Former Pirates Triple-A pitching coach Joel Hanrahan takes job with Washington Nationals

When Joel Hanrahan left the Pittsburgh Pirates organization after five seasons — not long after being honored as their top minor league coach — he tweeted that he was “looking forward to a new challenge and opportunity.”

Hanrahan found it with the Washington Nationals, where he will serve as the pitching coach for their Low-A affiliate in Fredericksburg, Va. The Nationals also hired Dave Jauss, a former Pirates bench coach under Clint Hurdle, as their senior advisor for player development.

Nats announce their minor league coaching staffs & player development staffs. Some familiar names like Joel Hanrahan as pitching coach in Low-A. Joe Dillon will take on the role of hitting coordinator, Bob Henley as field coordinator, & Randy Knorr as catching coordinator. pic.twitter.com/Xr1VQGC6fP

— Talk Nats ⚾ (@TalkNats) January 18, 2022

Hanrahan, 40, started his major league career with the Nationals in 2007 before being traded to the Pirates, along with outfielder Lastings Milledge, for outfielder Nyjer Morgan and pitcher Sean Burnett in June 2009. Hanrahan became a two-time All-Star closer with the Pirates, recording 40 saves in 2011 and 36 in 2012.

After starting his coaching career as assistant pitching coach for the short-season West Virginia Black Bears in 2017, Hanrahan climbed the coaching ranks through the Pirates’ farm system. He was pitching coach for the Low-A West Virginia Power in 2018, Double-A Altoona in 2019, worked at the alternate training site in Altoona in 2020 and for Triple-A Indianapolis this past season.

In October, the Pirates named Hanrahan the winner of the Danny Murtaugh award, presented to the minor league coach who made the biggest impact on the development of talent. It is named in honor of the late Pirates manager who led them to World Series championships in 1960 and ‘71.

Pirates farm director John Baker said Hanrahan did a “fantastic job” in communicating with Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin, bullpen coach Justin Meccage and minor league pitching coordinator Josh Hopper and relaying their message to their pitching prospects who shuttled back and forth between the minors and the majors last season. Hanrahan also worked closely with starter Mitch Keller when he was demoted.

“Having been a two-time All-Star, having pitched out of the bullpen before, having pitched in Pittsburgh before is sometimes a strike against when you’re coaching a younger player,” Baker said. “But he leveraged both his relationship ability, his experience but also exemplified the mindset of taking this new information and accepting it and putting it into practice.”