Jamey Carroll has been added to the Pirates front office

It is generally assumed that scrappy players who had to fight for every last major league game they appeared in would someday make excellent coaches. After all, they needed to fight for every chance they had, relying upon hard work and determination to get their opportunities. Perhaps this is why people who were journeyman players, such as Tony LaRussa or Terry Francona, have turned into excellent managers.

While Jamey Carroll may not be joining the Pirates specifically as a coach, he will be a member of the front office. Carroll was hired as a special assistant in the Pirates Baseball Ops department, joining former manager Grady Little and former Pirates first baseman Kevin Young as additions this offseason.

A part of Carroll’s duties will be to help with the transition to the major league life and to serve as a mentor for those players. As someone who spent twelve seasons in the majors, despite not reaching the major leagues until he was 28, Carroll should be the type of former player who could thrive in that role.

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Something that may help in Jamey Carroll’s transition from the playing field to the front office/mentorship role that the Pirates envision is the presence of manager Clint Hurdle. See, Hurdle was Carroll’s manager when he played for the Rockies in 2006 and 2007. Having that familiarity may not only help the transition, but give Carroll a bit more credence in the locker room.

Another potential benefit to the hiring of Carroll is that he may well have played against the very players the Pirates are scouting. His insight could be of the utmost value when considering free agents or trade targets, since he would have either been on the field with, or against, these players.

As the Pirates had set a goal to add more major league veterans to their front office, the hiring of Jamey Carroll and Kevin Young have certainly addressed that desire. Hopefully, these additions will be able to not only make an impact in the front office, but on the field as well.