Justin Robert Meccage (\MESS-ij\) (born February 10, 1980) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

Career

Meccage attended

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

, and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National ...

. The

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

selected him in the 32nd round of the

2002 MLB draft The 2002 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 4 and 5. It is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book ''Moneyball''. First round selections Supplemental first round compensation selections * *Did Not Sign With Team Compensation ...

, and he played for the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

and Cook County Cheetahs in 2002 and 2003 before shifting into coaching. He served as an assistant coach, recruiting coordinator and pitching coach for the

University of Texas–Pan American The University of Texas–Pan American (UTPA) was a public university in Edinburg, Texas. Founded in 1927, it was a component institution of the University of Texas System. The university served the Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley a ...

from 2004 to 2007. He then served as the pitching coach for

Arkansas State University Arkansas State University (A-State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Jonesboro, Arkansas, United States. It is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System and the second-largest university in the st ...

from 2007 through 2010. He joined the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

organization in 2011 and served as a pitching coach at various level through 2016. He served as the Pirates Minor League Pitching Coordinator in 2017. In 2018, the Pirates elevated Meccage to their major league coaching staff as the assistant pitching coach. Meccage was made the Pirates'

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

coach prior to the 2020 season, and was fired from that position following the conclusion of the 2024 season. On February 5, 2025, the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

hired Meccage to serve as a pitching coach for their Triple-A affiliate, the

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

Personal life

Meccage's father Bob, who was a college pitching coach, died during Justin's senior year of college. His brother Jeremy is also a college pitching coach. Meccage and his wife Stacee have three sons.

References

External links

Pirates coaching bio
1980 births Living people Sportspeople from Billings, Montana Baseball coaches from Montana Baseball players from Montana Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball pitching coaches Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players Staten Island Yankees players Cook County Cheetahs players UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball coaches Arkansas State Red Wolves baseball coaches Minor league baseball coaches Oklahoma State University alumni {{US-baseball-manager-stub