Former Astros scout dies at 95

It is announced that Stan Benjamin, a former scout for the Houston Astros, passed away last Thursday at the age of 95.
Benjamin joined the Astros in 1965 and worked in the organization for nearly 40 years as a scout at the amateur and professional levels. His duties included serving as a Major League scout covering the American League East clubs for several seasons. He also served as Houston's amateur scouting supervisor for the Northeast section of the country.

"Stan was a vital cog in the Astros organization," said Astros president of baseball operations Tal Smith. "He was a keen judge of talent and had great personal associations throughout the game as a result of his long career as a player, high school coach, college basketball official and scout," Smith added. "All of us who knew Stan will have great memories of him."

Astros bring back all six coaches for 2010

All six of the A's coaches will return for their same roles in 2010. Curt Young, the longest tenured member of the staff, returns for his seventh season as pitching coach. The former big leaguer received praise for his work with a rotation heavy on rookies, while also getting consistency out of the bullpen.

Tye Waller will return for his fourth season on the staff and second consecutive as Bob Geren's bench coach. Third-base coach Mike Gallego and first-base coach Todd Steverson will return in their roles for the second straight year. The A's finished the season in fourth place in the American League West.