Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 1:12AM |  45°
MENU
Advertisement
A baseball can be seen Tuesday, May 25, 2021, at Matulevic Field in Shaler.
1
MORE

Pirates hire Caitlyn Callahan, making her the first uniformed female coach in franchise history

Emily Matthews / Post-Gazette

Pirates hire Caitlyn Callahan, making her the first uniformed female coach in franchise history

A day after news broke of the Pirates hiring the Rays’ former director of pitching development, they made another noteworthy, outside-the-box move Tuesday by bringing in Caitlyn Callahan as a development coach who’ll be based out of Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.

Callahan, who played college softball at St. Mary’s and Boston University, will be the first uniformed female coach in franchise history.

Neither hire has been announced by the Pirates but was confirmed by a team source. Callahan also posted on social media that she had accepted the position, making her one of only about two dozen women coaching in the major or minor leagues.

Advertisement

Callahan had been with the Reds, where she worked as a minor league video and technology intern since February 2020, according to her LinkedIn page.

Among the other experience listed is baseball operations assistant with the Staten Island Yankees; time spent as a scout liaison; and also an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the high school level.

Late Monday night/early Tuesday morning, word leaked that the Pirates made three hires in player development: Dewey Robinson, a bigwig in minor league pitching development with the Rays and Astros; Dan Meyer to succeed Joel Hanrahan as Class AAA Indianapolis’ pitching coach; and Chris Truby as a minor league infield instructor, Pittsburgh plucking him from the Phillies.

The Pirates are expected to formally announce these and more changes to their minor league coaching and development staffs, something that could potentially happen before Christmas.

Advertisement

Callahan will follow the paths of Alyssa Nakken and Bianca Smith, who both blazed trails to uniformed positions.

Last July, Nakken became the first woman to coach on the field in an MLB game, as she worked as first-base coach in an exhibition contest for the Giants against the Athletics. Nakken’s title is officially a major league assistant coach.

Smith, a Sewickley native, was hired by the Red Sox in January 2021 and became the first Black woman to coach in the history of professional baseball. Similar to Callahan, Smith is titled as a minor league coach and based out of Boston’s spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla.

“Excited to announce that I’ve accepted a position with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a Development Coach,” Callahan wrote on Instagram. “I was beyond impressed with all the coaches, staff and players I met and I am looking forward to being a part of this organization.

“Cannot wait to move to Florida in a few weeks and get to work with the rest of the team. Go Pirates!”

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

First Published: December 22, 2021, 2:59 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (46)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
The two Franks worked with pizza legends Chris Bianco and Chad Robertson to perfect their craft.
1
life
A beloved pizzeria is expanding beyond Brooklyn. First stop, Mt. Lebanon.
Students at Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus in Lemont Furnace, walk to class on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
2
news
Penn State to close some commonwealth campuses, President Bendapudi announces
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (37) delivers during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Bradenton, Fla.
3
sports
3 takeaways as Pirates suffer 1st loss of spring training to Braves
Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi spoke during a dedication ceremony for the newly renamed Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center at Penn State, located in Uptown on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.
4
news
Penn State Faculty Senate tables vote of no confidence in President Bendapudi
Ireland Brown is charged with assault, hindering apprehension, tampering with evidence and for the conduct of others in connection with what police have called a seemingly unprovoked attack on 53-year-old Preston Coleman at an Aliquippa VFW on Jan. 5. Investigators alleged that while Ms. Brown did not participate in the assault, she did nothing to intervene for the 30 minutes that it went on.
5
news
Lawsuit filed against Aliquippa VFW where ‘brutal’ assault occurred
A baseball can be seen Tuesday, May 25, 2021, at Matulevic Field in Shaler.  (Emily Matthews / Post-Gazette)
Emily Matthews / Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story