BRADENTON, Fla. - When Clint Hurdle was the manager in Colorado around 2003-2004, he watched Clint Barmes make his transition to the major leagues, getting advice from Walt Weiss, who was an instructor in the system at the time. Barmes and Hurdle later reunited in Pittsburgh, with Barmes taking on the mentor role for a young shortstop coming up from the minors by the name of Jordy Mercer.
The work that Barmes did with Mercer helped the current Pirates' shortstop improve on his defense, and led to him being the starter over the last few years. And now, just like what happened with Barmes, Mercer has gone from being the protegé to the mentor, with Kevin Newman making his way up through the minors.