'Reorganization' coming to Pirates' development, including Broadway taken at PNC Park (Pirates)

PIRATES

Ben Cherington.

When Ben Cherington was hired as the Pirates' general manager in November of last year, he opted not to overhaul the front office he inherited. While he did fire and hire a few, for the most part, the group from 2020 was very similar to the one from 2019.

The season that ended Sunday in Cleveland had plenty of challenges, mostly due to the pandemic, but Cherington said one of the good things to come out of it was getting to know the people in baseball operations and how they could fit into the organization’s plans going forward.

“A lot of our focus this year has been: What do we need to do?” Cherington said during a call with local reporters Wednesday afternoon. “Where are the opportunities to get better, and who is here already that is going to help us do that? And are there people who have a real skill set and strength but maybe we just see a better fit for? So we’re going through that now.”

When they are done, Cherington said, he believes there will be a “reorganization” within player development this winter, including some adjustments in leadership.

That would include senior director of minor-league operations Larry Broadway, though that does not mean he is leaving the organization just yet.

“Larry and I have talked about that and look forward to working with him,” Cherington said. “He’s got a ton of talent. We’ve talked about, maybe this is an opportunity to start doing some different things for the Pirates, so we’re in the middle of that conversation.”

Broadway just completed his ninth season of overseeing the Pirates’ minor-league operations. Before that, he was the organizations’ area scouting supervisor in 2010-2011.

Cherington clarified that his discussions about change in player development are not just directed toward Broadway, but a desire to improve top to bottom.

“We want to be great at coaching,” Cherington said. “If you think about player development, we need great players and we need great coaches with them. We need to identify what's the leadership that gives us the best chance to be great at coaching. I mean every aspect of coaching. It’s not just the people in uniform on the field. It's everybody, all the other staff. collaborating with that group. It’s how do we find the best possible coaches, continue to develop coaches, create the best environment for coaching to happen and ultimately [have] players get better?”

One area that likely won’t see significant changes in leadership is scouting. Cherington said the group has gone through exercises to go over what the group does well and what they need to improve on, but he doesn’t see a need for change.

“We're focused on getting better all the time, for sure, but we feel good about the group we have there," Cherington said.

In late June, a source told DK Pittsburgh Sports that about 15 people within baseball operations were going to be laid off at the end of October. The Pirates told those affected about the changes a couple months in advance to give them more time to find a job elsewhere. Five who are no longer with the organization include director of personnel Chris Johnson, special assistants Jeff Banister and Greg Smith, and senior advisors of player development Woody Huyke and Mike Lum.

As for the major-league coaching staff, the picture is not as clear. At the end of the season, Derek Shelton said he didn’t have a comment on any potential changes to his staff.

Shelton was on Wednesday’s call as well, and said that he asked everyone to take some time to reflect on the season before any decisions are made.

“I have to reflect, our baseball ops group has to reflect,” Shelton said. “It’s something we'll continue to talk about."

• With the offseason here, Cherington got the inevitable payroll question. In a recent radio show on 93.7 The Fan, he mentioned that payroll may have to be trimmed after operating without any fans in the stands this season.

After finishing 19-41, the Pirates aren't really in a position where an extra $10-20 million investment into the team would elevate them to a playoff berth, so money is, ultimately, just a talking point at the moment.

But will it happen in the future when the Pirates are competitive again?

"I know I've said before that I'm confident that we have the resources to build a winning team," Cherington said. "Now there is more uncertainty for next year than there would be going into most offseasons. We can all recognize that the world has changed in the last 10 months. We have to navigate through that. But I'm confident we'll have the resources to build a winning team."

• Cherington reiterated that there is no evidence suggesting Oneil Cruz's recent car crash in the Dominican Republic was "nothing more than an accident." He also clarified that Cruz is using a private attorney, not one that the organization provided.

Cruz continues to be cooperative with authorities, and Cherington expects him back with the club next year.

“No reason to believe he wouldn’t be available for spring training, full participant," Cherington said. "No information that I have that would suggest he wouldn’t be.”

• While he has yet to hear official confirmation from the league on the matter, Cherington expects the Pirates to have the first overall draft pick next year. Commissioner Rob Manfred has the power to potentially change that, per the agreement the league and players are operating under this year, though reports indicate that he will not exercise that right.

"It seems to me that if we used records to determine playoff seeds so it would seem to me that that would make sense, it follows that we use that to determine draft order, but we haven't heard officially on that."

The amateur draft will be pushed back from June to the All-Star break next year, but Cherington does not see that having a major impact on how the Pirates prepare. The process has always begun, including planning to scout fall leagues.

"We'll figure that out as the offseason goes along."

• There's a group of about 50 players, both domestic and international, at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla. for their instructional league. Cherington said they are trying to create a "bubble" for the six-week program, and games should start around mid-October after a build-up period.

Every player in the camp is not on the 40-man roster, so most will be receiving their first in-person instruction from the organization since March.

"It's exciting that players are on the field," Cherington said. "It's really important for us. You know, we appreciate the support to do that. Not every team is doing it. And we are. That means a lot."

• Toward the end of the call, Cherington was asked how he would evaluate Shelton's first season as a manager.

Shelton was sharing the podium on the call with him, so that could have been awkward if he didn't have such complimentary things to say.

"We talk about player-centered," Cherington said. "We talk about great coaching. We talk about putting players in the best position to perform and succeed. All of those things are much easier things to say than to actually do and live every day. I’m really encouraged by the progress we made in all of those areas, and Shelty was leading that. Those are the priorities this year. The better we are at those, if we do our job to add talent over time, then all of that will add up to winning. But we have to get good at that stuff first."

Loading...
Loading...