Bristol Pirates Announce Field Staff

Leading the Pirates will be first-year skipper Edgar Varela, who will be returning to the Twin Cities after beginning his professional playing career here in 2002 with the Bristol White Sox, when that team captured the Appalachian League championship. Varela played five years in the minor leagues in the White Sox, Diamondbacks and Marlins organizations, playing a variety of infield positions. In his season in Bristol, Verela played third base, and batted .330, knocking in 40 runs. Last season, he served as hitting coach for the Bradenton Marauders, Pittsburgh's Class A-Advanced affiliate in the Florida State League.  

Verela has the interesting distinction of having been involved with all three of the major league teams which have maintained an affiliation with Bristol since professional baseball returned to the city in 1969. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1998, but elected to attend college instead. In 2002, he was drafted by the Chicago White Sox.

Joining Varela will be pitching coach Miguel Bonilla and hitting coach Terry Alexander. Bonilla pitched in the Pirates organization from 1991-1993 and 1995-96. He most recently served as pitching coach for the GCL Pirates, Pittsburgh's Rookie-level team in the Gulf Coast League, and has also served as coach for the DSL Pirates, Pittsburgh's entry in the Dominican Summer League, and the Williamsport Crosscutters, Pittsburgh's former Class-A team in the New York-Penn League.

Lee Slagle will serve as the team's athletic trainer.

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