lowest batting average (.199) and the 10th most innings pitched (187.2), plus the fifth best K/BB (5.14), seventh best K/9 (10.36) and ninth best BB/9 (2.01).
He started the All-Star game for the second season, the first pitcher to ever do that in their first two season in MLB history. He also made Pirates history, with his 216 strikeouts the most for a right-handed pitcher in the live-ball era (since 1920).
Skenes will likely go on and win the NL Cy Young Award, making him the first Pirates pitcher to do so since Doug Drabek in 1990 and the third Pirates pitcher ever, along with Vern Law in 1960.
Marin also worked with pitchers like Mitch Keller, who earned an All-Star nod in 2023, and former Pirates pitcher David Bednar, who was a back-to-back All-Star honoree in 2022 and 2023, while leading the NL in saves in 2023.
His work this season included managing rookies like Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco, Mike Burrows and Bubba Chandler, plus Johan Oviedo, who came back from Tommy John surgery and relief pitchers in Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski and Dennis Santana.
While this move comes as surprising, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that pitching coach change was "driven by desire -- with player input -- to improve even more and take next step as staff."
More context:
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) September 30, 2025
Strom winding down career. Outside chance he returns as an advisor but likely not in same capacity, at least now.
Pitching decision driven by desire -- with player input -- to improve even more & take next step as a staff.
Kelly is also building his staff ahead of his first season as manager in 2026 and making changes will bring in his people to build the Pirates into a team that competes for the postseason.
The Pirates have struggled in recent years, with seven straight losing season and 10 consecutive seasons out of the playoffs and will look for anyway they see best to get back to winning baseball.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.