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Pirates Talk To Andy Van Slyke About Managerial Job

Former star Pirates outfielder and former Tigers coach Andy Van Slyke recently spoke on 93.7 The Fan about the possibility of managing the Bucs:

Interviewer: Have you been in touch with the Pirates, or have they been in touch with you, about interviewing?

Van Slyke: Well, I came in town Monday to help do some promotion for the season-ticket holders, and that really wasn’t the reason why I came into town initially, but I did have a meeting today with [Pirates team president] Frank [Coonelly] and we talked for a while. We had a nice conversation.

Interviewer: What was that conversation about, Andy?

Van Slyke: Well, just my interest about getting into baseball, my interest about managing, and I just gave him some thoughts about what I thought is conducive to winning. An atmosphere that I experienced in Pittsburgh and a formula that I think works basically anywhere …

The Post-Gazette says that Van Slyke merely told the Pirates he was interested in the job. I’m not sure if Van Slyke is underplaying the fact that he had a real interview, or if he and Frank Coonelly really did just have a casual conversation, but it sounds like the Pirates are listening to Van Slyke.

Personally, I’d be open to Van Slyke as a manager, but I don’t think his status as a former Pirates star counts as a qualification.

Photographs by dizfunk used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.