Late in 2021, as the Pirates fought tooth and nail to avoid 100 losses, Andy Haines couldn’t help but notice from the opposing dugout. Milwaukee’s hitting coach at the time, Haines said he respected how manager Derek Shelton’s (undermanned) team wouldn’t quit.
Not enough to avoid an unsightly record, obviously, but the Pirates — 61-101 a year ago — absolutely made an impression on Haines, who was let go by Milwaukee after the season and hired in Pittsburgh about a month later.
“They lost a lot of games,” Haines said. “It’s tough. But to look across the field and see how that team played, that was a big credit to the entire coaching staff, the environment and how they think. ... That stood out to me.”
During a 26-minute Zoom call with local reporters on Friday, Haines tackled a variety of topics. They ranged from how he’s maximized lockout time to a key developmental component and even where he prefers his hitters take batting practice. Here are five key points.
‘Good times are coming’
Haines is extremely bullish on the Pirates’ chances. Maybe that’s predictable given what he said about watching the Pirates play hard late in the year, but he said the more he’s learned about general manager Ben Cherington, Shelton and the people under them, the better he feels about the ongoing rebuild.
“It’s easy to judge on the surface, but when you start seeing what’s happening organization-wide, it’s easy to believe that some really good days are coming,” Haines said.
The farm system has been one source of optimism, but Haines has also been encouraged by meeting assistant hitting coach Christian Marrero, major league analyst Tim McKeithan and resuscitating previous relationships with bench coach Don Kelly and third-base coach Mike Rabelo.
“People in Pittsburgh at this point are probably like, ‘Talk is cheap.’ They want to see action,” Haines said. “But I firmly believe that there are too many arrows pointing in the right direction; some really good times are coming.”
Milwaukee talk
Things did not end well for Haines in Milwaukee. Although the Brewers set a franchise record for home runs (250) during his first season in 2019, the Brewers finished 20th in OPS (.713) and had the seventh-most strikeouts in MLB (1,465) this past year.
They seemingly righted the ship with a solid second half, but then closed the regular season by dropping 12 of 18 and scoring six runs over four games in the NLDS.
Haines did some really good things in Milwaukee, like overseeing a 44-homer season for Christian Yelich in 2019, but the Brewers' struggles seemed to mirror those of their best player — and Haines paid the price.
“They were three eventful seasons, with successes, lots of great things, then some struggles and challenges,” Haines said. “It’s easy to get defensive and say, ‘Man, this isn’t right.’ And it’s easy to beat yourself up and say, ‘How’d this happen? Should’ve been better.’ Reality is always in the middle.”
Haines said something that resonated for him was talking to Cherington and Shelton about their own experiences, how they went through highs and lows with Boston and Tampa, respectively, and refused to let any of that define them.
“The only option is to keep going and getting better,” Haines said. “That’s the reality of it.”
Lockout shift
The interview with Haines was somewhat limited because he’s prohibited from discussing individual players, per lockout rules. More impactful is the fact that coaches are not allowed to have contact with players, so Haines really hasn't fully started his new job yet.
Haines said he's been trying to make good use of the time by connecting with more people within the organization, something that has been relatively easy given the fact that, well, a month or so ago he knew no one.
“We need to make sure that when we do talk to players again, we've used this time wisely,” Haines said.
A key gap
Philosophy-wise, Haines’ comments were fairly predictable. He wants an offense that’s exciting and can win games different ways. Haines described Pirates hitters as having a lot of “upside” and was really impressed with the prospects coming.
From a leadership perspective, Haines tries to see things through his hitters’ eyes and wants to foster an environment that leads to consistent, individual improvement.
That last component really matters because of where the Pirates sit — with young talent in the minor leagues, but also a shoddy recent history of helping players transition their development to the majors.
“There’s a gap there,” Haines said. “That has to be the wheelhouse of the Pirates. The joy is that challenge of helping those players make that transition.”
‘Painfully slow’
Taking batting practice outside is Haines’ preferred method because there’s less need for technology. The flight of the ball will tell you if something worked or not.
Haines also isn’t married to launch angle or exit velocity as exclusive or definitive statistics; teams like the Pirates, who aren’t built to bang, should probably spend time doing other stuff well to compensate. Haines also believes it’s important for any team — but especially the Pirates — to hit off-time.
Or basically figure out a way to contribute when either overmatched or not at your best.
“The way pitching is, the way defense is played, you have to be able to hit when you’re not on time,” Haines said.
One tech-related thing Haines discussed was wanting software to monitor swing paths, the same way the Pirates have modernized themselves on the pitching side with Edgertronic cameras, Rapsodo and the like.
The issue is that finding those things aren’t easy. It’s a key evolution for the sport as a whole.
“How we train in baseball and practice is next level for me,” Haines said. “That really fires me up.”
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: January 7, 2022, 7:07 p.m.