Shelton’s baseball ‘family’ sings his praises
They come from diverse backgrounds in game, but all work in the sport’s high echelons now
NORTH PORT, Fla. — Sunday was a baseball family reunion for Pirates manager Derek Shelton.
After the Pirates finished their work at spring training, Shelton hopped in a car with general manager Ben Cherington to make the 45-mile journey to CoolToday Park, the new spring training home of the Atlanta Braves.
Baseball operations staff and field managers from each of the 15 teams that train in Florida had representation at Grapefruit League media day.
Shelton was in the room when MLB commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the managers on various subjects before Manfred spoke to reporters. Shelton sat with old friends such as Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, Rays general manager Erik Neander, Twins general manager Derek Falvey and Boston Red Sox general manager Chaim Bloom.
Each of the men worked with Shelton in the past in various capacities. Even for a smooth operator such like Shelton, it could be anxiety inducing to have so many people in one room who know you so well.
“It’s a bad setting for me,” Shelton told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with a wry grin. “No, it’s cool. A lot of these people had a positive impact on my career. To see them in spring training in a casual setting like this is fun, and it shows how far all of us have come.”
We asked each of the men to give
a scouting report of sorts for Pirates fans who are still becoming familiar with their new manager.
Falvey is a GM today, but, when he met Shelton, he was an intern for the Cleveland Indians when Shelton was a hitting coach there. Little did Shelton know that several years later Falvey would be the man hiring him for a bench coach position.
“I was doing some intern duties and making copies and in walks Shelty,” Falvey said. “He was making copies for the hitters, and we struck up a conversation. He introduced himself to me, which rarely happens. It stuck with me. Shelty was kind to everyone in the organization, and I always remembered that.
“He was always good to me. He treated everyone the same from the owner to a nobody intern like I was. That’s who he is as a person.”
Shelton was with the Indians from 2006 until he went to Tampa in 2009. It was in Tampa where Shelton met Baldelli, Bloom, Montoyo and Cash, and was hired by Neander.
“He’s a wonderful man,” Neander said. “He has the ability to relate to everyone well. He’s a versatile communicator and thinker. He’s passionate, and nobody is going to outwork him. He is going to be a great representative for the Pirates.”
Montoyo coached with Shelton in Tampa, and he already has the dates circled on his calendar when the Pirates play the Blue Jays.
“I can’t wait to look across and see him in the other dugout,” Montoyo said. “You guys got a good one with him. He’s going to make the Pirates better. He is so smart, and he knows how to get people to buy into him. Pirate fans should be excited.”
Baldelli played with the Rays when Shelton was a hitting coach. Then, they coached together, and Shelton was Baldelli’s bench coach last season.
“We worked so well together,” Baldelli said. “He is a very positive guy. That energy is essential in this game.
“That is what he’s going to bring to the Pirates.”
The Pirates and Twins will open their spring training schedules against each other Saturday in Bradenton. Baldelli wishes the game was at the Twins facility in Fort Myers so he could play a slight joke on his old friend.
“We’d find a way to do a funny video montage,” Baldelli said. “We’d make sure to put his minor league stats on the big screen. I’d have to find a way to needle my boy. But, seriously, I’m so proud of him. It’s great to see him get this opportunity.”
Shelton’s character and intellect show when speaking to people such as Falvey. The Twins GM tried to hire Shelton one other time before he finally landed him with the Twins.
“I wanted to hire him for a hitting coach when he and the Rays parted ways in 2016,” Falvey said. “He decided he wanted to get out of the hitting coach space, so he took the quality control job with Toronto. I’m glad it worked out a few years later when we had a bench coach opening. I wasn’t going to miss out on him at that time.”
Shelton prides himself on relationship building. He has said that repeatedly since taking the managerial job in November. It’s one thing to hear a man talk. It’s something different to see proof. That room Sunday offered evidence that Shelton is who he says he is.
“He deserves so much credit for getting himself in this position,” Bloom said.
“It wasn’t easy to part ways with him Tampa, but he kept fighting. He challenged himself to keep learning and put himself on track for this type of opportunity. He belongs here and will do a good job for Pittsburgh.”