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Pirates dismiss Sofield, reassign Leyva
- Updated: October 22, 2016
PITTSBURGH — The Pirates made two changes to their Major League coaching staff on Saturday, dismissing third-base coach Rick Sofield and reassigning first-base coach Nick Leyva to a position in the front office.
Sofield had served on manager Clint Hurdle’s coaching staff since the 2013 season as the club’s outfield and baserunning coach. He was initially brought on as the first-base coach but swapped positions with Leyva before the 2015 season to encourage a more aggressive approach on the bases.
Leyva, who also worked with Pittsburgh’s infielders, will now serve as a senior advisor in the Pirates’ baseball operations department.
“We have great respect and appreciation for both men. We thank them for their time and effort as part of our Major League team and the Pirates organization,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement. “It was a difficult decision, but we felt it was the right time to make this change on our Major League staff.”
Both coaches were under contract and expected to return next year. Before the Bucs’ …
