Pirates part ways with pitching coach
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pitching coach Spin Williams is out as Pittsburgh’s pitching coach after being told he would not be part of the Pirates’ major league staff next season. The other coaches – bench coach Pete Mackanin, hitting coach Gerald Perry, first base coach Rusty Kuntz, third base coach John Russell, bullpen coach Bruce Tanner and infield instructor Alvaro Espinoza – were told the team’s new manager will be allowed to hire his own coaches.
Perry, Kuntz and Espinoza have contracts for 2006 and, unless they join other organizations, will be offered minor league jobs for that season.
Former manager Lloyd McClendon was fired Sept. 6, with Mackanin serving the rest of the season as interim manager. The Pirates were 12-14 during his time as manager, but Mackanin was told Sunday by general manager Dave Littlefield he will not be considered for the job next season.
The Pirates finished last in the NL Central at 67-95.
Williams was in his 27th season in the Pirates’ organization and fifth as pitching coach. He was credited with developing left-hander Oliver Perez into an excellent starting pitcher in 2004, but Perez took a step backward during an injury-interrupted 2005 season blamed partly on his poor offseason conditioning program. Also, right-hander Kip Wells led the majors with 18 losses.
The Pirates have also had a long history of pitching prospects developing injuries. Two former first-round draft choices, left-hander Sean Burnett and right-hander John Van Benschoten, missed the 2005 season following reconstructive surgery and another, Bobby Bradley, was released after repeatedly being hurt.
Littlefield said Williams was not singled out, but that the coach wanted to know his status immediately.
“I would consider him for a minor league job, but he just didn’t have interest in that,” Littlefield said.
Williams and Tanner were on McClendon’s first staff in 2001. The other coaches were hired by Littlefield two seasons later.