Former manager Gene Lamont named special adviser to Pirates' Don Kelly
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced a series of coaching additions to their major-league staff Friday, as new manager Don Kelly gets settled on the job.
Former manager Gene Lamont is joining the Pirates as a special adviser to Kelly, and Triple-A Indianapolis manager Chris Truby has been added to the major-league coaching staff in an unspecified capacity.
Kelly vacated his role as bench coach to take over as manager when Derek Shelton was fired May 8.
Third-base coach Mike Rabelo, who will continue in that role, is set to take on bench duties and will have “increased responsibilities in game planning and in-game strategy,” per the Pirates.
Lamont, 78, served as manager of the Pirates from 1997-2000, compiling a record of 295-352 (.456) in 647 games.
This will be his third stint with the Pirates organization, having been one of Jim Leyland’s original coaches on the Pirates starting in 1986.
Lamont coached under Leyland through 1991 before departing to assume managerial duties for the Chicago White Sox.
From 1992 until his firing 42 games into the 1995 campaign, Lamont went 258-210 (.551) with the White Sox, guiding them to the AL West title in ’93 and berth in the ALCS. He was named AL Manager of the Year in 1993.
Lamont later returned to the Pirates in 1996 and succeeded Leyland as manager the following season.
That year’s Pirates were dubbed the “Freak Show” and finished 79-83, good for second place in a weak NL Central Division.
Under Lamont, those 79 wins in 1997 would be the high-water mark, as the Pirates went 69-93 the following season, 78-83 in 1999 and 69-93 again in 2000.
Lamont has also coached with the Boston Red Sox (2001), Houston Astros (2002-04) and Detroit Tigers (2006-17), where he was reunited with Leyland for eight seasons.
Truby was in his first season as manager of Indianapolis.
He will be succeeded in that role by Shawn Bowman, who began the 2025 campaign as the Pirates’ assistant director, coaching and player development/minor league field coordinator.
Truby is joining the Pirates on Friday in Philadelphia, and Lamont will assume his duties at the beginning of next week’s homestand.
Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.
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