Pirates Farm Director Will Be 'Relentless' Developing Prospects
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The Pittsburgh Pirates' ability to develop their players is the backbone of their organization, given their lack of willingness to spend money in free agency.
With the importance of developing players, Pirates' new farm director Michael Chernow revealed his approach to the new role and how they'll do whatever it takes to help their players reach their full potential.
"We’re going to be relentless in our pursuit of getting players better," Chernow said in a Q&A with MLB.com's Jim Lachimia. "That’s who we are, and who we need to be as Pirates. No matter what that looks like -- if it’s something objective [or] if it’s something innovative. In teaching the game of baseball, we’re going to turn over every stone possible to make sure that the players are getting what they need. We want to make sure that everything we do in player development is something that we can be proud of and turns into a competitive advantage."
Chernow is entering his first season as the Pirates’ director of coaching and player development after three seasons as the assistant director under John Baker.
The Pirates' ability to develop their pitching prospects has been among the best in baseball. The success of 2024 National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award finalist Paul Skenes as well as Jared Jones are proof of that. The eventual arrival of right-handed pitching prospects Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington could also add to that if they find success once they reaches the big leagues.
But if Pittsburgh is going to become a consistent playoff team, it is going to need more of its position players to ascend the ranks. The Pirates' farm system dropped from No. 14 to 20 in ESPN's rankings ahead of the 2025 season.
Chernow's approach could be exactly what Pittsburgh needs in developing its prospects, though it's worth wondering if things will really change given he's been a part of the process for the last three years.
If he can help develop the Pirates' position prospects and they make an impact in the big leagues, it'd go a long way toward turning the franchise around.
