Marlins fire former Pirates pitching guru Jim Benedict

Jim Benedict and Marc DelPiano, former Pirates baseball operations employees once hired away by the Marlins, are among four employees let go by the Marlins recently amidst a change in ownership, the Miami Herald reports.

Benedict, who served as the Marlins vice president/pitching development, has been discussed quite a bit in Pirates circles. As the Pirates pitching coordinator, Benedict was instrumental in the development of their pitching prospects. Along with pitching coach Ray Searage, he had a lot to do with the Pirates’ revival of seemingly broken Major League pitchers, such as A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano, Vance Worley, Edinson Volquez and J.A. Happ, over the last several years.

As a parting gift, the Pirates acquired Trevor Williams as compensation from Miami for its hiring of Benedict.

DelPiano was serving as the Marlins’ vice president of player development. He had previously been a special assistant to the general manager with the Pirates. He had also worked for the Marlins from 2002 to 2005.

DelPiano’s dismissal is cited in the Herald piece as the most surprising, as he’d inherited a poor farm system in Miami.