Pirates GM Ben Cherington: Winning games best way to draw fans back to ballpark

When the Pittsburgh Pirates finished the season with an announced attendance of 859,498, it marked the first time since 1995 they failed to draw at least 1 million fans to their home stadium.

Those figures came with a caveat, considering fans weren’t permitted to attend games in 2020, and the club imposed seating limitations and restrictions for the first three months of this season.

The Pirates’ most recent seasons of falling short of 1 million in attendance were in the strike-shortened 144-game season in 1995 (905,517) and their 104-loss season in 1985. This year, the Pirates (61-101) finished in last place in the NL Central for the third consecutive season and with the fourth-worst record in baseball, an issue general manager Ben Cherington addressed Tuesday afternoon in a season-ending video conference call.

“Certainly, we’re aware of it. I think there’s so much this year that was new and different for us, and coming back to the ballpark was probably one of those things,” Cherington said. “We appreciate the fans that came back to PNC Park. There are so many good fans in Pittsburgh, and we want more and more of them to come back to PNC Park over time.

“We know a lot of what will drive that is the team, their belief in the team and winning more games. We know that. In Pittsburgh, that’s probably especially true. So we’re very clear on that. That’s our job in baseball ops: to do the work necessary that leads to that.”

Changing the trajectory of the Pirates, however, could come at an incremental pace. After increasing capacity from 25% with 6-foot social distancing in April to 55% with 3-foot social distancing for May and June, the Pirates didn’t allow full-capacity seating at PNC Park until July. They finished with an average home crowd of 15,633, with a season-high 32,071 to see their 3-2 walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies on a fireworks night July 31.

That crowd came a day after the trade deadline passed, in a week that saw the Pirates trade All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier, starting left-hander Tyler Anderson, relievers Austin Davis and Clay Holmes and closer Richard Rodriguez. The Pirates lost 15 of their first 17 games in August, including eight straight.

Cherington championed the way the Pirates played over the final 30 games of the season, when they won five of their final seven series and split another, citing their continued effort long after they were eliminated from playoff contention.

While Cherington wants to see improvement, he cautioned to expect “steady growth” from within the organization and offseason moves that “are consistent with what we believe gives us the best chance to not just get a winning team, but to sustain it over time.”

The first priority is to evaluate the coaching staff. That manager Derek Shelton, who has a .360 winning percentage in his first two seasons while Cherington has traded major components for prospects, received another strong endorsement is indicative that he is being judged based on changing the clubhouse culture more than the results.

Cherington credited Shelton for constantly asking for feedback and analyzing his own moves, calling him a “partner” with baseball operations “as we build a winning team here.” Together, they are evaluating the coaching staff and will be searching for a new hitting coach after Rick Eckstein was fired in late August.

One priority should be locking up Bryan Reynolds, who moved to center field and became a first-time All-Star, to a contract extension. Cherington singled out Reynolds as “the best player on the team right now.” Cherington acknowledged that a new contract, however, could be contingent on whether MLB and its players association can come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Cherington also did his best to dodge questions about the specifics of adding to payroll or which positions the Pirates will prioritize in free agency, although starting pitching and an everyday right fielder are clear needs. Although Cherington wouldn’t commit to an Opening Day roster, he noted that the taste two of their top prospects, shortstop Oneil Cruz and right-hander Roansy Contreras, got in the final week of the season will put them in play to earn a job in spring training.

“As we build that winning team, most of the improvement that we need to have happen will come internally, either through improvement from players who are already here, who are already on our major-league team or from continued improvement from minor-league players who eventually will be on our major-league team,” Cherington said. “So most of the wins we need to build up will come internally.

“And then we certainly need to add to that. We continue to look at that opportunistically. We should be incredibly busy in exploring trade opportunities, exploring free-agent opportunities but need to do that in a way that fits with the strategy that makes sense to build a winning team because we know that so much of our success will need to be driven from improvement from young players. The last thing we want to do is make a decision that would unintentionally get in the way of a young player’s opportunity.”

The Pirates continue to preach patience to a restless fan base, one that failed to sell out a single game this season. Their attendance dropped from a record 2,498,596 in 2015 — when the Pirates won 98 games and earned a wild-card berth — by a million (1,465,316) in 2018 to less than a million for the first time in their 20 years at PNC Park. The Pirates drew 905,517 to Three Rivers Stadium in 1995, when they finished 58-86.

Cherington chose not to dwell on the numbers but instead to listen to Pirates fans and gain an understanding of what it will take to get them back to the ballpark. He knows that starts with cheering for a winning team.

“It’s almost easier for me to jump into their shoes than it is to think about this as a GM because I’ve been a fan for a lot longer than I’ve had this job,” Cherington said. “So, totally appreciate the passion and, probably at times, the frustration that comes with that, and grateful for our fans. I do hear from them directly. It’s always passionate. Sometimes it’s frustrating. Often it’s with good ideas, and often it’s with a ton of encouragement and support. So I appreciate that.”