Bucs promote Bello to assistant pitching coach as Whitsett resigns

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Assistant pitching coach Thomas Whitsett has resigned, the Pirates announced on Friday morning.

Triple-A Indianapolis pitching coach Cibney Bello was promoted to the Major League staff to fill the role opened by Whitsett’s departure, which the team said was due to personal reasons.

“It was a hard decision for us on the internal candidates,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Our pitching department is really strong, with great human beings, with great content and technical skills to be able to fill that.

“We’re excited about Cibney, and also feel really good in the depth of men that we have in our pitching department.”

Whitsett joined Pittsburgh’s coaching staff in December after spending 2022-24 in various pitching instructional roles in the Astros’ Minor League system. Pirates pitching coach Bill Murphy, who was hired in November, also came from Houston’s organization, as did Kelly.

Whitsett did not report to camp this spring.

Bello, who spent the past two seasons with Indianapolis, is a native of Venezuela who also worked at Pittsburgh’s Dominican Republic academy in the offseason. The 43-year-old previously spent eight seasons in the Twins’ organization.

Bello pitched in professional baseball for eight seasons from 2003-10, topping out at High-A Inland Empire in the Mariners’ system while also making stops in two independent leagues (Can-Am and Golden Baseball). The right-hander compiled a career 27-32 record and a 5.17 ERA across 169 games (70 starts).

“Cibney has the energy, the positivity, the technical skills to fill that [role],” Kelly said Friday. “... And he’s coached these guys at Triple-A; Benny [Drew Benes] as well. We talk about Hop [Josh Hopper] and Vic Black and Telly [Amaury Telemaco] and Dewey [Robinson], it’s a strong group of men that are leading our pitching.”