Shelton: the expectation is to be better and they have taken a step forward

For four seasons, most people gave Pirates Manager Derek Shelton and General Manager Ben Cherington a pass.

Listen: The Derek Shelton Show

The team was stripped down to its nuts and bolts and Cherington was tasked with restocking the Pirates system, giving the team a chance to win in the future.

We are now in year five (the future) and this was the year when critics and fans alike decided the rebuilt had gone on long enough and its now time to win.

It’s hard not to expect that when you’ve had two 1 ^st overall draft picks in the past few years (Henry Davis and Paul Skenes).

While Davis has disappointed so far (currently on the IL) Skenes has been everything he was advertised to be and more.

Along with Jared Jones and Mitch Keller, the Pirates rotation is becoming one that teams would not want to face in the postseason.

It’s been able to keep them within striking distance of the postseason, but after two blowout loses and the offense continuing to struggle mightily doubt is setting in for some that the Bucs can stay in the hunt.

After four full seasons, Shelton tells The Joe Show that the expectation is different this year.

“I think we saw this as a year that we were going to step forward and be better,” said Shelton.

He says he believes his team has improved that that isn’t good enough.

“I think we’ve shown that to some degree, now we need to continue to get better,” said Shelton. “I don’t think it’s fair to put any ceiling on it. . . the fact of the matter is we want to make sure that we continue to play meaningful games.”

Shelton was also asked if he feels the pressure in his fifth season to lead a winning team. He says he's felt pressure since he took the job and if someone doesn't feel that, they don't belong in the game.