Twins hire Jeff Smith, Pickler to join staff

Jeff Smith (right) has managed Class A Fort Myers the past two seasons. (Cliff Welch/MiLB.com)Smith, 42, has managed or coached at various levels in the Twins' Minor League system for the past 12 seasons. He spent the last two as manager at Class A Fort Myers. Prior to that, he managed Double-A New Britain from 2010-14, managed at Fort Myers from 2008-09, managed Class A Beloit from 2006-07 and was the hitting coach for the Gulf Coast League Twins in '05. Smith will oversee catching and baserunning instruction for the Twins.

Pickler and Smith join hitting coach James Rowson as one of three coaches hired this offseason after the Twins dismissed hitting coach Tom Brunansky and first-base coach…