Pirates manager Derek Shelton took time to 'listen to our players' about social justice issues

Derek Shelton waited two decades to become a major league manager, only to have his Pittsburgh Pirates managerial debut delayed by the coronavirus crisis.

As the Pirates are about to embark on a second spring training — this one dubbed by MLB as Summer Camp — Shelton was asked to reflect upon what he has learned during his downtime from the civil rights movement and public protests fighting for social justice.

Shelton said to be a better leader, he took the time to listen and learn from his players.

“I think what makes an effective leader, in anytime, is the ability to communicate,” Shelton said. “I think the best leaders listen probably more than they talk. What I mean by that, we can specifically go to the point you’re talking about, we have to listen to our players. We have to give them the forum to voice their opinions and then continue to talk to them about it.”

All-Star first baseman Josh Bell and pitcher Chris Archer are among the Pirates who have been outspoken advocates, using their platform as Black professional baseball players to bring awareness to their fans — and even their rookie manager.

Never stop listening. Never stop learning.

Full video: https://t.co/XN5O0N1bZi#Juneteenth pic.twitter.com/LsMK1Zqgta

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) June 19, 2020

Bell was one of six players to participate in a panel discussion, “Baseball and Black America,” with Negro Leagues Museum president Bob Kendrick on MLB Network Radio. Archer was one of 1,400 from the Players Coalition to sign a letter to members of Congress in support of a bill that would eliminate qualified immunity to government officials, including law enforcement, and appeared on MSNBC last month to discuss it.

"We just want everyone ... to be held responsible for their actions," MLB star Chris Archer says on police brutality. "Whether you have a badge or not." https://t.co/YHjVkwaf59

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) June 19, 2020

“I think that’s one thing that I’m very proud of as we’ve gone through these challenging times the last few weeks is we’ve allowed our players to have a voice, and we’re listening to them and we’re continuing to educate and make sure that their thoughts are very purposeful,” Shelton said. “I’m very proud of our group of how they’ve stated what they’ve stated … and the fact that we’ve continued to give them to forum to do that. I think as a leader, it’s our responsibility to listen to our group and to make sure that their thoughts are something that we get out there, and we continue to make sure that our sport is their forum.”

Shelton embraced that as both a leader of a team and the father of three. Not only did he find it important to listen and learn, but also to teach what he learned to his children. Before ever managing his first MLB game, Shelton found his job has become more important than ever, in a way that he never expected.

“I think, a little bit, it is, and I think that in a good way,” Shelton said. “I think it’s made me a better listener, and it’s made me a better learner, because there were some things that I probably wasn’t aware of. I think that it’s important my job as the leader of this team, it’s my job as a parent, to make sure that I continue to learn and educated myself so I can have educated conversations with our players, and educated conversations with my children. So, 100%. I feel very fortunate with the group of guys we have here and the conversations that we’ve had and the things that they’ve taught me during this time.”