Phillies interested in Jim Benedict for pitching coach job

The Pirates have allowed the Phillies to speak with Jim Benedict about their open pitching coach job, ESPN's Jayson Stark reports (Insider-only).

Benedict, now a special assistant to Neal Huntington, has developed a reputation as a sort of pitching guru, working with pitchers like Francisco Liriano and Charlie Morton. Much of the Pirates' success the past few years has been build around getting surprising value out of those sorts of pitchers. It's tough to say exactly how much it would hurt to lose Benedict. Much of the time, coaches turn out to be only as good as the talent that surrounds them. But it almost certainly would hurt.

Hat tip: The Good Phight