PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - Former Penguins COO Travis Williams is officially the new president of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Williams will officially take over on November 2 and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the club.
Williams and owner Bob Nutting met with the press on Monday afternoon.
Nutting said a combination of on-field play, behavior in the clubhouse, as well as seeing former Pirates playing better in a different uniform it make it apparent for him, “changes were desperately needed.”
“There were too many points where I got frustrated, where all of our fans got frustrated and simply hit a point that it was clear that we could not continue on that path,” added Nutting.
Nutting said he began evaluating back in August and eventually saw there was no other choice than a big change.
Williams spent 11 years with the Penguins, eight of those as COO, until leaving last November when he became the president of business operations for the New York Islanders,
“Travis’ leadership abilities, experience and passion for Pittsburgh sports makes him the ideal choice for this position,“ said Nutting in a release. “Travis was an integral part of the Penguins leadership team over the past decade of success. He has a keen understanding of Pittsburgh and appreciates how important our fans are. He will drive a culture of success within our organization.”
Williams shared what he plans to bring from his experience with the Penguins to the Pirates.
“Others have done it, we can figure it out,” said Williams. “The key for me and this is where the similarities are, is when you get good people around the table and you bring smart minds together, and that’s what we’re going to do . . . you can figure those things out and if you believe in a winning culture and you live it, then you can deliver it.”
The first order of business for Williams will be finding a replacement for former General Manager Neal Huntington.
After that, the new General Manager along with Williams, will collaborate on selecting a new manager.
“This is a homecoming for me, both personally and professionally. It is a tremendous opportunity to come back to a city and a team that I love. I am excited about working with Bob and the rest of the Pirates family to return this franchise to a winning tradition,” Williams said. “Today, we turn the page and start writing a new chapter in the history of the Pirates.
“We are committed to a refresh of our entire operations. The first step in this process is to immediately begin the search for new leadership of our baseball operations,” Williams added. “Within our business operations, we will focus on enhancing our relationships with the fans, the ballpark experience and our commitment to the Pittsburgh community."