Pittsburgh Pirates News: Jeff Banister Is Back

The Pittsburgh Pirates have hired Jeff Banister to serve as a special assistant to baseball operations.  This is their second hiring of a special assistant in consecutive days.

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Pirates hired David Eckstein as a special assistant to baseball operations.  In a 2014 piece, Gabe Lacques wrote about Eckstein and his visions of the game, writing:

"Eckstein says he envisions squaring up sabermetric principles with what he calls the “geometry” of baseball that only trained eyes can see: The spin of a pitch, how to position defenders based on how the ball comes off a right-handed hitter’s bat as opposed to a lefty…He still espouses many theories that align with traditional scouting, such as clubhouse chemistry.  “It’s very important to have that locker room with everyone on that same page, and fighting for that same cause,” he says."

That marked the first move of hiring special assistants to the baseball operations department.  Today, the Pirates have hired Jeff Banister in the same role.  Banister spent 29 years in the Pirates organization before becoming the manager for the Texas Rangers, where he saw his club go 325-313 including two AL West championships in four seasons.

"“Jeff Banister returns to the Pirates as a valuable resource, instructor and advisor for our front office, Major League team and player development system.  Jeff brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and a passion for the Pirates back to the organization.”"

The Pirates are bringing in prototypical baseball men, lifers in the industry.  This could go back to what David Freese was saying last spring training, when he brought up analytics and urgency, stating,

"“They try to keep up with the way analytical stuff and all that is working. But man, you’ve got to have urgency. You’ve got to have accountability. You’ve got to have all these things. I’ve been here for two years, and we just kind of lacked in that department a little bit. We’ve got to pick that up.”"

In an age in which big data has taken over, scouting and baseball lifers still bring in information that can be used in methods.  But what Freese was saying the urgency to win hasn’t been there.  Eckstein who played for the Angels during their World Series year along with his time in St. Louis was groomed with expectations.  Banister, similarly as an ex player and manager, has similar insight.

Neal Huntington couldn’t necessary change the culture within front office and on field staffing during spring, with most of the options set in place, but early in 2019 it seems that Huntington is trying to bring in more personnel that will hold players and staff accountable to go with their analytics department.  Eckstein was the first move, and the next is the bringing back of long time member of the organization Jeff Banister.