6 potential hires for Pirates’ hitting and bullpen coach vacancies

Andrew Destin / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

While it remains to be seen whether more changes are in store, the Pirates have already altered their Major League coaching staff in a significant way.

Multiple sources informed the Post-Gazette on Monday evening that the Pirates have parted ways with hitting coach Andy Haines and bullpen coach Justin Meccage. It is unclear exactly how those positions will be filled, since some MLB franchises opt for co-hitting and pitching coaches.

But, what is clear is there are bound to be some additions in the near future to manager Derek Shelton’s coaching staff as he enters his sixth season at the helm in Pittsburgh. Here’s a look at three potential options to fill the Pirates’ hitting and bullpen coach vacancies.

Donnie Ecker, bench coach and offensive coordinator (Texas Rangers)

Don’t let the job title deceive you — Ecker wouldn’t be brought to Pittsburgh to take over play-calling duties from Arthur Smith. Since the Rangers hired Ecker in November of 2021, he has functioned in a co-hitting coach role alongside hitting coach Tim Hyers and assistant hitting coach Seth Conner.

Long-term, the 38-year-old Ecker could eventually be a manager, but he is likely blocked in Texas. Rangers associate manager Will Venable is, by all indications, Bruce Bochy's heir apparent.

Ecker and the Rangers are just a year removed from winning a World Series. He’d bring instant credibility to the Pirates’ clubhouse as a result.

Brandon Allen, assistant hitting coach (St. Louis Cardinals)

Allen just wrapped up his second season as the Cardinals’ assistant hitting coach, and according to The Athletic’s Katie Woo, he has a contract that is up for negotiation this offseason. Should the Cardinals elect to part ways with Allen after the club failed to finish higher than 19th in MLB in runs for the second straight year, he’d be an intriguing candidate for the Pirates.

A four-year MLB veteran, Allen showcased all sorts of power potential in the minors but could never translate it to the big-league game. However, since retiring, Allen has paid his dues and served as a hitting coach for various minor-league affiliates in the Cardinals’ system.

Like Ecker, Allen is 38 and could relate to players, given he’s less than a decade removed from regularly squaring off against MLB pitchers.

Hensley Meulens, hitting coach (Colorado Rockies)

Should the Pirates prefer a more veteran hitting coach, Hensley Meulens, 57, makes a good deal of sense. Meulens brings pedigree as a three-time World Series champion when he was the San Francisco Giants’ hitting coach and was even interviewed back in 2017 to be the New York Yankees’ manager. Aaron Boone ultimately landed that job.

Meulens has guided the Rockies’ offensive attack the last two seasons, which has been below league average despite playing half their home games at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Meulens is certainly more of a throwback style when it comes to hitting. The Curacao native also has some managerial experience, doing so for Team Netherlands at the 2020 Olympic Baseball Qualifier.

Juan Nieves, assistant pitching coach (Detroit Tigers)

A significant reason the Tigers made such a strong second-half push to the postseason has been their bullpen, which finished the year fifth in MLB in ERA (3.55). Nieves, 59, has been an assistant pitching coach for the Tigers since the start of the 2021 season. Before then, he was the pitching coach for the Tigers’ top minor-league affiliate.

In 2013, Nieves was hired as Boston’s pitching coach when Ben Cherington was the Red Sox general manager. Under Cooper’s watch, the Red Sox posted the second-lowest ERA in the American League before going on to win the World Series.

Given the Tigers’ recent success and plethora of pitching coaches, someone is bound to depart, and Nieves could be the one to do so.

Rick Knapp, assistant pitching and rehab coach (Tampa Bay Rays)

Previously the pitching coach for the Tigers, Knapp has done it all. He was a minor league pitching coordinator for both the Kansas City Royals and Los Angeles Dodgers before returning to coaching in 2018 as the pitching coach for the Tampa Bay Rays’ top affiliate.

For the last two seasons, Knapp has served as an assistant on manager Kevin Cash’s coaching staff. Consistently, the Rays are able to put forth one of the best bullpens in the league, and Knapp has been privy to behind-the-scenes conversations with that shrewd franchise for a while.

Should Knapp want to return to being a pitching coach, let alone a bullpen coach, perhaps Pittsburgh is the next logical stop.

Darren Holmes, former bullpen coach (Chicago Cubs)

As reported by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, the Cubs have parted ways with bullpen coach Darren Holmes after just one season in Chicago. Under Holmes’ direction, Cubs relievers combined to post a 3.81 ERA that ranked 12th in MLB. But, offseason signee Hector Neris struggled as a closer and was ultimately released by the end of August.

Holmes, 58, has worked as an MLB bullpen coach every season since 2015. He was the Rockies’ bullpen coach from 2015 through the 2019 campaign, as well as the Orioles’ from 2020 through 2023.

Among bullpen coaches who will be of interest to the Pirates, Holmes is perhaps the most experienced of the bunch and brings some familiarity after spending last season with the Cubs.