The Pirates are on their way to a fourth straight losing season, and perhaps their second straight 100-loss season. However, it doesn't look like there will be a change in leadership in the near future.
Ben Cherington said Friday that Derek Shelton is under contract and will be the manager again for the 2023 season.
"I love working with Shelty and this staff," Cherington said. "They work their tails off every day. They care so much about getting this right, getting better."
Cherington's forthright words echoed the same confidence displayed by Shelton when the Pirates' manager said he was "very secure" about his future at the helm during his radio show on 93.7 The Fan earlier this week.
But, "getting better" is hard to see for many fans. Heading into Friday night's action at PNC Park, the Pirates are 46-72 and in last place in the National League Central division with the fourth-worst win percentage in Major League Baseball. The Pirates are also last in the NL with a .651 OPS and .220 batting average, and are 12th in the NL with a 4.63 ERA.
Cherington acknowledged that the team has much more room to grow, specifically the need to score more runs and continue to take steps forward developing the pitching staff. Much of the 2022 season has been dedicated to playing the younger players as prospects have graduated to the major-league level.
The Pirates have also tried to supplement the roster with many waiver pickups, though most of them have not been able to find much success on the field.
In addition, there have been a considerable amount of growing pains for the very young roster in Pittsburgh. Top prospects such as Oneil Cruz have provided the occasional spark, but have also shown a lot of room to grow with lengthy rough patches. Even more established young players such as Ke'Bryan Hayes are still trying to figure out how to take the next step forward to becoming a true impact player.
All of this has produced another disappointing season on the North Shore, which might make one question if the current leadership is the right group to help bring the Pirates back into contention -- a place they haven't been since winning 98 games in 2015.
"Outcomes are hard on them, too," Cherington said of Shelton and the coaching staff. "They’re hard on everybody. (Shelton) has been consistently open to any piece of feedback and hopefully I’m open to any piece of feedback he has for me. I think we help each other. I’m so confident at the level of effort every day this staff puts in to help us get better."
There have been some bright spots on this roster. Pitchers such as Mitch Keller and JT Brubaker have taken significant steps forward to becoming legitimate options for the starting rotation, and there have been some guys in the bullpen -- David Bednar, Wil Crowe and Chase De Jong to name a few -- that have put together solid seasons.
And, of course, Bryan Reynolds put a rough first two months behind him and, since June 1, has looked like the All-Star player that emerged last season.
Progress is hard to measure when the club is in danger of losing 100 games. But, Cherington is confident Shelton and the Pirates are getting closer to turning a corner in their rebuild.
"I’m looking forward to this group benefitting from the fruits of their labor," Cherington said. "I think they will as our roster matures and gets stronger."
