Last-place Pirates fire hitting coach Rick Eckstein
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The last-place Pittsburgh Pirates have fired hitting coach Rick Eckstein. The Pirates have struggled to produce offense all season. Pittsburgh is dead last in the majors in runs scored, home runs, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging. The Pirates are also 27th in the majors in batting average and are on their way to a third straight fifth-place finish in the NL Central. The team is in the early stages of a franchise-wide reboot under general manager Ben Cherington. Eckstein had little to work with at the major league level while the organization focuses on stockpiling prospects.