Jim Benedict

James Scott Benedict

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 185 lb.

• School Arizona State University, LA Valley Community College

• Born February 1, 1961 in Burbank, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Jim Benedict reached AA as a player then became a college coach and scout.

Benedict was taken by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the January 1982 draft and by the New York Mets in the third round of the 1982 June draft's secondary phase, both times out of junior college. He went on to ASU and signed with the Kansas City Royals as an undrafted free agent. He split 1984 between the Fort Myers Royals (5-1, 7 Sv, 1.27) and Memphis Chicks (5-3, 5 Sv, 2.54). He tied Craig Walter for the most saves by a Royals farmhand that season.

In 1985, Jim was 6-8 with 15 saves and a 3.26 ERA out of Memphis's bullpen, control being his biggest problem (37 BB in 66 1/3 IP). He tied Rich Bombard for fourth in the Southern League in saves. In '86, the right-hander was with Memphis and the Greenville Braves, going a combined 2-3 with 3 saves and a 2.98 ERA in 36 games to end his playing career. He had gone 18-15 with 30 saves and a 2.66 ERA in 127 games as a pro.

In 1987, Benedict served as the head coach of the Los Angeles Valley College Monarchs. He was pitching coach for the Loyola Marymount University Lions in 1988 and Chapman College Panthers in 1989-1990. In May 1990, he joined the Texas Rangers as a scout and retained that role until September, 1994. In addition to scouting, Benedict was the pitching coach for the Butte Copper Kings in 1991 and Erie Sailors in 1993. Working with Eire was the last year Benedict served as an on-field coach.

Over the next 25 years Benedict worked in a variety of roles with various organizations. He served as the Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Montréal Expos (1994-1998) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-2000). From 2001-2006, he was a Professional Scout for the New York Yankees and Special Assistant to the General Manager (GM). In 2007-2008, he was a Major League Scout and Advance Scout for the Cleveland Indians. In late 2008, he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates as Special Assistant to the GM. This lasted one year before his role shifted to Minor League Pitching Coordinator in 2010-2011. Benedict returned to the Special Assistant position where he remained through the 2015 season. In his years with the Pirates, Benedict gained considerable acclaim for his work with pitchers and was known as a "pitcher whisperer".

In late 2015, the Miami Marlins hired Benedict away from Pittsburgh and named him their Vice-President for Pitching Development. He retained this role through 2017. After getting cut loose by the Marlins, Benedict signed on with the Chicago Cubs as a Special Assistant to Baseball Operations. With the Cubs, Benedict was tasked with evaluating the organization’s overall pitching talent and development systems. Benedict stayed with the Cubs until August 2020 when the Cubs downsized their staff due to COVID-19 related revenue losses.

Source: 2012 Pirates Media Guide