PITTSBURGH — Derek Shelton's garage is clean, the byproduct of the Pittsburgh Pirates' drawn out managerial hiring process, one that took extended time after the club fired general manager Neal Huntington in late October.

A 49-year-old baseball lifer who spent last season as the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins, Shelton already had interviewed for the chance to be Clint Hurdle's replacement when Huntington was let go on Oct. 28.

While the search was paused until Huntington's successor was hired, Shelton wandered around his Florida home to burn off the nervous energy. He kept finding himself in the garage, arranging and rearranging in a waiting game that he admits made him “a little bit uncomfortable.” Shelton estimated he went through the garage “about 15 times.”

Thankfully, there's no need for a 16th. A much larger clean-up project beckons.

The Pirates introduced Shelton as the team's 40th manager on Wednesday, tasking him to create a more positive clubhouse culture following a second-half slide that included sloppy play and a series of clashes between players and staff off the field. The self-described former “poor minor league catcher” said his focus will be on making sure players don't settle for thinking they've arrived once they reach the majors.

“Honestly, sometimes guys get to the big leagues, regardless if it's injury, something else has happened and they may not be ready,” Shelton said. “I think it's a goal of myself, the staff, my baseball operations group that we're going to have to realize that development is going to have to continue at this level. It's very important, not just from the first day they get here but on through.”

Shelton's hiring served as the final piece of leadership overhaul that began when Hurdle was let go on the last day of the regular season in September. Frank Coonelly stepped down as team president a month later and was replaced by Travis Williams, who parted ways with Huntington and hired Ben Cherington on Nov. 15. Cherington immediately started going over the candidates the team had already talked to, and Shelton's name stuck out. The two were around each other in 2017 while they both worked for the Toronto Blue Jays.