Paul Skenes believes that, despite a 91-loss output that followed back-to-back 76-86 seasons, there is a hunger to win in Pittsburgh.
The fans are craving winning baseball. The players are hungry, and that hunger all begins with Don Kelly, a guy who may want to win in this particular city more than anyone else in the Pirates’ dugout.
“Donnie is the perfect guy to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates,” Skenes said last week. “Obviously he knows baseball. He’s a people person, baseball guy. That’s all great. That’s what makes managers manager material, but he’s from Pittsburgh, and I’ve talked to him, and he said that he wouldn’t want to do it anywhere else besides Pittsburgh. That’s how people are in Pittsburgh. It’s such an interesting city, such an interesting character, and that needs to be our identity coming into next year, I believe. Whatever identity is what it is, but that’s kind of what I think we need to get back to, that gritty, blue-collar personality that Pittsburgh is. I’m going to push for that. I know there are others that are going to push for that, and then whoever’s new to the organization, they’re going to realize real quick. But that’s what the goal is. I wish it were Feb. 10 already, or whatever spring training reporting date is, because I’m incredibly excited to do this and to push in this direction for next year.”