Longtime Tigers Utility Man Don Kelly Named New Manager of Pirates
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The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Thursday that the team has fired manager Derek Shelton and promoted bench coach Don Kelly to be the franchise's new manager.
The latter is a name that many Detroit Tigers fans are familiar with, as Kelly was a bench player and utility man for the Tigers from 2009 to 2014.
In 544 career games with the Tigers, Kelly hit 23 home runs and stole 16 bases while producing a slash line of .234/.297/.340.
A versatile player, Kelly performed in a number of key defensive roles in his career, notably putting up 1.3 fWAR in the 2010 season as a valuable defender.
Kelly, one of the rare players to make an appearance at every position on the field including pitcher, made big contributions with the bat too.
In the 2011 ALDS against the New York Yankees, his go-ahead home run in the first inning of a decisive Game 5 gave Detroit the lead for good.
This move further deepens the shared managerial history between the Tiger and Pirate franchises.
During his playing days in Detroit, Kelly played under Tigers icon and Hall of Famer Jim Leyland, who also managed in Pittsburgh from 1986 to 1996.
Kelly, a Pittsburgh native, also has ties to the current Tigers staff. In 2019, he served as the first base coach of the Houston Astros while AJ Hinch was still managing the team.
Kelly and the Pirates are set to visit Detroit for a three-game series from June 17 to June 19. The Tigers will later visit Pittsburgh for a three-game set in July.
Kyle Morton has covered various sports from amateur to professional level athletics. A graduate of Fordham University, Kyle specializes in MLB and NHL coverage while having previous bylines with SB Nation, The Hockey Writers, HighSchoolOT, and Sports World News. He spent time working the beat for the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and is an avid fan of the NHL, MLB, NFL and college basketball. Enjoys the outdoors and hiking in his free time away from sports.