Pirates president resigns

PITTSBURGH, Pa (WJAC) — According to a media release from MLB.com, the Pittsburgh Pirates and team president Frank Coonelly have parted ways.

The announcement was made early Wednesday and the team says that Coonelly's successor will be announced on Monday, October 28th.

This decision comes on the heels of the Pirates worst season since 2010, in which they finished with just a 69-93 record.

“The second half of our season was disappointing to our fans and to all of us in the organization," Coonelly said. "Results matter and our results simply were not acceptable. It was clear that change was necessary. As we worked through a comprehensive assessment of everything that we do, I undertook an honest self-evaluation. While not an easy conclusion to reach, I ultimately decided that the best interests of the Pirates would be served if the club had a new leader who would bring new ideas and a new direction."

Coonelly has served as team president for the past 12 seasons after joining the club in September of 2007.

“I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to lead this storied franchise in this great city for the last 12 years," Coonelly said. "I will forever be grateful to Bob and the entire Nutting family for giving me this incredible opportunity to serve."

While the team makes preparations to announce the new club president on Monday, they are also still actively trying to find a new manager, after firing former manager Clint Hurdle at the end of the season.

“Frank and I both agreed that it was clear a change in the day-to-day leadership of the club is needed," Nutting said. "This leadership transition gives us the opportunity to refresh our entire operations. Internally, the organization is energized as we prepare to introduce our new president on Monday, while we continue to work to identify a new field manager and build our coaching staff.”

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