Kelly reveals O'Hearn's journey from repeated setbacks to All-Star status deeply impressed him, proving the outfielder's grit aligns perfectly with Pittsburgh's identity.
Don Kelly has taken on a new responsibility in his first offseason as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager.
Kelly is now part of the recruiting process. An aspect of his job is convincing free agents to sign with the Pirates.
The gig doesn’t seem very easy on the surface. The Pirates finished in last place in the National League Central last season and have had losing seasons in 29 of the last 33 seasons. Thus, Kelly must sell hope and vision rather than tangible results.
However, Kelly is finding that recruiting isn’t that difficult. A case in point is that the Pirates signed first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn to a two-year, $29-million contract after he started in last year’s All-Star Game.
“Well, I will say, talking to Ryan, I didn't have to persuade too much,” Kelly said. “It’s certainly not on me. It was really cool to be able to have that conversation and talk to him through that. He's all about the right things, and he had done his research. He knows where we're at and what we were looking to add, and felt like he could be a big part of getting better offensively. And really excited to have him.”
It helped that Kelly and O’Hearn are kindred spirits, in a sense. Both have had setbacks in their careers.
Kelly was designated for assignment nine times as a player, yet logged nine seasons in the major leagues despite not making his debut until he was 27. O’Hearn was DFA’s three times in a three-month span by the Kansas City Royals on Dec. 28, 2022, and by the Baltimore Orioles twice in 2023 on Jan. 5 and March 27.
Yet O’Hearn bounced back from all those disappointments to make an All-Star team. That resonates with Kelly, especially after the two had a 45-minute phone conversation last month.
“Talking through learning, and that's how the DFAs came up, talking to him about he was DFA'd a couple times in a short period,” Kelly said. “It's unfortunately part of the game, of going through it, and the resiliency that he showed in that moment of going from being DFA'd to starting in the All-Star Game, that's what Pittsburgh is all about, is that toughness and that grit. Really excited to add him to the organization.”