The Pirates have announced a series of front office promotions:
-P- Pro scout Ron Hopkins and national supervisor Matt Ruebel have been promoted to special assistants to the GM. Hopkins and Ruebel replace Jim Benedict and Marc DelPiano, both of whom the Bucs recently lost to the Marlins. You might remember that Ruebel pitched for the 1996 and 1997 Pirates. He also pitched for the Devil Rays in 1998. Via this article (and thanks to Vlad for the link), Ruebel previously worked with Neal Huntington as a scout and crosschecker with the Indians, then served as a crosschecker with the Orioles.