Alan Zinter

COACHING CAREER:

Enters his second season with the Padres organization as hitting coach after serving as assistant hitting coach in his Major League coaching debut for the Houston Astros in 2015. Prior to joining the Astros in 2015, served as Cleveland's minor league hitting coordinator from 2012-14. From 2008-11 before joining Cleveland, served as a hitting coach in the Arizona Diamondbacks minor league system.

PLAYING CAREER:

Originally signed with the New York Mets as a first-round selection (24th overall) in the 1989 Draft. Played parts of two Major League seasons with the Astros (2002) and Diamondbacks (2004), and spent a total of 19 seasons in the minor leagues, four with Houston. As a player, he had to wait more than a decade to make his Major League debut on June 18, 2002 at Milwaukee for Houston, and would later hit his first home run and collect his first Major League hit as a pinch-hitter for the Astros on July 1, 2002, in his sixth at-bat as a Major leaguer and 4,706th as a professional. Over 18 minor league seasons, hit .258 with 250 home runs and 931 RBI in 1,728 games in the Mets (1989-93), Detroit Tigers (1994-95), Boston Red Sox (1996), Seattle Mariners (1997), Chicago Cubs (1998-2000), Diamondbacks (2000, 2004-05) and Astros (2001-03, 2006) organizations. Played part of the 1999 season in Japan for the Seibu Lions as well as his final professional season in 2007 in the Independent Leagues.

PERSONAL:

Full name is Alan Michael Zinter ...he and his wife, Yvonne, reside in Gilbert, Ariz., with their son Michael and daughter Franklynn. Played collegiately at the University of Arizona, where he earned All-American honors as a junior. He was also a member of Team USA in 1988.