At the end of last season, the main point of frustration for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates was the team’s inconsistent offense. It seemed that the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization was frustrated as well because the team let go of both Jeff Branson and Jeff Livesey, the team’s hitting coach, and assistant hitting coach.
The team quickly hired a new hitting coach when they brought in Rick Eckstein from the Minnesota Twins organization. Now it is being reported that the team has found their new assistant hitting coach. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Pittsburgh Pirates have hired Jacob Cruz:
“A source confirmed the departure of Cruz, 45, who joined the Cubs in 2017 as the hitting coach at Double-A Tennessee before he was elevated to coordinator duties in 2018.