The Pittsburgh Pirates lost a loved hitting coach, Jay Bell, who left the Pirates for the rival team the Cincinnati Reds. Replacing him is an equally skilled hitting coach, Jeff Branson.
Branson, 46, has worked with the Pirates Organization for 12 years. He was previously working at Triple-A Indianapolis from 2009-2012, before joining the major league staff.
Jeff Branson was also a ball player in his time, being a infielder during his days playing for the Reds (1992-1997), The Cleveland Indians (1997-1998), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2000-2001).
Along with Jeff Branson, the Pirates have also added Jeff Livesey to its coaching staff. Livesey has spent three seasons working as the Minor League Hitting Coordinator for the Pirates. He has spent the last 11 years working with Pirates Minor League program. It has also been rumored that Livesey will be the assistant hitting coach.
“The constant message every day will be about being stubborn and consistent,” Branson said in an interview with Tom Singer of MLB.com. “The stubbornness has to be there to stay true to the approach no matter who is on the mound. Swinging at pitches we want to swing at–not at pitches the pitcher wants us to swing at.”
Only time will tell if Jeff Branson will find success as the new hitting coach.