The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced that former Indianapolis Indians infielder Chris Truby has been named the Triple-A club’s manager for the 2025 season after serving as its bench coach in 2024. He will become the 63rd manager in franchise history (since 1902) and the seventh since the Indians’ affiliation with Pittsburgh began in 2005.
The Pirates also announced the additions of Eric Patterson as bench coach and Andy Bass as mental performance coordinator. Pitching coaches Drew Benes and Cibney Bello, bullpen coach Joe Thatcher, hitting coach Eric Munson and integrated baseball performance coach Bart Hanegraaff will retain their roles from 2024.
Manager Chris Truby
Truby, 51, is entering his 19th season of professional instruction, sixth with the Pirates and first as Indianapolis’ manager after serving as the team’s bench coach in 2024. He began his coaching career with Pittsburgh in 2007 as a minor league coach with High-A Lynchburg before rising to manager of Short-Season A Williamsport (2009-10), Single-A Lakewood (2011) and High-A Clearwater (2012-13) in the Phillies system. In five seasons as a minor league manager, he owns a 292-264 record (.525). From 2013-21, he was a minor league coordinator with the Phillies before returning to the Pirates in 2022 as minor league infield coordinator.
The former major league infielder was signed by Houston as a non-drafted free agent in 1992 and made his big-league debut with the Astros on June 16, 2000, at San Francisco. Over his four-year MLB career, he also appeared with Montreal (2002), Detroit (2002) and Tampa Bay (2003). His minor league career ended with the Pirates in 2007, his second of two partial seasons with Indianapolis.
Bench Coach Eric Patterson
Patterson, 41, joins the Indians coaching staff as bench coach after serving in that role with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs from 2023-24. He began his coaching career with Chicago (NL) in 2021 as an assistant hitting coach for High-A South Bend and ACL Cubs in 2022.
He was selected by Chicago (NL) in the eighth round (246th overall) of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft out of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta) before making his debut with the Cubs three years later. His five-year major league career included stops in Chicago (2007-08), Oakland (2008-10), Boston (2010) and San Diego (2011).
Pitching Coach Drew Benes
Benes, 36, is entering his ninth season in the Pirates organization and second as Indianapolis’ pitching coach after splitting the 2023 campaign between Indy (bullpen coach) and Double-A Altoona (pitching coach). In 2024, Benes led a pitching staff that featured multiple Pirates prospects including 2024 National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington, and racked up a franchise-record 1,348 strikeouts.
After beginning his instructional career with Single-A West Virginia in 2017, Benes served as pitching coach with the GCL Pirates in 2018 and High-A Bradenton in 2019-20. Prior to his coaching career, he spent two years running the Rawlings St. Louis Prospects Baseball Club, a high school and youth baseball organization which focuses on the development of young athletes.
Benes – who was originally selected by Cincinnati as a third baseman in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft but did not sign – pitched two years at Arkansas State (Jonesboro) University before being selected by St. Louis as a right-handed pitcher in the 35th round in 2010. He spent three seasons in the Cardinals’ farm system before ending his playing career with a seven-week spring training stint with Texas and brief cameo in the Frontier League in 2013.
Pitching Coach Cibney Bello
Bello, 42, is entering his 15th season as a minor league pitching coach and second with Indianapolis after spending eight seasons in the Twins system. He began his instructional career in 2011 with the AZL Mariners and rose to Single-A Clinton from 2014-15 before moving to the Twins. He was scheduled to act as Triple-A Rochester’s pitching coach in 2020 and spent 2021-23 with Triple-A St. Paul before joining the Pirates organization.
The right-hander played eight minor league seasons after being signed by Seattle in 2000 out of La Guaira, Vargas, Venezuela. He spent his first three seasons in the Venezuelan Summer League and rose to High-A in 2006-07 before joining the Independent Can-Am and Golden Baseball Leagues from 2008-10.
Bullpen Coach Joe Thatcher
Thatcher, 43, is entering his second season with the Pirates after beginning his coaching career as the Indians bullpen coach in 2024.
Prior to his coaching career, Thatcher founded Pro X Athlete Development in Westfield, Ind. He also is an owner of Bullpen Ventures, which oversees the operation of Grand Park in Westfield and several other sports facilities around the country.
The Indianapolis native attended Kokomo High School and Indiana State (Terre Haute) University before signing with Milwaukee as a minor league free agent in 2005. He made his major league debut with San Diego on July 26, 2007, at Houston and went onto a nine-year major league career that also included stints with the Diamondbacks (2013-14), Angels (2014) and Astros (2015).
Hitting Coach Eric Munson
Munson, 47, is entering his fourth season as the Indians hitting coach after beginning his coaching career in affiliated baseball in 2021. Last season, he coached the Indians to a league-leading .271 batting average, the team’s first league-leading mark in that category since 2018.
Prior to joining Indy’s coaching staff, Munson owned and operated Gold Standard Athletics in Dubuque, Iowa since its opening in 2013. His career as an instructor began with an undergrad assistant role at his alma mater – the University of Southern California – and later as an assistant at the University of Dubuque.
He was selected by Detroit as the third overall pick in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft and made his debut one year later on July 18, 2000, vs. Cincinnati. His nine-year major league career included stints with Detroit (2000-04), Tampa Bay (2005), Houston (2006-07) and Oakland (2009).
Integrated Baseball Performance Coach Bart Hanegraaff
Hanegraaff, 36, enters his sixth season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and second with Indianapolis after spending four years as the Pirates’ head of methodology. In his previous role, he oversaw the integration of sports science, support staffs and coaching to develop minor league players.
As a native of Eindhoven, North Brabant, Netherlands, he previously served as an athletic performance coach for the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation. In 2016, he appeared in 25 games with the De Glaskoning Twins of the Dutch Major League.
Mental Performance Coordinator Andy Bass
Bass, 36, enters his seventh season with the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of their mental strength team. He spent the last four seasons in his current role with the major league club, working both at PNC Park and on the road with the team.
After graduating from Davidson (N.C.) University, he was selected by Tampa Bay in the 18th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. He spent one season in the minor leagues before obtaining his Master’s (2015) and Doctorate (2018) degrees at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in sport psychology and motor behavior with an emphasis in motor still acquisition.
Support Staff
- Athletic Training Coordinator – Vic Silva
- Performance/Medical Specialist – Matt McNamee
- Strength and Conditioning Coach – Glenn Nutting
- Strength and Conditioning Coach – Chris Walter
- Performance Dietitian – John Regan
- Minor League Ops Assistant – Dylan Underhill
- Minor League Ops Assistant – Richie Saville
The Indians open the 2025 season on Friday, March 28, at St. Paul. They return to Victory Field for the home opener on Tuesday, April 1, vs. the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Full season, half season and mini plans are on sale, and group and premium reservations may also be made. For more on the Indians, visit IndyIndians.com or contact the Victory Field Box Office at (317) 269-3545.
