Pirates hire four Minor League coaches

PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates announced four Minor League coaching hires on Tuesday, filling out the system's roving development team.

Among those joining the organization include former Pirates player Carlos Garcia (infield coordinator), as well as Kimera Bartee (outfield/baserunning coordinator), Troy Buckley (pitching coordinator) and Brad Fischer (catching coordinator).

After playing in parts of seven seasons for the Pirates last decade, Garcia returns to Pittsburgh after serving as the third-base coach for Seattle in each of the last three seasons. Prior to joining the Mariners, Garcia worked as the hitting and infield coordinator for the Indians during the same time period that Pirates general manager Neal Huntington was also in Cleveland.

"The more people talked about Garcia, the more people raved about him," said Kyle Stark, the Pirates' director of player development. "We knew we wanted to add him. We knew he had a place here in the organization. It just took some time to find that place here."

That place was made when Tony Beasley, who was the club's infield coordinator last year, was named the Pirates' new third-base coach.

Adding Garcia also gives the organization another coach with ties to Pittsburgh. Garcia played second base for the Pirates from 1990-96.

Buckley comes to the organization from Long Beach State University, where the 39-year-old former catcher has been since 2001, the last six of which were as the team's pitching coach.

Under the guidance of Buckley, Long Beach State's pitching staff has been ranked nationally every year since 2002, including a 2005 season in which the staff led all collegiate programs with a 2.53 ERA. In two other of his six seasons as pitching coach, Buckley's staffs ranked in the top five.

"His track record speaks for himself," Stark said. "But not only is his background impressive, but the guy is impressive as well. He's had a ton of success and even though it may be a different arena with different demands [in professional ball], he's still going to be dealing with a lot of the same age kids."

During his time in California, Buckley worked with pitching prospects Abe Alvarez and Jason Vargas, as well as the 2004 collegiate National Player of the Year, Jered Weaver.

Buckley does also have some professional coaching experience, having served as a hitting, third-base and pitching coach in the Expos farm system from 1996-97. It was during Buckley's short stint in Montreal's organization that Buckley first developed a working relationship with Huntington. Replacing Gary Redus as the Minor League roving outfield and baserunning coach is Bartee, who has been a field coach for the Orioles' Class A affiliate for the past three seasons. Bartee's coaching experience with the Delmarva Shorebirds followed a professional playing career that spanned 12 seasons.

As for Fischer, the 51-year-old coach makes the switch to the National League after having spent the last 29 years coaching in some capacity for the A's. He joins the Pirates as a Minor League catching coordinator, a coaching position new to the organization moving forward.

"It was a situation not so much a reflection of how things weren't done in the past, but more because we just wanted to find a way to bring Brad Fischer in in some capacity," Stark said. "He has a very diverse skill set. Adding this coaching position was a chance to add a guy of that caliber."

Before being named as Oakland's Major League bullpen catcher in 1996, Fischer worked as a Minor League manager, a Minor League instructor and as an assistant director of player development. Fischer then spent the previous 11 years in the Majors, splitting time as both a first-base coach and a bullpen catcher.

All four new coaches join field coordinator Jeff Banister and hitting coordinator Gregg Ritchie, both of whom were retained by the organization.