What Does Russell Bring to Pirates?

November 6, 2007 @ 06:17:22

By Art Morath
Edited by Ryan Dodson

After managing the Philadelphia Phillies' Triple-A affiliate the last two years, John Russell is back in Pittsburgh, this time as the manager. The 46-year-old Russell, who once caught a Nolan Ryan no-hitter, was the third base coach and catching instructor in Pittsburgh when manager Lloyd McClendon was fired toward the end of the 2005 season. Russell takes over for Jim Tracy, the Pirates manager the last two seasons. The Pirates finished the 2007 season in last place at 68-94, their 15th consecutive losing season.

Russell, who has never managed at the major league level, had a 666-667 record in 10 seasons as a minor league manager. He was named Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball America in 2002 when he led the Minnesota Twins Triple-A affiliate, the Edmonton Trappers, to the Pacific Coast League title. From 2003 through 2005 he was part of McClendon's staff in Pittsburgh. Following his departure from Pittsburgh he earned accolades as the International League Manager of the Year in 2006, after leading the Philadelphia Phillies Triple-A affiliate to the International League North division championship. This past season was not a championship season for Russell, however. His talent-starved Triple-A squad finished in last place in the International League North with a record of 55-88.

Russell's hiring follows that of new general manager Neal Huntington, who came over from the Cleveland Indians in late September. Huntington spent 10 seasons with the Indians front office, most recently in the role of advance scout. Huntington was a logical choice for Pittsburgh because he comes from a small market team that has built a successful model for a low-budget franchise. The Indians do not have a huge payroll, but they have been much better about evaluating and acquiring young talent than the Pirates. The Rockies and Diamondbacks showed us this season how successful small-market teams can be if they can acquire quality young players, especially in the weaker National League.

A career backup catcher in the majors, Russell says his strength is developing young players, so it's not hard to see why Huntington favored him in his initial managerial search. The Pirates have a young and inexperienced team and Russell has a reputation as a hands-on manager and instructor. The Pirates strength right now is their young starting pitching, including 25-year-old Tom Gorzelanny and 26-year-old Ian Snell. Hiring a manager with Russell's background working with young pitchers should accentuate this strength. 

The Pirates are not expected to raise payroll this offseason, so do not expect them to make a splash in free agency. In fact, there are rumors swirling that outfielder and former Rookie of the Year Jason Bay, coming off a down year where he hit only .248, could be on the move for younger blood. Obviously, Russell has little control over how his roster shakes out. His job will be to squeeze more wins than anyone expects out of it.

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Art Morath
Art Morath has been a contributor to KFFL since 2007.

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