The Pittsburgh Pirates have named Jeff Branson their new hitting coach, per a team press release. They have also added Jeff Livesey to the Major League staff as a coach.
Branson was the assistant hitting coach last year, working with Jay Bell. The hitting coach position became available when Bell joined the Cincinnati Reds as a bench coach. Prior to the 2013 season, Branson had spent 12 years in the Pirates’ organization, including serving as the hitting coach for Indianapolis from 2009-2012.
Livesey has spent the last three seasons working as the Minor League Hitting Coordinator for the Pirates. He has spent 11 seasons total in the Pirates’ minor league system. It’s likely that Livesey is replacing Branson as the assistant hitting coach.
