Pirates name Derek Shelton new manager

Derek Shelton was considered the favorite to land the Pittsburgh Pirates manager’s job when the search for Clint Hurdle’s successor began under former general manager Neal Huntington.

Even though Huntington was fired Oct. 28 and replaced by Ben Cherington on Nov. 18, Shelton still emerged as the Pirates’ man and was hired Wednesday.

Shelton spent the past two seasons as the Minnesota Twins’ bench coach. The Twins won the American League Central this season, and Rocco Baldelli was voted the AL Manager of the Year.

The 49-year-old Shelton has been a coach in the major leagues for 15 years. He served as the hitting coach with Cleveland Indians (2005-09) and Tampa Bay Rays (2010-16), then was the Toronto Blue Jays’ quality control coach in 2017.

Hurdle was fired as manager Sept. 29 just before the last game of the season following nine years on the job.

Shelton will be introduced next Wednesday during a press conference at PNC Park.

“I have known Derek for more than 15 years and have great admiration for his passion for the game and players, work ethic, curiosity and desire to learn,” Cherington said in a statement released by the team. “He has worked and learned from some of the best in the game, and in turn has helped players and colleagues learn and improve during his 20 years of coaching and managing.

“We are confident Derek will help lead an elite playing and coaching environment at the major league level and be a true partner to all of baseball operations as we challenge each other to get better every day. We are thrilled to get to work with Derek and continue building toward a winning team in Pittsburgh.”

Shelton, a native of Carbondale, Ill., has three years of managerial experience, all in the short-season levels of the New York Yankees’ farm system from 2000-02. He compiled a 121-73 record for a .624 winning percentage and his teams finished first all three seasons.

Shelton then was the Indians’ minor league hitting coordinator from 2003-05 before replacing Hall of Famer Eddie Murray on Cleveland’s major league staff.

“My family and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to join the Pittsburgh community and are humbled to be a part of this storied franchise,” Shelton said in a statement. “One of the most exciting things for me during the interview process was just how evident the passion for Pittsburgh and the desire to succeed was with everyone I interacted with.

“I very much look forward to developing a strong partnership with Ben and the baseball operations staff. It is going to be an exciting change of culture in our clubhouse. It is going to be a fun environment in which we will all be held accountable to each other. It will be a player-centric culture built on strong communication and relationships with our players, our staff and the entire organization.”

Shelton was a catcher in the Yankees’ farm system in 1992 and ‘93 before sustaining a career-ending elbow injury. He played collegiately in his hometown at Southern Illinois while earning a degree in criminal justice and earning All-Academic honors in the Missouri Valley Conference.

His No. 8 has been retired by Warren Township High School.