Former GM Loves Pirates Hire of Brent Strom
The Pittsburgh Pirates are continuing to round out their coaching staff for the 2025 season and have reportedly added their biggest name to date.
Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Wednesday night that the Pirates have hired Brent Strom as their assistant pitching coach. He'll work alongside Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin, who has had that role since 2020.
Strom was previously the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching coach from 2022 to 2024 before he was let go. Before landing in Arizona, he was the Houston Astros' pitching coach from 2014 to 2021.
The Astros won one World Series and three American League pennants in his tenure. Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole enjoyed some of the best seasons of their careers with Strom in Houston, including in 2019 when they combined to go 41-11 and strikeout 626 batters.
Among those excited by the Pirates reportedly hiring Strom is Steve Phillips, who was New York Mets general manager from 1997 to 2003 and is currently an insider for TSN and MLB Network and host of Leadoff Spot for MLB Network Radio.
"I love Brent Strom joining them as the assistant pitching coach," Phillips said. "It's crazy the move in Pittsburgh, how brilliant it is when you think about Mitch, Keller, Jared Jones, Paul Skenes [and] the other young pitchers they have coming right now. For Brent Strom, it's not about being the guy, right? [It's] not about being the head pitching coach and the lead guy. He wants to help pitchers get better and what a great place to go with great young pitchers. The Pirates are better now."
With potential NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, Jared Jones and Mitch Keller in tow and top pitching prospects like Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Thomas Harrington waiting in the wings, a coach of Strom's caliber can do wonders for their development. If he can help them reach their potential, Pittsburgh has a shot to have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball for years to come.
"I love this for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization," Phillips said. "This is fantastic. Teaching at the major league level is what we're doing more and more now today and they got one of the best pitching teachers out there."
