Third base and infield coach Joey Cora will not be returning to the Pirates next year.
The announcement was made by general manager Ben Cherington Saturday.
“We would like to thank Joey for his passion for the job and his commitment in continuously helping our players grow as big leaguers,” Cherington said in a released statement from the team. “Even though this was a difficult decision, we wanted to make it now out of respect for Joey so that it allows him to immediately be able to pursue other opportunities. We wish Joey nothing but the best moving forward.”
Cora, 57, was the team’s longest-tenured coach, being hired in October 2016. Before that, he managed the Class AA affiliate Altoona Curve in 2016.
The team’s performance in those two areas was mixed. Defensively, the Pirates excelled this year, making the fewest infield errors (56) in baseball. They were worth 22 defensive runs saved on the infield, excluding the catcher position.
Under his tutelage, second baseman Adam Frazier was nominated for two Gold Gloves in 2019 and 2020, and third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and shortstop Kevin Newman may also get a nod for their performance this year.
However, the Pirates were thrown out at home 19 times this season, the most in the National League and trailing just the Royals and Yankees at 22. They also were thrown out at home the most times in 2019 (23) while sharing the National League title with the Braves in 2018 (23).
He was one of three holdovers from Clint Hurdle’s coaching staff when Derek Shelton was hired as manager in November 2019. The other two were hitting coach Rick Eckstein, who was dismissed on August 30, and Justin Meccage, who went from assistant pitching coach to bullpen coach.
The Pirates now have openings at third base coach and hitting coach, at the moment.
“Joey Cora is a great baseball man whose love for the game and passion for the job was obvious every day that he represented the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Shelton said. “I want to thank him for his commitment to the organization along with all the time and dedication that he gave to our players.”
