Perez Oozes Confidence as Pirates’ Bullpen Coach

At the start of this past spring training in Bradenton, Pittsburgh Pirates’ Miguel Angel Perez was well prepared for his new assignment as the club’s bullpen coach.

A single glance at the Pirates’ dugout, whether you’re watching a televised game or you happen to be at PNC Park, there are several familiar faces of manager Don Kelly’s coaching staff.

Stephen Morales, an assistant coach, first base coach Tarrik Brock, hitting coach Matt Hague, third base coach Mike Rabelo, and pitching coach Oscar Marin are easily picked out from among the players filling up the dugout. Since taking over the Pirates’ field leadership from Derek Shelton earlier this month, Don Kelly has kept his staff in tack.

One coach that isn’t stationed along the third base line at PNC Park is Perez. In running the bullpen, home and away, the first-year MLB coach is found beyond the outfield walls, tucked away among pitching mounds used to warm up the relievers.

Now, Perez, in his 18th season serving in the Pirates’ organization, is getting his first taste of being a coach at the major league level. Coming up in the Cincinnati Reds’ organization in 2002 as a catcher and appearing in his only two MLB games of his career three seasons later in “Reds Country,” Perez had put in his apprenticeship time for the opportunity that was presented to him this past December.

“It’s funny how I found out about it,” Perez told The Bradenton Times this past March, of being promoted from the minors to the major leagues. “Shelty (Derek Shelton) called me. I’m usually the guy who tells the players that they are going to the big leagues. Now, I heard over the phone that I was wanted for his coaching staff.”

With seven seasons of managing in the Pirates’ minor leagues, including the previous three at Triple-A Indianapolis, Perez saw 30 players from his rosters make their MLB debut with Pittsburgh.

“A majority of those I had at Indy are now on the Pirates. I’m going to miss telling players that they are going up to the big leagues. That was the best part of my job,” Perez explains.

The excitement Perez experienced on September 7, 2005, when making his Reds’ debut, is still easy for him to recall. That brief taste of MLB life is a perpetual motivator for what was felt by the then-younger Venezuelan.

As a player, Perez battled through 12 minor league seasons. After finishing his final playing days with the Double-A Altoona Curve in 2013, the very next season, Perez took a leap into coaching, while accepting a position with the Pirates’ Class-A West Virginia Power affiliate. Ever since, Perez has been learning to become one of the most complete coaches in baseball.

“I’m still in the process of learning the flow of what is expected from the bullpen,” says Perez. “Getting to know everyone (relief pitchers) is coming along. When I heard that I was hired, I couldn’t wait until camp opened.”

Aside from the Perez household, excited about the professional upgrade that has come about, several players reached out to their new coach, either by phone calls or text messages.

Prior to a Pirates’ morning workout at LECOM Park in March, as Perez was making his way from the club’s dining hall to the field, it was obvious that bullpen coaches, too, have homework. Clearly, there is a tremendous amount of preparation before games that requires a bullpen coach’s attention.

With one-third of the Pirates’ 2025 season already in the books, by now, Perez has found a gameday routine. Meeting with and reviewing analytics with David Bednar, Ryan Borucki, Caleb Ferguson, and others comes naturally. Knowing what to expect from the relief corps when called to get up, and warm up prior to being called into the game, this has taken away any remaining jitters Perez may have still had lingering about his new position.

Perez has been waiting for many seasons to receive the “big break” that has been afforded him by the Pirates. The first-class travel accommodations, presumably a salary bump from skippering the Indianapolis Indians, along with overall professional growth and all that comes with it, are being processed by Perez.

As a rookie MLB coach, there is much to learn, which can take a full season on the job to absorb. But the confidence is clearly there. Perez doesn’t shy away from putting in the effort level to get the job done. Not that there was ever any doubt that Perez wasn’t the right guy for this season’s Pirates’ coaching staff.

Just so you know, the guy in the Pirates’ bullpen, the one with the biggest smile on his face, that’s Miguel Perez. Rookie manager Kelly could identify what Perez is experiencing this season better than most. Both the manager and the coach have waited long and patiently for their big breaks with the Pirates. Watch them not disappoint.