Miguel Perez Honored To Join Pirates' Coaching Staff
Miguel Perez's ascension up the coaching ranks in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization has reached its apex.
The Pirates announced on Friday that they have named Perez their bullpen coach. Perez had been a coach in the organization since 2014 and was most recently the manager for Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians for three seasons. Perez will replace Justin Meccage, who had been the team's bullpen coach since 2020 before parting ways after the 2024 season.
We have hired Miguel Perez as the organization’s Major League Bullpen Coach. pic.twitter.com/HQG139Xo2f
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) December 13, 2024
Getting promoted to being a coach in the big leagues was among the top moments for Perez in his baseball career, and he compared it to two other significant moments from his time as a player on the diamond.
"It’s an honor for me being promoted from Triple-A manager to the Major League staff," Perez said in a Q&A with MLB.com's Jim Lachimia. "This is the third time I’ve had this kind of feeling. The first was back when I signed to play professional baseball. The second was when I got called up to the big leagues as a player (with the Cincinnati Reds in 2005). And the third was when I talked to Shelty about becoming the bullpen coach. It’s a great feeling. My family is excited, and I’m pumped to be able to help the Pittsburgh Pirates accomplish our goals."
Perez was signed as an international free agent in 2000 by the Cincinnati Reds and he made a brief cameo in the big leagues in 2005. He spent most of his career in the minor leagues, which included three stints with the Pirates in Triple-A Indianapolis. In 2014, he entered the coaching ranks and then worked his way up to becoming the manager of the Bristol Pirates of the Appalachian League in 2017.
After two seasons in Bristol, he spent the next two seasons as the manager for High-A Greensboro in 2019 and Double-A Altoona in 2021 before becoming the manager for Triple-A Indianapolis in 2022.
While Perez is moving into a much more specific role as bullpen coach, many of the same premises still remain with making sure his players are ready for whatever situation they enter.
"Being the bullpen coach is about creating winning mentalities and preparing guys for certain situations," Perez said. "Anticipating what can happen and making sure they’ll be ready should the opportunity arise. It’s basically getting them ready to step on the field and making sure that when they’re going from the bullpen to the mound, they have everything they need to execute what they need to execute."
