At first glance, the Pittsburgh Pirates raised eyebrows on Friday by pulling 78-year-old Gene Lamont out of retirement to act as a special advisor to rookie manager Don Kelly.
However, the move made perfect sense to Kelly, who thought of Lamont right away after being named manager last week. And for those who followed Kelly’s playing days, the reunion of two figures from Jim Leyland’s renowned coaching tree came as no surprise.
Gene Lamont, who last coached in 2017 with the Detroit Tigers, was enjoying his retirement when Don Kelly reached out with an offer to join his staff.
“I’m really excited about it,” Kelly said before Friday’s game. “Bringing Gene Lamont in as a mentor isn’t just valuable for me—it benefits the whole staff and the players.”
“He was obviously part of Jim Leyland’s staff. I don’t need to go on about how highly I think of him. I’m just thrilled he’s agreed to be part of this, to support us, the Pirates, and the entire organization.”
A Lifetime in Baseball
Gene Lamont’s baseball journey spans six decades, beginning as a catcher with the Detroit Tigers, where he played parts of five seasons from 1970 to 1975. After his playing days, he shifted to coaching, spending nine years managing in the minors before joining Jim Leyland’s Pirates staff in 1986 as the third base coach.
Lamont got his first major league managerial opportunity in 1992 with the Chicago White Sox and earned AL Manager of the Year honors in 1993 after leading the team to the American League Championship Series. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1997 to succeed Leyland as the Pirates’ manager, a role he held through 2000. Lamont later reunited with Leyland in Detroit, serving as his bench coach from 2006 to 2013—a period during which Don Kelly played for the Tigers.
An Unconventional Hire
The Pirates are opting for an unconventional setup by forgoing a traditional bench coach. Instead, Gene Lamont will step into an advisory role, while Chris Truby oversees daily operations and Mike Rabelo assumes added responsibilities on the strategic side.
“Yeah, they definitely are \[unorthodox decisions],” manager Don Kelly acknowledged. “But our top priority was making sure we had the right mix of experience and decision-making support here in Pittsburgh.”
Kelly added that a second goal was to shake up the traditional structure a bit: “No. 2 is trying to disrupt the system, if you will, from coaching and player development to shifting roles on the major league staff. We wanted to make sure we were in a strong position, and I think bringing Geno in in this capacity helped us achieve that.”
He also praised Lamont’s flexibility and commitment: “He’s going to handle many of the responsibilities typically assigned to a bench coach. That’s what’s great about Geno—he’s not concerned with titles. He’s just here to help.”
Convincing Lamont to Return
The Pirates’ new manager, Don Kelly, shared some personal insight into how he brought his former coach, Gene Lamont, back into the game.
When Kelly called, Lamont was fully enjoying retirement. “He was retired. Golfing and he’s got grandkids,” Kelly said. “For him to even consider doing it and come up and to do this means a lot to me, and we’re fortunate to have him be with the Pirates.”
Asked if he had to convince Lamont to return, Kelly replied, “I did not. I don’t know if Leyland did or not. I don’t think that you would have to talk him into it, I’m not sure.”
Lamont was Kelly’s immediate thought when assembling his staff. “It was the first name that came to my mind, and then Leyland had texted. Just to be able to bring him on board is awesome,” he said.
Though uncertain whether Lamont would accept, Kelly said, “I wasn’t sure, but I just think the world of him and can’t say enough about my time with him in Detroit.”
Lamont is expected to join the team in Pittsburgh on Monday and will be in the dugout during games.
Bridging Generations
Gene Lamont’s hiring marks a full-circle moment for the Pirates organization. He originally joined Pittsburgh in 1986 as part of Jim Leyland’s coaching staff—a group that would guide the team to three consecutive NL East titles from 1990 to 1992. Now, nearly four decades later, Lamont returns to mentor Don Kelly, who once played under both Lamont and Leyland during his time with the Tigers.
For a Pirates team working to forge a new identity, Lamont brings invaluable experience—eight seasons as a major league manager and 21 more as a coach—instantly boosting the credibility of Kelly’s first-year staff.
Lamont’s immediate challenge will be helping to recalibrate an offense that has struggled mightily in the early part of the season. With his arrival, the Pirates aim to strike a balance between traditional baseball wisdom and modern strategies as they attempt to turn things around.
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