Former catcher Simmons among Braves' hires

As Ted Simmons neared the conclusion of his long career as a Major Leaguer, he spent some time with the Braves as they were undergoing the late 1980s reconstruction process. Simmons has now been welcomed back to Atlanta's organization to aid president of baseball operations John Hart and general manager John Coppolella as they continue to build for the future.

The Braves announced on Monday that Simmons, Matt Kinzer and Leon Wurth have been hired to serve as Major League scouts. Former Fangraphs lead analyst Kiley McDaniel has also been added to provide an analytical voice while serving as the assistant director of baseball operations.

Simmons spent the past five seasons as a special advisor to recently dismissed Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik. Since ending his 21-season Major League career with the Braves in 1988, the former catcher also worked in the front office with the Cardinals, Indians, Padres and Pirates. He served as Pittsburgh's general manager during the 1992 and '93 seasons.

Along with gaining front-office experience since ending his playing days, Simmons has also spent time as a bench coach for the Padres and Brewers.

Kinzer, who had a brief Major League pitching career with the Cardinals and Tigers, joins the Braves after spending the past five seasons serving as an advance scout and pro scout for the Marlins. During the 1987 NFL strike, he spent one game as a punter for the Detroit Lions.

Wurth spent the past 13 seasons serving as a scout in the Brewers' organization. He handled various scouting roles with the Yankees from 1993-2002.

The Braves also made three promotions in their front office. A.J. Scola (manager of Minor League operations), Danielle Monday (assistant, baseball operations) and Chris Lionetti (assistant, scouting) were all given elevated titles.