The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced the appointment of Matt Hague as their new hitting coach, marking a return to the franchise that selected him in the 2008 draft.

Hague takes over the hitting responsibilities from Andy Haines, who was dismissed following a disappointing season in which the Pirates ranked in the bottom tier of major league statistics across several critical areas. The team was 24th in runs and 25th in home runs, in addition to setting a club record with 1,504 strikeouts, which was the second-highest total in the National League, only behind the Colorado Rockies.

At 39 years old, Hague brings experience to the role, having most recently served as an assistant hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays during the previous season.

Hague was drafted by the Pirates in the ninth round in 2008. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the team in 2012, but his playing time with Pittsburgh and later with Toronto was limited. Throughout his career, he recorded a batting average of .226, with no home runs and 7 RBIs over 84 Major League at-bats. In 2016, he also had a brief stint playing in Japan and spent time in the minor leagues for three different teams in 2017 and 2018 before transitioning into coaching.

The Pirates concluded the previous season with a 76-86 record for the second consecutive year, primarily due to an offense that struggled to adequately support a pitching lineup that featured notable talents like National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, along with rookie Jared Jones. Moving forward, the Pirates are expected to focus on enhancing their roster during the offseason, especially around veteran left fielder Bryan Reynolds, to improve their offensive output.