Jeff Banister
| Jeff Banister | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 28 | |
| Pinch hitter/Bench coach | |
| Born: January 15, 1965 Weatherford, Oklahoma | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| debut | |
| July 23, 1991, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last appearance | |
| July 23, 1991, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | 1.000 |
| At bats | 1 |
| Hits | 1 |
| Teams | |
Jeffery Todd Banister (born January 15, 1965 in Weatherford, Oklahoma) is a former professional baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is currently the Pirates' bench coach. He spent 29 years within the Pirates organization as a player and coach in both the Pirates major and minor league system.[1]
Baseball career
Banister was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 25th round of the 1986 amateur draft out of Houston. He had only one at bat in his Major League Baseball career, which resulted in a base hit.[2] Consequently, his career concluded with a perfect 1.000 career batting average.
Banister was called up from the minor leagues on July 23, 1991, because catcher Don Slaught was injured and manager Jim Leyland had him pinch hit in the eighth inning of that day's game against the Atlanta Braves at Three Rivers Stadium. Using Cecil Espy's bat, Banister hit a ball from Dan Petry and just beat shortstop Jeff Blauser's throw to first base.
Banister was sent back to the minors but eventually returned as a coach and field coordinator. In 1993, he served as a player-coach with the Carolina Mudcats.
Coaching career
From 1994 until 1999, Banister served as a minor league coach in the Pirates' minor league system. He was the manager of the Welland Pirates of the New York-Penn League in 1994. A year later he coached the Augusta GreenJackets to the South Atlantic League championship. From 1996-1997, he was the manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats, however midway through the 1997, he was named the manager of the Carolina Mudcats, a position he held until 1998.
From 1999-2002, Banister worked as Pittsburgh's Major League Field Coordinator. He was then assigned the job of Minor League Field Coordinator from 2003-2010. In 2008, Banister became interim pitching coach for Lynchburg when Bob Milacki resigned from the position. Mike Steele then took the job from Banister in 2009. On August 8, 2010, Banister was named the Pirates' interim bench coach after Gary Varsho was fired by the organization.[3] After Clint Hurdle was named manager, Banister was named full time bench coach.
References
- ^ http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2014/09/24/Ron-Cook-A-toast-to-the-Pirates-improbable-2014-postseason-push/stories/201409240157
- ^ Meyer, Paul (12 March 2008). "Spring Training: Prospects trying to make name for themselves". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ Price, Karen (11 August 2010). "Bannister spends first day in new role". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- BR Bullpen
- 1965 births
- Living people
- People from Weatherford, Oklahoma
- Baseball players from Oklahoma
- Major League Baseball bench coaches
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- Pittsburgh Pirates coaches
- Houston Cougars baseball players
- Macon Pirates players
- Watertown Pirates players
- Harrisburg Senators players
- Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
- Carolina Mudcats players