Pirates on the Rise?: Past Failures Admitted and New Coaches Added

Despite the fact that the Pirates did not have a breakout season this year, they have had a lot going on lately, and for that reason, this article had to be written.

1. The Pirates Have a New Pitching Coach

The Pirates hired Joe Kerrigan to be their new pitching coach, replacing Jeff Andrews. I feel as though it was the right hire. Once Andrews was fired, I instantly thought that we should sign Kerrigan because of the experience he provides.

He was the pitching coach when Pedro Martinez won two of his three CY Young Awards. He also was the pitching coach for the Philadelphia Phillies and the bench coach for the New York Yankees.

If that resume doesn't show you that he knows how to win, then you may also want to know that he was a broadcaster for the World Champion Phillies (the job he left to be in Pittsburgh). Kerrigan brings experience to the table as a pitching coach and I am excited to see what he can do for the Pirates.

2. Four Players Taken Off of the 40-Man Roster

Very recently, the Pirates dropped four pitchers from their 40-man roster. These pitchers are John Van Benschoten (whom many call JVB), Marino Salas, Yoslan Herrera (who was known as the Pinata) and Ronald Belisario. Although it may seem like no big deal, it truly shows that this new Pirates management, under Neal Huntington and Frank Coonelly, knows what they are doing.

All four of these pitchers seemed to be over matched on a consistent basis, and thus were taken off of the 40-man roster. Once you are taken off the 40-man roster, you are instantly placed in the Minor League (which was not really a problem for Belisario because he had no major league experience anyways) and cannot make the Major Leagues (unless, of course, you are placed back on the 40-man roster).

John Van Benschoten is a perfect example of an overmatched Pirates'. Based on his work the past couple of seasons, he showed the Pirates he was a lifetime Triple-A pitcher at best. While he seemed to dominate at Triple-A, he ultimately failed as long as he was wearing a Pirates' uniform.

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