Rabelo Is a Proven Pirates Coaching Guru

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Mike Rabelo is in a class of his own when it comes to his baseball knowledge and coaching abilities.

In the Pirates’ 2024 Spring Training Magazine sold at LECOM Park, when turning to page 43, Rabelo is one of the 13 members of manager Derek Shelton’s coaching staff. Listed under his headshot is his uniform number, 58, and his primary responsibilities – third base coach and field coordinator.

Proven to be a master at both jobs, but what truly defines Rabelo’s value to the National League Central club, is adding the label of “and all other duties.”

Rabelo, a former catcher coming up in the Detroit Tigers’ organization, also takes seriously his understanding; his expertise, in all things MLB rules.

“Rules have always fascinated me,” explains Rabelo, talking outside the Pirates’ clubhouse at Pirate City shortly after the start of spring training.  “There are so many new changes. You have to figure out how to exploit them. It’s my job to think about them; be obsessed with them.”

But, before going forward with his worth on the major league level to the Pirates, there’s an interesting minor league connection between Rabelo and others on the coaching staff.

Oneonta, New York is a small city nestled in the Catskill Mountains.  There’s an old ballpark easily within walking distance of the downtown area.  Just how old is Damaschke Field in Neahwa Park?  It was originally opened in 1905, and by 1938 a permanent steel grandstand was erected.

Many of baseball’s greatest stars of this time passed through Oneonta; barnstorming tours as they were called.  Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby were among the stars who put on the uniforms of teams that made them famous. The exhibition games the future hall of famers participated in drew as expected huge crows.

The seating capacity of Damaschke Field, 4,500, would rarely see an empty seat. These successful exhibition games would lead to this small city landing a professional club in the Class-A New York-Penn League for nearly 70 seasons.

From 1999-2009, the Tigers had their short-season affiliate in Oneonta.  For Rabelo, Florida born and bred in New Port Richey, this country-like atmosphere community located 170 miles north of Manhattan, this is where he would begin his professional career.

After three years playing for the University of Tampa’s baseball program and being selected by the Tigers in the fourth round of the 2001 amateur draft, Rabelo, a switch-hitting catcher, would be one of manager Gary Green’s 43 players to work with.

Now, this is where Rabelo’s Pittsburgh connection today goes back to the future with the Tigers’ organization.

Once the O-Tigers' season began in mid-June, by the start of September, when the season concluded, Rabelo logged 53 games behind the plate.  Positioned in the infield, for 67 games, was Don Kelly.

Yes, the same Don Kelly among Shelton’s “Lucky 13” coaching staff today. Listed in the Pirates’ Spring Training Magazine as bench coach, Kelly, like others on the coaching staff, has other responsibilities. During training camp, Kelly almost single-handedly coordinates who is doing what, and when, and where – when reviewing the numerous fields and other locations for players to work out on.

So, there’s Rabelo and Kelly teammates, in Oneonta, way back when.  A decade earlier, during the 1992 New York-Penn League season, when the New York Yankees positioned their Class-A affiliate in Oneonta, another aspiring catcher began his brief professional career there.

Shelton, Rabelo and Kelly’s current boss, too, was able to experience the quaintness of Oneonta, allowing them to concentrate on getting better at baseball.  With all his moving around as a player over nine seasons, Oneonta, amazingly remains special to Rabelo.

“My first impression of Oneonta, I thought it was going to be like New York City. I didn’t realize it at first when I was dropped off at Damaschke Field, but that is where I would have the most fun in my minor league days,” says Rabelo.  “I had an apartment on Elm Street, shared it with some teammates, and it was walking distance to the field.”

Having departed from the city where his nearly quarter century in pro ball began, Rabelo’s first impression of his “summer home” from Florida’s Pasco County some 1,200 miles away, remains precious.

The mountain range seen in clear view over the left field wall when at-bat, to Rabelo, Oneonta was every bit what is seen in the film “Bull Durham”.  He remembers having one day off all season (the O-Tigers finished the 2001 season 37-37), but even today, has no grips about the workload.

“(Oneonta) was my first taste of pro ball, and I loved it.”

Oh, and one more Oneonta and Pittsburgh connection; back to the future style. Rabelo and Kelly’s skipper, Gary Green, was last season’s Altoona Curve (Pirates’ Double-A affiliate) bench coach. And an even deep dive of Greene reveals he attended Pittsburgh’s Taylor Allderdice High School.

Beyond Oneonta, the further up the Tigers’ chain Rabelo achieved, the more, unbeknownst to him at the time, Rabelo was being prepared for his current position with the Pirates.

Having Jim Leyland, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Class of 2024, as his manager during the 2006 and 2007 seasons with Detroit was an incredible experience.

“Jim’s election to the Hall of Fame is long overdue. I learned so much about playing and coaching from him. He was a rules expert.  Jim would call me, checking in on my growth.”

There are other highlights Rabelo recalls in rapid form from his time with the Tigers.  There was earning an American League Championship ring from the 2006 Tigers’ club that faced the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

As the Tigers won the pennant by sweeping the Oakland A’s, Rabelo has this clear picture in his mind of “Mr. Tiger” Al Kaline (Hall of Fame Class of 1980) being doused with champagne in Detroit’s clubhouse at Comerica Park.

Life with the Tigers primed Rabelo for serving the Pirates.  However, there is one question/topic that seems to follow Rabelo with each engagement with fans, and with almost all others that stop him to talk baseball .

THE trade.
On December 4, 2007, Rabelo and four of his teammates were packaged in a trade that sent them to the then-Florida Marlins for pitcher Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera.  The rest, as they say, is history.   Cabrera would slug for more than 500 home runs and 3,000 hits during a hall-of-fame career. Cooperstown awaits his arrival.

“I found out about the trade while I was at home watching TV,” jokes Rabelo. 

Rabelo freely admits that he’s never worked a day in his life. He is very appreciative of what baseball has afforded him.

“I owe my life to the game,” said Rabello.

Pittsburgh was always going to be Rabelo’s baseball landing pad.  After all, he did begin his journey in a sleepy city of 13,500 residents 23 years ago in Upstate New York, the same field that hall of famers and Shelton played on.