Keeping Clint Hurdle in 2020 Would Be Devastating to the Pittsburgh Pirates Future

Clint Hurdle’s future with the Pittsburgh Pirates seems uncertain, but the team needs to make the right choice and move on.

On Wednesday night, as the Pittsburgh Pirates took the field against the Chicago Cubs, reports surfaced regarding manager Clint Hurdle’s future with the team. Despite the team’s lack of success and constant drama surrounding the club, Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic (subscription required), reported that Hurdle would be back as manager in 2020. Soon after that news broke, however, more reports came pouring in that no decision has been made and the future of Hurdle in Pittsburgh is still very much up in the air. One thing is evident; however, if he is back in 2020, it will devastate the franchise’s ability to win in the future.

Hurdle’s tenure in Pittsburgh hasn’t always been so disappointing. After all, this is the same man who led the team back to the playoffs after years of embarrassing play. That said, it appears he has lost the respect of his team, and as a result, the Pirates have returned to mediocrity. From poor in-game management decisions to fighting and drama that surrounds the clubhouse, Hurdle’s 2019 campaign has been tumultuous, to say the least. His message is no longer reaching the team, and it has shown on and off the field.

The best thing for this Pirates team moving forward is to start over completely. In a perfect world Bob Nutting would sell the team to a competent owner and the team could rebuild from there, but with that not happening, the next best thing is to hire an all-new staff. If the Pirates ever hope to return to respectability, they can’t allow their young players to be a part of the circus that Hurdle has allowed to break out within Pittsburgh’s locker room. Furthermore, the youngsters should not have to overcome poor situational management decisions and horrid positional coaching. This team must realize that their current manager seems unlikely to do anything except hurt the long-term potential of whatever cornerstones exist within the Pirates system.

This should be an easy decision for the Pirates – move on from Hurdle.