Pirates announce 2026 major league coaching staff, make five new hires
The Pirates' complete 2026 coaching staff was announced on Thursday morning and includes five new hires who will be in the dugout this upcoming season.
Chief among them is the hiring of Kristopher Negron as the bench coach. In 2025, he was the third base coach for the AL West champion Seattle Mariners. From 2022-24, he was the first base coach in Seattle. Prior to his MLB experience, he was the manager of the Mariners' AAA affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers, and won a Triple-A West championship in 2021.
"We have talked a lot as an organization about being better on and off the field. We are constantly working on measures that will allow us to take our game to the next level," said Pirates Manager Don Kelly. "We believe this group will help us accomplish that. We have added some unique perspectives, postseason experience and success, and an enormous amount of baseball knowledge to our staff. I am excited to navigate the 2026 season with this group."
Along with Negron, the Pirates named Bill Murphy as the pitching coach. Murphy was the Houston Astros' pitching coach from 2022-25, and in those four seasons, he helped guide the team to an MLB-leading 3.61 ERA. Joining Murphy on the pitching staff is Thomas Whitsett, who was named the assistant pitching coach. He was also part of the Houston organization, serving as the pitching coach at Triple-A Sugar Land.
Tony Beasley is returning for his third stint with the Pirates and will serve as the third base coach. He was in the same role with the club from 2008-2010, and has spent the last 11 seasons as the Texas Rangers' third base coach.
Shawn Bowman, who was the manager of Triple-A Indianapolis for most of 2025, will serve as the Pirates' Major League Field Coordinator.
Returning to the club this season are eight coaches.
They include Tarrik Brock as first base coach, Jordan Comadena as catching coach, Raul Hernandez as the bullpen catcher, Christian Marrero as assistant hitting coach, Stephen Morales as translator and assistant coach, Miguel Perez as the bullpen coach, and Johnny Tucker as an assistant hitting coach.