Pirates manager Derek Shelton wastes no time naming Keone Kela the closer

BRADENTON, Fla. — On the first day of pitchers and catchers workouts at spring training, Pirates manager Derek Shelton wasted no time announcing an important decision.

After saying last month Keone Kela would have a prominent back-end role out of the bullpen, Shelton on Wednesday declared Kela will be the Pirates’ closer.

Make that with a capital C.

“To answer that question candidly, Kela is going to be the guy at the end of the game,” Shelton said. “When I was asked that question at PiratesFest, he and I had not talked. A big thing with me is I’m going to have conversations with players before I have them with you guys — sorry, but that’s the way it is — and he and I talked about it.

“That was my expectation all along but wanted to sit down talk to him about it. He’s put himself in a position where he deserves to do that, with his stuff. I would expect going into the season that would be his role. … I’m excited for him to relish in that role.”

Kela recorded 24 saves as the closer for the Texas Rangers in 2018 before being dealt to the Pirates at the trade deadline. With the Pirates, he served as setup man for Felipe Vazquez until the two-time All-Star was arrested last August. Vazquez faces charges of a sexual relationship with a minor.

Kela has big shoes to fill. Vazquez had 86 saves the past three seasons, including 47 last year. Kela, who has 28 career saves, was 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with one save last season for the Pirates and said being the closer was something he has sought “for a very long time.”

So he was ecstatic about the decision.

“It means a lot to me because it shows that those 25 men, including the staff that are there, are depending on me to shut the door and bring the whole game in. To know there’s a lot of people depending on my performance makes me feel good because it goes to show that a lot of my hard work wasn’t in vain and that I’m continuing to progress into the person and player that I want to be.”

The announcement was a reward for Kela, who is trying to turn over a new leaf within the organization entering the final year of his contract. The conversations with Shelton and others addressed not only his role but what the Pirates expect from him in terms of behavior in the clubhouse and on the field.

“I’m just excited that they’re buying into me, and I’m buying into the culture of what we’re trying to do,” Kela said. “I’m just ready to show that I’m going to keep on grinding away and chipping at the block because there’s a lot of ownership that comes with that and a lot of responsibility that comes with that, as well. I’m ready to tend to both of those situations.”

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