Pirates Manager Derek Shelton Agrees to Contract Extension amid 14-7 Start

A surprising hot start for the Pittsburgh Pirates has led to a vote of confidence from the front office.

Per Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic, the team had extended manager Derek Shelton's contract, with no further details on the monetary value or length.

Shelton has been the manager of the Pirates since 2020, leading the team to a 156-249 record in the span. The decision comes as the Pirates have started the season a surprising 14-7 and currently sit in second place in the NL Central.

Shelton's tenure with the Pirates has been extremely transitional, as the franchise has not qualified for the playoffs since 2015 and consistently has one of the lowest payrolls in MLB. They currently have the 27th-highest payroll across the 30 teams in the league.

The Pirates have series wins over the Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, with a split against last season's NL Central-winning St. Louis Cardinals.

The Pirates have cruised off the performances of players like Bryan Reynolds and Rodolfo Castro, with a resurgent season from 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen in his first year back with the team adding a nice touch.

Shelton took the helm from Clint Hurdle, who had coached the team for the previous nine seasons. Shelton played 46 games in the New York Yankees organization and is in his first managerial position after a lengthy career in various assistant roles.