This time last year, Don Kelly was the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bench coach. Now, he’s their manager.
Kelly was elevated to interim manager early in the 2025 season after Derek Shelton was fired just 38 games into the campaign. The Pirates needed a change after starting the year 12-26 with a .316 winning percentage.
Fortunately, things improved under Kelly. He helped turn things around, guiding Pittsburgh to a 59-65 record with a .476 winning percentage in his first season at the helm.
The Pirates rewarded Kelly with a contract extension during the offseason, and now he has a year of managing experience under his belt as he prepares for his first full season at the helm.
Kelly recently spoke with MLB Network about the differences between being a bench coach and a manager after serving as Pittsburgh’s bench coach for five-plus seasons.
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“I guess it does shift a little bit…being in a different role, being in charge of the lineup and other things,” Kelly said. “It was still really, really good and still feel like it’s really good.”
Not all bench coaches become successful managers, so the Pirates are lucky that Kelly has worked out so far and appears to be the right man for the job.
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