Matt Hague Emotional About Return To Pirates
Few stories in sports resonate like a homecoming, and that story is coming full circle for Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague.
The Pirates are hiring former right-handed hitting first baseman Matt Hague as the team's next hitting coach. The Pirates drafted Hague in 2008 and he had two brief stints with them in the big leagues in 2012 and 2014 before rounding out his big league career with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015.
While Hague is days into the job, he's still processing everything that comes with becoming the Pirates' hitting coach and what it means to him.
"I don’t think I’ve fully grasped everything yet, but there are a lot of emotions, especially excitement and joy," Hague said in a Q&A with MLB.com's Jim Lachimia. "Thinking back to when I was drafted and came out of college, I didn’t necessarily know where I fit in the pro game. But I have vivid memories of playing for the Pirates in the Minors and the Majors. I often think about the times when we were rolling, the Wild Card games and how the city of Pittsburgh came alive. It was something very special.”
The Pirates made the playoffs in 2014 and were eliminated by the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Pittsburgh's last postseason appearance was in 2015.
After his playing career came to a close, Hague entered the coaching ranks with the Blue Jays in 2019. From 2021 to 2023 he was a hitting coach at Double-A and Triple-A for Toronto before working his way up to the big leagues and becoming the assistant hitting coach.
In Toronto, Hague spent the majority of the 2024 season with utility infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who Pittsburgh acquired in a trade at the trade deadline. IKF was on pace for a career year at the plate, hitting .292/.338.420 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 83 games. Kiner-Falefa touted Hague's coaching ability and his ability to connect with his players.
"I really liked working with him in Toronto and I'm excited he's now a Pirate," Kiner-Falefa said. "He's an up-and-coming coach that has a really good understanding of analytics as well as different techniques that allows guys to be free in the box. He's going to help us a lot."
