Kevin Gorman's Take 5: For Derek Shelton, having Pirates alums at spring training is 'awesome'
BRADENTON, Fla. — A trio of World Series champions for the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates are familiar faces around Pirate City but their presence is profound for Derek Shelton.
The new Pirates manager had one word for alums John Candelaria, Omar Moreno and Manny Sanguillen serving as special instructors at spring training: Awesome.
“One of the things I said today is our group should talk to them,” Shelton said Tuesday afternoon, following the second full-squad workout. “Manny Sanguillen is sitting behind me. You’re talking about a guy who’s a .296 lifetime hitter. You talk about Candy, who’s thrown a no-hitter, and Omar, who caught the last out of a World Series.
“Anytime we can get those guys around our guys … the one thing I told our group is, someday, I hope they’re one of the Pirates alumni that are sitting in the room with another group. To have those guys here and the fact that they’re taking the time to be around our guys, I think it’s really cool. We have a very strong tradition and history here. To have those guys here, I’m appreciative that they’re here.”
1. Going live: Shelton was excited for the Pirates’ first live batting practice session, and added a new twist with pitchers throwing without a cage behind home plate.
“The thing that stood out is our pitchers threw strikes, which is good,” Shelton said. “Anytime you take the shell away from it, you get a lot more swings, which is good.”
Shelton stole a page from his time as hitting coach in Tampa Bay after receiving feedback from players that it gives them more of game-like conditions.
“It’s to make it more real,” Shelton said. “It’s like, ‘You know, if you want us to swing, take away the outside.’ The pitchers love it, too, because they get the feedback. It’s something I like. You just have to be head’s up.”
2. Killer Keller: One of the more “impressive” pitchers was Mitch Keller, the subject of my column in the Trib.
Keller is soft-spoken, on and off the field, and Shelton joked that he’s trying to get him to smile more. But he showed a killer instinct that had batters blown away.
“I think he carries himself in a really good way,” Shelton said. “He’s very quiet, he’s very calm. For starting pitchers that’s an incredible attribute because of the fact that there’s going to be good days and there’s going to be bad days.
“Being around him, it doesn’t seem like he changes his demeanor very much. … Anytime you’re a pitcher and you have that demeanor, it’s very good because you don’t have those valleys as long.”
3. Making noise: Shelton couldn’t help but hear — and watch — when minor-league reliever Blake Cederlind was on the mound throwing live BP.
The 24-year-old right-hander, a 2016 fifth-round draft choice, was 5-2 with a 2.28 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over three levels in 2019. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Cederlind started the season in high-A at Bradenton, pitched 31 games at Double-A Altoona and three at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Cederlind let out grunts and was popping the catcher’s mitt, making for a cacophony of sounds on the field.
“It was fun to watch,” Shelton said. “It’s noisy. It’s loud. The ball jumps out of his hand. Somebody asks, ‘What was one of the more fun things to watch?’ Watching the blonde hair flowing and you get the sinker going, that was cool to see. That was actually the first time I’ve seen it live. That’ll make you smile.”
4. Drawing a crowd: Shelton is impressed with how the starting rotation is supportive of one another, taking notice that Chris Archer, Steven Brault and Joe Musgrove were watching their teammates throw live bullpens.
After doing their bunting drills, the pitchers spent that time interacting with pitching coach Oscar Marin and bullpen coach Justin Meccage during the live BP.
“One of the cooler moments for me today was you saw Arch back there and you saw Musgrove and Brault,” Shelton said. “When you have that kind of unity and camaraderie, I think it’s a credit to those guys and it’s a credit to Oscar and Mess that they’re creating that environment.”
5. Focusing on fun: Shelton has spoken about how he wants this spring training camp to be purposeful and fun for the Pirates, and he clarified what he meant by that.
The environment is designed to be loose but effective. Shelton wants the players to take ownership by working efficiently instead of dragging in the drudgery.
“I think that’s what it’s about,” Shelton said. “The fun we’re wanting to create is in the drills and the purpose. To actually see these guys after talking to them, to see them live and how hitters react to them, that’s what the great part about early spring training is.”
Shelton sets that tone with his quick wit.
When asked how 6-7 shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz fared in bunting drills, Shelton simply laughed. He was watching the pitchers but isn’t worried about Cruz laying one down.
“When you hit the ball 450 feet,” Shelton said, “I don’t know how often bunting is going to come into play.”
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Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. A Baldwin native and Penn State graduate, he joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at kgorman@triblive.com.
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