Brent Strom openly admits retirement is a thought that’s surfaced and resurfaced repeatedly over the last several years.
At age 76, that’s hardly unnatural.
But Strom, officially named Thursday as assistant pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is finding more than enough motivation to begin a new chapter in a new environment.
A chance to work with the Pirates’ contingent of promising young pitchers, such as All-Star and National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, comes as a thrill.
“Pitching-wise over here in Pittsburgh, things have obviously been on an uptick, be it the scouting, be it the development at the minor-league level and at the big-league level,” he told reporters via Zoom. “It hasn’t gone unnoticed by the baseball world.
“For right now, I just want to help this ball club and nothing would be more exciting than to get into the playoffs with this pitching staff in a short series. As you know, anything can happen in a short series, and I would not bet against this team if we could possibly get in.”
Strom joins the Pirates after three years as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ pitching coach. He was fired by the organization shortly after the season.
Prior to that, he was pitching coach for the Houston Astros from 2014-21, winning a World Series ring in 2017 and appearing in two more with the club in 2019 and 2021.
Strom played in MLB from 1972-77 before embarking on a coaching career first through the minors and then in 1996 with Kansas City in the big leagues.
Justin Verlander (2019) and Dallas Keuchel (2016) won Cy Young Awards under Strom’s tutelage in Houston.
Additionally, he worked with former Pirates Gerrit Cole and Charlie Morton during their respective time with the Astros.
Now Strom will work under Oscar Marin, who returns for his sixth season as Pirates pitching coach.
“I’ve been a head guy for a long time,” Strom said. “I know what that’s all about, I know the stresses, I know the anxiety that comes with that job. At this point in time right now, I am going to help Oscar out as best as I can, maybe (provide) some different looks, eyes and ears that maybe if he does not see something — I just want to add to the mix and follow his lead.”
Strom described some initial conversations he’s had with Marin as “great.”
Offering a glimpse into how he’s getting started with the Pirates, Strom said he and Marin are meeting with Pirates closer David Bednar on Friday.
“We’re going to talk to Dave a little bit about some certain things, some ideas that I have,” Strom said of the two-time All-Star who struggled in 2024.
Chatting with local Pirates media Thursday afternoon, Strom was clear he understands his role to be subordinate to Marin, even if the particulars of how he’ll interact with the club’s pitching staff has yet to be hashed out.
“Everything has been really, really clear with our communication and understanding our roles,” Strom said. “I wanted him to feel very comfortable knowing that I am not here in any other capacity except to be a helper. I’m perfectly fine with that at this stage of my career.”
Strom in particular is excited to work with Skenes.
The two met at the All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, with Strom exchanging some friendly advice to Skenes on how to attack the American League’s stacked lineup.
“The preparation that he puts in and the year he had was exceptional,” Strom said. “But now the hard part begins. He has to repeat it, and the league will catch up to him a little bit, they’ll start to understand him a little bit and so this is a young man who I think will continue to make adjustments.
“I think he wants to be great, and I think having that mindset will benefit not only him but benefit this ball club in a residual way.”
Strom has not made any commitments to the Pirates past 2025, and vice versa.
“There’s been no guarantees on anybody’s part here,” he said. “I’m just going to take it day by day and see where we are after game 162.”
Nor does he chalk up his coaching career as a string of victories only.
The way Strom sees it, there’s still plenty for him to learn, on top of all he can share with the staff.
“With all the successes and failures that I’ve had throughout my pitching career with certain guys, I’ve been blessed to have some potential Hall-of-Famers and some Cy Young winners, obviously,” he said. “But I’ve also had people that I’ve gone back and wondered, where did I miss on a certain guy who maybe had the talent to be good? Learning never takes a holiday.”