The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Monday afternoon that hitting coach Jeff Branson and Assistant Hitting Coach Jeff Livesey won’t be returning for the 2019 season. They also said that they don’t expect anymore changes to the coaching staff this off-season.
Neal Huntington released a statement on the decision:
“We appreciate all of the time, energy and effort that Jeff and Jeff put into the team,” said Huntington. “Both are high-character, hard-working, good baseball men. We felt that this was the right time to take our Major League hitting program in a different direction.”
The Pirates finished tied for eighth in runs per game (4.30) among NL teams, just below the league average (4.37). Their .725 OPS was just above the league average (.722).