In a widely anticipated move, the Pittsburgh Pirates today announced that former bench coach Jeff Banister would be returning to the organization with the title of Special Assistant, Baseball Operations.
From the team’s official release:
Banister returns to the Pirates organization after spending the last four seasons as the manager of the Texas Rangers, where he compiled a 325-313 record. The 54-year-old Banister led the Rangers to back-to-back American League West Division titles in each of his first two seasons at the helm in 2015 and 2016 to become just the fourth manager to capture division crowns in each of his first two seasons as a Major League manager since the start of three-division play in 1994.