The biggest strength the Pirates have had with Ben Cherington as general manager has been their pitching development. They have turned so many prospects into valuable assets, building one of the top pitching staffs in baseball and trading a handful of them for offensive pieces. A good deal of the credit goes to the director of pitching development, Jeremy Bleich.
Bleich has been a big voice in determining how Pittsburgh manages their pitching, but now they have lost his influence. According to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Bleich has taken a job in Arizona as their assistant general manager.