Pirates' Don Kelly Receives Impressive 2026 Prediction
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly heads into his first full season at the helm of the franchise, earning his chance to show he belongs in this role going forward.
Kelly spent the first five-plus seasons with the Pirates as a bench coach, before a 12-26 start in 2025 saw the dismissal of manager Derek Shelton on May 8, putting Kelly into that role.
The Pirates didn't finish with an impressive record, but the team had some impressive play under Kelly, which earned him an extension after the end of the campaign.
Kelly now has his own coaching staff and could have a fantastic season with a Pirates squad that is aiming for the playoffs.
Pirates' Don Kelly Predicted for Top Award
Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com wrote an article titled, "A way-too-early attempt at predicting 2026 award winners," and picked Kelly as the National League Manager of the Year.
Castrovince looks at the pitching staff the Pirates have, with NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes at the helm, which he puts in Kelly's favor.
He did note that the Pirates were terrible offensively, but Castrovince is still confident that Kelly will guide the franchise back to the postseason for the first time since 2015.
"Let’s finish this off with a wild one. Go-big-or-go-home kinda stuff," Castrovince wrote.
"The Pirates have a good pitching staff fronted by Skenes, who is probably destined for a second Cy now that I picked someone else. So that’s a good start. What they couldn’t do in 2025 (and plenty of other years) is hit.
"They’ve been looking to change that this winter, and Kelly is a native Pittsburghian who will emerge as one of the great stories of the 2026 season in guiding the Buccos back to October (via a Wild Card spot, let’s not get too crazy) for the first time in more than a decade.
"Don’t you just love a happy ending? Me too. Even if it’s incorrect!
Will Don Kelly Win the NL Manager of the Year Award?
Kelly is coming off his first season in charge, where the Pirates had a 59-65 record, which gave them a 71-91 finish, good for last in the NL Central Division and the fifth worst record in baseball.
The Pirates performed well at home under Kelly, with a 37-25 record at PNC Park, with the .597 winning percentage the ninth best mark of any MLB team.
Pirates general manager Ben Cherington has given Kelly some reinforcements offensively next season, coming off a 2025 where they ranked last in so many categories.
This includes the likes of Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, who hit a position-high 31 home runs in 2025, and signing free agent Ryan O'Hearn, who has excelled the past three seasons with two All-Star appearances and averages a .800 OPS.
Kelly also has some future prospects that could make their debut with the team in 2026, including the top prospect in baseball in Konnor Griffin and top 100 prospect in outfielder Jhostynxon García, who the Pirates got in a trade from the Boston Red Sox.
What will make or break Kelly's case for the NL Manager of the Year Award is the pitching staff, which was excellent last season.
The Pirates pitchers allowed the third least home runs (153), posted the fourth lowest WHIP (1.22), the seventh lowest team ERA (3.76), the seventh least walks (473) and the eighth lowest opposing batting average (.236).
Pittsburgh also led baseball in shutouts with 19, two more than both the two second place teams in the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, who had 17.
Skenes leads a strong rotation, with the likes of veteran Mitch Keller, plus rookies in Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco and Bubba Chandler, and the eventual return of Jared Jones from internal brace surgery.
It also includes a solid bullpen, featuring Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson, Carmen Mlodzinski and Dennis Santana, plus recent additions in left-handed arms in Gregory Soto and Mason Montgomery.
Kelly put new pitching coach Bill Murphy in charge of this rotation and bullpen and he comes from the Houston Astros, where he played a role in winning the 2022 World Series.
If the Pirates offense is about average and the pitching staff is as good or even better than 2025, Kelly has a great shot of winning the NL Manager of the Year Award this upcoming season.
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.