There is an optimism to Don Kelly. A buoyancy. A lightness. How could there not be? The Pittsburgh-area native has spent the last two-plus decades authoring an unlikely success story that has carried him from a downtown liberal arts college to nearly a decade in the big leagues as a utility player who got by more on intelligence

The Pirates never finished with a winning record under Shelton. GM Ben Cherington says Kelly hiring is "permanent for 2025."