Jim Benedict

James Scott Benedict (born February 1, 1961) is an American professional baseball pitcher, coach, and executive. He works for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.

Benedict attended Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, and played for the school's baseball team as a center fielder. Benedict attended Los Angeles Valley College, where he began his college baseball career. Coach Dave Snow cut him from the team, but kept him as a batting practice pitcher. Benedict learned to pitch sidearm focusing on throwing off-speed pitches from Snow, and made the team as a pitcher the next year. He transferred to Arizona State University to play for the Arizona State Sun Devils, but the team’s coach preferred a fastball-heavy style and rarely used Benedict. He signed with the Kansas City Royals in 1983.^[1] He lost consciousness when he was hit in the head with a line drive during his first professional batting practice.^[2] He made his professional debut with the Fort Myers Royals in 1984, and was promoted to the Memphis Chicks at midseason.^[1] He pitched for the Royals and Atlanta Braves through the 1986 season.^[3]

After retiring from his playing career, Benedict became a pitching coach at Loyola Marymount University and Chapman College. In 1990, he became a scout for the Texas Rangers. He scouted for the New York Yankees.^[3] He worked for the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Montreal Expos.^[4][5] He joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization in 2008. He served as an advanced scout,^[6] minor league pitching coordinator and special assistant to the general manager. On October 24, 2015, the Miami Marlins hired Benedict from the Pirates as their new vice president of pitching development. The Marlins traded Trevor Williams to the Pirates for Richard Mitchell as compensation for Benedict's hiring.^[7][8] The team’s new ownership fired Benedict after the 2017 season,^[9] and the Chicago Cubs hired him as a special assistant to baseball operations.^[10]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)