The Pirates are hiring Brent Strom as an assistant pitching coach, as first reported by Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The veteran coach was dismissed from the lead pitching role with the Diamondbacks at the outset of the offseason.
It comes as something of a surprise that Strom accepted an assistant pitching coach role. He’d been a team’s top pitching voice for more than a decade. The Astros hired him as pitching coach going into the 2014 season. He quickly secured a reputation as one of the sport’s top coaches. Houston had quite a few developmental success stories among their young arms over his eight-year tenure. Arizona hired Strom during the 2021-22 offseason. He held a role on Torey Lovullo’s staff for three years.
Strom will now work alongside pitching coach Oscar Marin in Pittsburgh. (The Bucs also still need to hire a bullpen coach after dismissing Justin Meccage in September.) Marin and Strom will work with one of the sport’s most talented young staffs. Paul Skenes and Jared Jones already look like top-of-the-rotation starters as they go into their second seasons. Mitch Keller is a quality mid-rotation arm who might still have untapped potential. Bailey Falter and Luis Ortiz have the final two rotation spots on paper, though the Bucs could graduate prospects Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington before long.
Strom is Pittsburgh’s second notable hire of the day. The Bucs tabbed Matt Hague as hitting coach this morning. The bullpen coach may be the final remaining decision as Derek Shelton builds his 2025 staff.
Love this
I expected to go to his bio and see “Born in Pittsburgh” or something. He has zero affiliation to the area (unless his wife etc). It is surprising he took an assistant role
Great hire
Maybe he sees that much in Skenes, Jones and others?
Branch that’s what I was thinking
Why? Because he wanted to work with Skenes, Jones, Keller, Bubba?
I guess maybe this would have been surprising 3-4 years ago when they had very little. Here, he can tweak instead of having to rebuild or resurrect. If he wanted to keep working, it only makes sense for him
Why the falling out in Arizona? Anybody know? Love it for the Pirates.
It’s because of the “special” man that yelled at him about the football slider. Completely destroyed his career.
3 months later Rog was in the Dbacks clubhouses showing techniques to his football Slider. That’s a heck of long connection.
Someone took over the bullpen in ST from up above, got a little crazy, no security. Turned into a circus but more clowns.
Really like the moves the Pirates made today. Very promising start to the off-season for sure.
Holy cow. Someone tell Roger B!! Get the football slider going. Maybe Roger can send a message of cut out magazine letters!
Roger, strap on the helmet you wear in the car and get heading to Pittsburgh!
I just saw the pictures of Roger and Strom on his Twitter, Even Lovullo acknowledges he knows the Football Slider. I never heard of it, what’s going on? I wish pitchers from the past would have gave out their secret so I could have thrown it 40 years ago.
Shut up, Roger. Nobody is believing your BS. I caught you like Chris Hansen.
Have a seat.
I played for the Yankees 34 years ago, Sax got the Mackey Sasser, Knoblach thing and I got my shot. I tried 3rd base but I’m a shortstop without an arm. I’m the only player that injuries helped my longevity. When I went to the Cardinals I befriended Mac. I always told people I’ve been lucky my whole life.
Why didn’t Guidry tell the Yankees pitchers his Grip, tilt and Wrist action every year since 1980? I saw he told Leiter everyone should try their own thing…The answer is no, there’s only one way to get 2 plane break and all 3 must be used.
How did Lovullo know the Football Slider? That’s a weird one.
What pitchers from the beginning of baseball told their secret slider grip, tilt wrist action? I wish they would have I would’ve thrown it 65 years ago. Hey wait a minute if ONE of them would have that would have started hundreds of others in the league throwing it causing a revolution and even making MLB call it another slider like a sweeper? That wouldn’t be a good idea to video testimonial would it? Hooked on phonics reports all this stuff, get one at dollar general they are 80% off.
You aren’t helping your case, Roger. I’d say go the Dave Hopla route and do youth camps, but I feel like that’s not an option with your record.
Cut out magazine letters are much different than a future HOF pitching coach admitting half the pitchers don’t f n listen to him after they just went to the World Series. That’s a major flaw for a Future HOF pitching coach. If he’s smart he will stay in contact.
Some of the pitchers in the video rebelled at what happened. T The guy sent down in the dbacks clubhouse is the guy who didn’t listen and the reason the Dbacks didn’t make the playoffs. Roger didn’t get anyone fired. Strom’s actions in the bullpen did.
Watch the pirates make the playoffs next year with 3 starters having an ERA under 3.5
No hitting. No hope to get any.
They have some hitting, and replacing Andy Haines with Matt Hague is a huge upgrade in the coaching staff.
Only if you think Andy Haines was the worst hitting coach in the league and Cherington and his weirdo “movement guru” Bart from Amsterdam aren’t the actual problem.
They have a bad offense but not like bottom 25 bad
Reynolds is a star, Cruz will only get better, Bart is good now, Gonzales has a ton of potential, hayes could have a bounce back (with an asterisk)
Hayes is just as likely to not play baseball this year with his chronic back disc with no gel problem as he is to get to 250PAs. Reynolds is a good regular but not a star. Cruz made some strides with his platoon splits last year but that still netted out in his best season to date being a 110 wRC+. He’s 26. Peak is 27. Will he _only get better?_
That’s a pessimistic take on the pirates
Would you rather try to find happiness or find sorrow? While there is 10x more sorrow than there is happiness in an organization like the pirates, finding happiness makes you happy
Correct they were 24th in runs scored
And of course Skenes Cy Young.
Just lost 150 because of betting on Jay Bell.
Ray Searage is 69. Leo Mazzone is 76. Might as well have given them a call, too
Seriously though, having Strom around isn’t going to hurt
Searage was good… for a while. Then the game evolved but he didn’t
I remember him pitching for the Padres. I must be old too.
If I remember right I heard on a broadcast that he was the 2nd guy to ever get elbow reconstruction surgery, only before Tommy John of course
The surgery could’ve been named Brent strom surgery! BS surgery is a lot more fun than TJ!
I remember his 1974 Padres Topps card. It’s lying in a shoebox around here somewhere.
If he knew and threw the Football Slider he could’ve been hung around another 15 years.
Wait, the football slider guy said on here that he had spoken with Strom in the Dbacks clubhouse 2 weeks ago.
He said May 23, he got pictures of it on his Twitter and Facebook, smart man, I wouldn’t believe it. How did that happen?
Dude was spamming nonstop about the football slider guy. Can’t say the name it seems…
Strom brought the most important spammer in MLB history in the dbacks clubhouse and ended up getting in hot water.
He is the football slider guy. If he doesn’t show up it will be the first time. The videos are real. I watched them. I used to poke fun at the guy but not after seeing the videos. He really really needs our support.
It’s EDITED big time to protect Strom. It’s off the charts crazy what he said.
Oh wow. I thought you couldn’t say the name because he would show up. Literally can’t say the name lol
Strom and Football Slider guy communicated all season long, mostly trying to help 4 pitchers. A few knew the about the video and didn’t want to join the club.
Strom and you. You are the football slider guy.
62 emails, 48 minute video. Some pitchers knew about it and rebelled, they said screw it cutters, changeups curves, call it sweeper instead of slider, some weak minded guys, just trying to help elevate their game. Never asked for anything.
They were too scared. Their loss I say
Tommy Henry threw 51 sliders out of 800 pitches in the bigs then goes to Reno and throw the slider like 30% of the time. Even said he did cause the AAA catcher said so!! NUTS!
Walston is awesome with the Football Slider, savant said slider he had it changed to sweeper then decided to throw cutters and curves more!!! NUTS!
Cecconi wouldn’t move to the right side of rubber, his slider didn’t play from the left side, Told BS Don’t want anything to do with it.
Pfaadt did something nobody talks about, his arm wasn’t tired and it wasn’t more curve usage later in the year.
Pirates fans want to know is Roger he who shall not be named moving to Pittsburgh? Or at the very least going to Pirates spring training? Dbacks don’t deserve he who shall not be named anymore.
Gallen later in the year threw many knuckle curves without the spike, there was an adjustment period.
It’s up to Strom and or the Pirates, Roger travels anywhere, teaching his football slider.
The Pirates organization should have picked up the RBFS in 2018 when Glasnow, Taillon, Musgrove, Kuhl started throwing. This is proof pitchers DO NOT want to talk about the RBFS.
It’s possible Searage didn’t even know about what was going on!
They need to get together have dinner at red lobster and get it done. Strom without he who shall not be named is like mashed potatoes without gravy or turkey without stuffing. Just not as good. Strom seemed ready to retire. Roger could take over if he chooses to.
The analysts called the shots not Strom. Ryne Nelson was told at one point to just throw cutters, changeup fastball.
Look at Tigers game Nelson lost 13-0 23 cutters 3 sliders.
Those decisions by the analysts created many losses.
Kyle crick new it.
Crick learned RBFS May 2018 in PItt.
He didn’t throw it in SF.
All Strom has to do is get Roger to individually teach whoever he requests and that pitcher in one month will be top tier.
Many pick it up instantly but it’s the ones that are missing a technique or need to know a key adjustment that Roger specializes in.
Because he got a crick in his neck
The same water that the dinosaurs drank
Is the same water that the Persian fleet sank in
The same water that moistened the primordial ooze
Is now hammering on
Is now hammering on
My metal porch roof
Hammer ‘dem down!
I like when water has additives and tweaked, Coca Cola is my favorite.
The Pirates Starters overall, are better than the Dbacks,
Who gets the credit when Skenes, Keller and Jones are all 20 game winners in 2025? Shelton, Marinara or Swamy?
Roger he who shall not me named
Strom said some of the Dback pitchers with heavy weight didn’t connect with him. What’s going to change in Pitt?
Dbacks staff is full of established veterans who have had success for several years in MLB and the Pirates staff has a ton of arm talent but they’re young and just breaking into the majors. Great opportunity for Strom to share his wealth of experience.
Shame the Pirates won’t spend on better hitters.
Maybe the Pirates will be top 5 in pitching Era, bottom 10 in hitting and make the playoffs. The Dbacks won 90 games, if they won 84 and went to the playoffs they would have kept Strom. Dback’s are crazy for getting rid of Strom.
Nice to see Strom get this job, he should have never been fired.
That pitching staff could have had a deep run, it was like 7 guys that would have never pitched in the playoffs that destroyed the ERA.
The Dbacks were never known for their pitching development and it was no different in 2024.
Assistant to the pitching coach or Assistant pitching coach?
Brent Strom?
Didn’t he invent the Football Sweeper?