Pittsburgh Pirates hire Jeff Banister

The Pittsburgh Pirates have today announced that Jeff Banister has been hired by the team as a “Special Assistant, Baseball Operations.” Banister was the manager for the Texas Rangers from 2015 until late in the 2018 season, but was the bench coach for the Pirates prior to that, and had spent 29 years with the Pirates.

I have no clue what this job entails for Banister, but it is not surprising that he is returning to the organization he has spent most of his career with after being let go by the Rangers. What shall be interesting to see is whether he gets interviewed in the future for managerial openings. He has a pair of A.L. West titles and a Manager of the Year Award under his belt, but I’m not sure he fits the mold of what teams are currently looking for in a manager.