Twins bench coach Shelton named Pirates' manager

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PITTSBURGH — Derek Shelton is the new manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The team announced the hiring on Wednesday. Shelton replaces Clint Hurdle, who was fired on the final day of the season following a second-half collapse that dropped the Pirates to a last-place finish in the NL Central.



The 49-year-old Shelton spent the last two seasons as the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins. Shelton’s previous stops include a season as the quality control coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017 and seven years as a hitting coach with the Tampa Bay Rays. Shelton broke into the majors as hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians from 2005-09.

Shelton’s managerial experience is limited to minor league stints in the Yankees’ organization in the early 2000s.

The move completes a leadership overhaul for the Pirates. The team hired Travis Williams as president in October and Ben Cherington as general manager this month.