Derek Shelton jokes about managing to get Pirates in first place, tips hand on opener

Derek Shelton has yet to manage his first major-league game, but that didn’t stop the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie skipper from making a joke about navigating an MLB season shortened by the coronavirus crisis.

And he migh have tipped his hand about Opening Day, as well.

In a guest appearance on The Leadoff Spot on MLB Network Radio with Steve Phillips, CJ Nitkowski and Eduardo Perez, Shelton was asked how he will manage starting the season in first place with 60 games to play after the covid-19 pandemic shut down sports for nearly four months.

60 games to go, and every team is in first place.@DerekShelton on managing the sprint in 2020:@Pirates | #Pirates pic.twitter.com/cY9RbKsMAu

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) July 3, 2020

“I hope I manage it as well as I managed to get us in first place,” Shelton said, with a laugh. “As you know, 162 games is a marathon. We’re in a 60-game sprint. You’re going to see people manage games differently, and players react differently. And that’s where it’s at.

“If you would’ve said we were going to be in first place on July 24, when we start, I think we would’ve signed up for that. It’s going to be managed like a sprint.”

That was the first indication of when the Pirates will play their opener, as MLB has yet to release its schedule.

Shelton also gave a few hints about strategy, as it relates to pitching. The Pirates have four pitchers penciled into their starting rotation, with the fifth spot open for competition, but Shelton said this week that he believes bullpen depth could be a team strength.

“I think you’re going to see leverage relievers used early in the game,” Shelton said. “I think you’re going to see managers be more aggressive because a two- or three-game losing streak can be a lot more detrimental going forward with 60 than it is when you have 162. And I think health is going to be a big part of it — not just health from covid but actually the health of players and making sure soft tissue-wise we stay on top of it because if you get a guy that has a hamstring, oblique or quad and lose him for three weeks or four weeks, that’s half the season now.”