“This is a tremendous step forward in the transition of our organization. After an extensive search process, it became clear to me that Frank is by far the best and most qualified choice to become the day-to-day leader of this organization,” said Nutting. “Frank brings a tremendous amount of baseball experience to this role. This experience will be a critical asset for us moving forward, including in the short term in the selecting of our new General Manager and assembling our baseball operations team.”
Coonelly previously served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel in the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball for nine years. In this role he worked closely with general managers and baseball operations personnel from every team in Major League Baseball.
“Having talked to numerous officials from Major League Baseball, almost every club and other industry sources, nobody was more universally respected than Frank,” said Nutting. “He is extremely intelligent, driven and absolutely committed to the Pirates organization moving forward. The Pirates are extremely fortunate to have him.”
Coonelly felt the Pirates presented an ideal opportunity both personally and professionally.
“To be named President of such a historic ballclub is a tremendous opportunity and true honor. The quality of the city and its people were a major factor in my decision to take this position,” said Coonelly. “I have a great deal of respect for the knowledge and loyalty of Pirates fans. Pittsburgh is an extremely proud sports city. I am absolutely committed to restoring that same sense of pride among Pirates fans.”
“I firmly believe we have a real opportunity for success in Pittsburgh. The best way that we can consistently compete is to aggressively acquire and develop talent, both in the domestic and international markets. This strategy has proven to be successful in other markets and one that must be executed effectively,” Coonelly added. “Our immediate priority will be to find the right General Manager who will work hard to build on the baseball foundation by broadening our talent base, improving our player development systems and making the international market a true priority. We must develop a system that regularly feeds premier talent to the major league level, while at the same time putting our current group of young players in the best possible position to succeed.”
Coonelly will assume the role of day-to-day leader of the organization previously served by Kevin McClatchy. McClatchy, who relinquished control of the organization to Nutting in January, announced that he was stepping down as the Pirates Chief Executive Officer in July.
Coonelly’s hiring is another step in the transition process of the Pirates, according to Nutting.
“From the change of control in January, to Kevin’s announcement in July, to the change at the General Manager position, and now the addition of Frank, all have been orderly steps in the same direction to move our organization forward,” said Nutting. “I am committed to building an organization that can celebrate a culture of success, a culture of high expectations, and frankly, a culture of pride. This is another step toward that vision.”