The Miami Marlins today named Jim Benedict, the Pirates pitching guru, their vice president of pitching. Benedict was hired by the Pirates in 2008 to serve as special assistant to the general manager.
In recent years, Benedict played a big role in grooming Pirates pitching prospects, including right-hander Gerrit Cole, and he worked with pitching coach Ray Searage on a number of reclamation projects.
In 2008, the season before Benedict came aboard, the Pirates pitching staff posted a 5.10 ERA, fifth-worst in franchise history. In the seven years since, the Pirates have a collective 3.93 staff ERA.