New West Virginia Power pitching coach Drew Benes has plenty of experience from which to draw. After all, pitching is kind of the Benes family business.
Drew Benes' father, Andy, spent 14 seasons in Major League Baseball. His uncle, Alan, was there for eight seasons. His other uncle, Adam, spent six seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals' farm system. All three were pitchers. And now Drew Benes carries on the tradition, counseling the Power's young arms.
"We've got a lot of young, talented guys," Benes said, "so I'm really excited to watch them pitch and be a part of that process."
Before getting into coaching, Benes was a pitcher himself. He moved to the position as a sophomore at Arkansas State and was taken by the Cardinals in the 35th round of the 2010 MLB draft. He spent three seasons in the Cardinals organization, spent a spring training with the Texas Ranger and a season in the independent Frontier League. He joined the Pirates organization in January.
Not many kids get the opportunity that Benes had, to dive into the encyclopedia of knowledge that his dad acquired over all those years in the majors. But just because he had the opportunity when he was younger didn't always mean he took advantage of it.
"For a while, I would have listened to anybody else," Benes said.
But that can happen when a teenager views advice from the prism of "dad" rather than the prism of "big-league all-star pitcher with 2,000 career strikeouts." With age came maturity, a greater understanding and a greater willingness to listen. By the time Benes was full-time pitcher his sophomore year of college, he was calling his dad before every start and after every time he pitched.
"Having that person in my life so close to me, that's been through it ... growing up, when it's dad, you're not able to really hear it the same as if it's from somebody else," Benes said. "When I started pitching more, I was calling him ... just running through it and picking his brain. And that was kind of the time in my life where I started to be able to listen to it as 'I'm trying to help you,' versus 'this is what you're doing wrong.'
"That was one thing I appreciate about him," he added. "He always told me the truth. He was always honest with me. Very encouraging, but honest, helping me get better in areas I needed to get better in."
That's what Benes hopes to become for the Power's pitchers, a coach who can nurture but give it to the players straight, all in the name of moving them up the rungs of the Pirates system. And he's not just able to offer that advice on the mound. He can do it in the locker room, too, taking from his own experiences hanging out with his dad in the locker room and watching stars like Ozzie Smith, Edgar Renteria and Albert Pujols go about their days.
"I think, early on, I picked up more probably from watching guys and how they go about their business and what a day looks like in the life of a big leaguer," he said, "how much work they put in and how long they're at the stadium. All the dedication and work ethic that you get from watching those guys go about their business is probably more than what you get from talking to them as a child."
That ability to engage in personal development, not just skill development, is why he enjoys being part of the Power and the Pirates system as a whole. That holistic approach should lead to players who are physically, mentally and emotionally ready for the rigors of pro baseball.
"That's one of the things that drew me to the Pirates, the way they invested in people," Benes said. "Whether you're a player and you're investing in your teammates or you're a coach investing in your players, for me it's the same thing. It's building relationships. It's helping out and giving advice when you can. I'm excited to be in this position to be around guys I can hopefully help them get to where they want to go."
Contact Derek Redd at 304-348-1712 or derek.redd@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @derekredd.