Derek

Shelton

Minnesota made it official on Wednesday morning with an announcement from Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey. Shelton’s introductory press conference will be held next Tuesday. The veteran skipper spent two seasons as a bench coach with the Twins from 2018-2019 before six seasons at the helm with the Pirates where he went 306-440 (.410) before being fired back in early May.

Shelton beats out reported finalists Scott Servais, James Rowson and Ryan Flaherty to get the skipper gig. Shelton compiled a 306-440 record (.410) over five-plus seasons before being fired in May by the Pirates. The 55-year-old will likely be tasked with another rebuilding club in Minnesota, and almost certainly not one who will be spending much in free agency this winter.

Hayes adds that Shelton and Rowson, who has served as the Yankees hitting coach for the past two seasons, are the leading candidates with Flaherty and Servais still in the mix. Shelton and Servais are the most experienced finalists following recent multi-year runs with the Pirates and Mariners, respectively. Flaherty, who has spent the last two seasons as the Cubs bench coach, has been a serious managerial candidate on several occasions in recent years. It’s possible they’ll go completely off the grid with a non-traditional choice, like the Giants most recently with collegiate head coach Tony Vitello, but it sounds like they’ve narrowed their search to four finalists to replace Rocco Baldelli.

Joyce adds that former Pirates skipper Derek Shelton and Red Sox bench coach Ramón Vazquez are two additional names that surfaced as potential candidates to replace Rocco Baldelli, who was fired at the end of the regular season following an ugly 70-92 campaign. Rowson has spent the last two seasons as New York’s hitting coach with the Yankees leading the majors this past season in runs scored (849), home runs (274) and OPS (.787).

Don Kelly will take over as the interim manager. Shelton had managed the Pirates to a 12-26 record, and the Pirates have lost six straight games and nine of their last 10. Shelton was given a short deck to start with, but it’s hard to say he was making Pittsburgh better given that record. He’ll finish with a 306-440 record (.410) over five-plus seasons at the helm. The Pirates never cracked the .500 mark during his tenure, peaking at 76 wins in each of the last two seasons.

It’s a pretty interesting wrinkle for the Pirates as Strom played a pivotal role last decade in building the Astros juggernaut before a three-year stint with the Diamondbacks. He brings a wealth of experience to a talented Pittsburgh staff headlined by the tandem of Paul Skenes and Jared Jones with top prospect Bubba Chandler on the doorstep of the big leagues.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton has also received a one-game ban. Perdomo will begin serving his suspension during Wednesday afternoon’s series finale.

Cherington wouldn’t share the specifics of the deal with reporters, but Shelton will be remaining at the helm for the Pirates beyond the 2023 campaign. There should be an official announcement in the coming days. He’s led Pittsburgh to a an impressive 14-7 start to open the year.

The Pirates had the second-worst record in all of baseball last season -- and had the best odds of winning that top overall selection (tied with the Nationals and Athletics) at 16.5 percent. The 18 teams that did not make the postseason were all eligible, with chances anywhere between 16.5 percent and the Brewers at 0.2 percent. The first six picks of the round were determined by the lottery and are as follows: 1) Pirates, 2) Nationals, 3) Tigers , 4) Rangers , 5) Twins, 6) Athletics. The Twins, who jumped up from the 13th pick into the top five, were the biggest movers. The Athletics were the biggest losers in the draft, falling from third to sixth.

It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement on Cherington’s part, it was more of a “he’s under contract for next year and will be back” type of situation. The Pirates have struggled to a miserable 46-72 record this season and Shelton has posted a 126-214 mark during his three seasons at the helm in Pittsburgh.