Former Pirates Manager Has No Ill Will Towards Fan Base
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled the past decade and no one knows that more than previous manager Derek Shelton.
Shelton, who took over as manager of the Minnesota Twins this offseason, spent five-plus seasons as the Pirates manager from 2020-25, overseeing a difficult era for the franchise, with five losing seasons and no postseason appearances.
The Pirates moved on from Shelton after a 12-26 start in 2025, putting Don Kelly in his place and signing Kelly to an extension following the campaign.
Kelly has gotten great support from the front office this offseason, including with both trades and free agent signings, something that the Pirates didn't do as consistently under Shelton.
Shelton spoke with A.J. Pierzynski of Foul Territory and said that he's content with his new position with the Twins and that he's happy the Pirates have spent money and supported the likes of Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.
He also hopes the Pirates fans get to witness winning baseball in the near future, especially with the likes of top prospect Konnor Griffin coming up.
“I’m where my feet are," Shelton said. "I’m happy with where I’m at. I love the group here. I’m happy for that group, I’m happy for that fan base.
"That fan base deserves a winner. I’m happy for Ben [Cherington] that they have the ability to go out and spend some money and they’ve done some good things this offseason and then on top of having [Paul] Skenes, which is dynamic and the best pitcher in the game, or one of the best with [Tarik] Skubal and then they have Konnor Griffin coming and I mean this kid is going to be special, he’s going to be a superstar.
"So I’m happy for that fan base. It was my first opportunity to manage in the big leagues. I’m always going to cherish that, but the fact they’re going out and doing those things, there’s no ill will at all.”
Review of Derek Shelton's Tenure With Pirates
Shelton took over as manager of the Pirates on Nov. 27, 2019, becoming the 41st manager in franchise history.
He took over from Clint Hurdle, who was manager for nine seasons from 2011-19, leading the Pirates to three straight playoff appearances, 2013-15, and four winning seasons.
Shelton never had that kind of success in Pittsburgh, with the worst record in baseball, 19-41 in the 2020 season, shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Pirates then had back-to-back 100-loss seasons in 2021 and 2022, before finally having some success in 2023 and 2024.
Pittsburgh started 20-8 in 2023 and were even 34-30 in mid-June, before going on two long losing streaks and eventually falling to 76-86 overall.
The Pirates had a great beginning to 2024 at 11-5, before falling below .500, but bounced back and would get to .500 at the All-Star break and were in the National League Wild Card race in August, before finishing 8-19 that month, including a 10-game losing streak.
Pittsburgh began 2025 with that poor record, that saw them fire Shelton, ending his time in charge of the franchise.
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.