It’s easy to root for Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly.
There is no more accurate description of Kelly than he is a bundle of baseball energy. On Friday, the third day of spring training camp in Bradenton, Florida, Kelly was among the first arrivals.
With position players officially not due at Pirate City until Monday, the dining hall by 7:30 a.m. was already filled to near capacity. Along with the pitchers and catchers who are required to begin workouts this week, a steady stream of veterans, infielders, and outfielders alike, have been finding their clubhouse stalls and reporting for batting cage and fielding drills.
The Pirates, who have finished last in the National League Central during the last two seasons, have a new level of optimism that appears to be directly linked to Kelly’s promotion last May.
After the Pirates got off to a rough start in 2025 (12–26), management’s reshaping of the club began with the firing of manager Derek Shelton on May 8.
Kelly, at the time of Shelton’s dismissal, was in his sixth year as Pittsburgh’s bench coach. He is also a native of “Buccos Country,” Butler, Pennsylvania—less than 35 miles north of PNC Park where the Pirates call home.
Last season’s 124-game audition, although compiling a 59–65 record, impressed management enough to offer an extension to Kelly.
With a fresh start beginning this week in Bradenton, players seem to have bought into Kelly’s approach to leading them. There are daily meetings with beat writers after morning workouts, but there are no rushed answers or boundaries for questions. Kelly exhibits a genuine smile to all, looks at reporters directly, and contributes heartfelt, honest answers.
“Expectations are sky-high,” Kelly told The Epoch Times on Thursday when asked to assess the progression of 19-year-old phenom prospect Konnor Griffin. “The way he runs, fields, and throws is exciting to see.”
A half dozen questions concerning Griffin and his chances of making the Pirates Opening Day roster were fired off by reporters.
When asked for a scouting report on another top prospect, second baseman Termarr Johnson, Kelly explained that the organization is looking for consistency.
After a solid 2025 at Double-A Altoona, Kelly preaches consistency with Johnson’s offense and defense in 2026. This is a recipe that would get Johnson closer to the Pirates 26-man roster.
Keeping up with Kelly during a day at camp requires a pair of comfortable shoes. He is a man in constant motion. As the Pirates emerge onto the four playing fields on a foggy, cool Friday morning, by 10 a.m. Kelly begins making his rounds.
For the following 2 1/2 hours, players and coaching staff members receive briefings, handshakes, fist bumps, and hugs from the new full-season dugout boss. After visiting all four full fields at the Pirates’ complex (all numbered and named after Pittsburgh members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame—Stargell, Clemente, Traynor, and Wagner), Kelly, at 11:20 a.m. heads to a back field to observe several of the club’s top pitchers throw.
With glove in hand throughout his shuttling from field to field, a former teammate of Kelly catches his attention. Across from Field 4, pleasantries are exchanged and laughs shared. Ten minutes later, Kelly darts over to several coaches and instructors huddled together as practice is coming to an end.
After a brief few minutes talking with his boss, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, the skipper begins his walk to the clubhouse and coaches area of the complex.
News breaks during the workout that Thomas Whitsett, Pittsburgh’s new assistant pitching coach, has resigned for personal reasons. Cibney Bello, 43, who served as pitching coach for the past two seasons at the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis is now promoted to the Major League staff as Whitsett’s replacement. This is among the first topics presented to Kelly at his 12:30 p.m. meeting with the media.
“He’s done some great work for us in the Dominican Republic, and at Indianapolis. It was a hard decision for us in filling the position. We have so many qualified candidates internally. The Pirates have a strong group of men leading our pitching staff, and many of them are familiar with Cibney,” Kelly said.
Kelly, 46, can relate to what is expected of each player, from the superstar down to the utility player plugged into an infield or outfield position when needed, and usually with little advance notice.
During his nine-year MLB playing career for three different clubs, Kelly was that specialist who had a job for the purpose of being positioned wherever the need called for. This is what makes Kelly qualified to understand a clubhouse vibe.
“I could feel the energy in the clubhouse. The energy is real when you talk about the moves made in the off-season,” he said. “The position Ben [Cherington] has put us into in adding to the guys we have coming back is exciting.”
As Pirates manager, Kelly will be the first to say he is humbled for the position he finds himself in, and takes nothing for granted in the game. The team also appears to have their manager’s back and are prepared to play for him. This is a compliment in the highest regard for Kelly.
Still one week away before the Grapefruit schedule of games is to begin, Kelly and the Pirates franchise have already scored their first victory. Pittsburgh is a “one for all, and all for one” squad in 2026.
