Alan Zinter

{{short description|American baseball player & coach (born 1968)}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name = Alan Zinter

|image = Alan Zinter.jpg

|team =

|number =

|position = First baseman

|bats = Switch

|throws = Right

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|5|19}}

|birth_place = El Paso, Texas, U.S.

|death_date =

|debutleague = NPB

|debutdate = May 14

|debutyear = 1999

|debutteam = Seibu Lions

|finalleague = NPB

|finaldate = August 28

|finalyear = 1999

|finalteam = Seibu Lions

|debut2league = MLB

|debut2date = June 18

|debut2year = 2002

|debut2team = Houston Astros

|final2league = MLB

|final2date = October 3

|final2year = 2004

|final2team = Arizona Diamondbacks

|statleague = NPB

|stat1label = Batting average

|stat1value = .202

|stat2label = Home runs

|stat2value = 8

|stat3label = Runs batted in

|stat3value = 28

|stat2league = MLB

|stat21label = Batting average

|stat21value = .167

|stat22label = Home runs

|stat22value = 3

|stat23label = Runs batted in

|stat23value = 9

|teams =

As player

Seibu Lions ({{npby|1999}})
Houston Astros ({{mlby|2002}})
Arizona Diamondbacks ({{mlby|2004}})

As coach

Houston Astros ({{mlby|2015}})
San Diego Padres ({{mlby|2016}}–{{mlby|2017}})
Cincinnati Reds ({{mlby|2020}}–{{mlby|2022}})

}}

Alan Michael Zinter (born May 19, 1968) is an American former professional baseball player and hitting coach. He played for Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 1999 and with the Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2002 and 2004, respectively. He served as the minor league hitting coordinator for the Cleveland Indians, the assistant hitting coach for the Astros, and was the hitting coach of the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds.

Playing career

Zinter played for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team, and in 1988 he played collegiate summer baseball with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League.{{cite web|url=http://capecodbaseball.org.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/2012website/archives/Current%20Year/All_Time_MLB_CCBL_Alumni.pdf |title=Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League |publisher=capecodbaseball.org |access-date=September 25, 2019}} He was a 1st round draft choice (24th overall) by the New York Mets in 1989 as a catcher, but eventually moved to first base. He played in the minors for fourteen years, including one season in the Dominican winter league for the Cibao Giants in 1996 and one season in Japan for the Seibu Lions in 1999, before finally getting a call-up with the Houston Astros in 2002. His first hit was a home run off Scott Williamson and he batted .136 (6 for 44). In 2004, he earned another call-up with the Arizona Diamondbacks, doing slightly better hitting .206 (7 for 34).

Zinter played in 2006 with the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, but mostly as a pinch hitter and a defensive replacement. In 2007, Zinter played for the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League.

Coaching career

In 2008, Zinter began his coaching career with the Rookie level Missoula Osprey in the Diamondbacks organization.{{cite web |author=Hansen |first=Greg |date=April 22, 2008 |title=Zinter in new phase of career, as a coach |url=https://tucson.com/sports/article_62e91bae-8bcd-5a0e-a4ba-4f057504e30b.html |access-date=2025-04-12 |work=Arizona Daily Star}} On December 2, 2008, Zinter was announced as the hitting coach for the High-A Visalia Rawhide.{{cite web |url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-484657 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722043307/http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081202&content_id=484657&vkey=pr_milb&fext=.jsp |url-status=live |archive-date=July 22, 2012 |title=Rawhide announces 2009 coaching staff |access-date=December 3, 2008 |date=December 2, 2008 |work=MiLB.com }} After two seasons with Visalia, he was moved up to Double-A to be the hitting coach of the Mobile BayBears.{{cite news |title=D-backs announce Minor League coaching staffs |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/ari/y2010/m12/d13/c16313136.jsp |access-date=October 1, 2020 |work=MLB.com |date=December 13, 2010}} He was hired by the Indians to be their minor league hitting coordinator for the 2012 season.{{cite web|url=http://www.woio.com/story/16175602/indians|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209162318/http://www.woio.com/story/16175602/indians|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 9, 2013|title=Indians announce minor league coaching staff|date=December 2, 2011|work=woio.com|access-date=November 17, 2015}}

On November 4, 2014, Zinter was announced as the new assistant hitting coach for the Houston Astros by general manager Jeff Luhnow.{{cite web |author=Drellich |first=Evan |date=November 4, 2014 |title=Alan Zinter named Astros assistant hitting coach |url=http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros/2014/11/04/alan-zinter-named-astros-assistant-hitting-coach/ |access-date=November 4, 2014 |work=Houston Chronicle}} After the 2015 season, the San Diego Padres hired Zinter as their hitting coach.{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/16/padres-to-name-alan-zinter-hitting-coach/|title=Alan Zinter hired as Padres hitting coach|date=November 16, 2015|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=November 17, 2015}} On September 1, 2017, Zinter was fired by the Padres.{{cite web|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sd-sp-alan-zinter-padres-fired-20170901-story.html|title=Seeking a 'different voice,' Padres fire hitting coach Alan Zinter|date=September 1, 2017|work=The San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=September 28, 2017}} In 2018 and 2019, Zinter worked as the San Francisco Giants Assistant Director of Player Development, Offense. On October 24, 2019, the Cincinnati Reds announced the hiring of Zinter as their hitting coach.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-reds-hitting-department-moves|title=Reds announce new hitting department structure|website=MLB.com|date=October 24, 2019|access-date=October 24, 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Nightengale |first1=Bobby |title=Alan Zinter named Cincinnati Reds hitting coach; Donnie Ecker promoted |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/mlb/reds/2019/10/24/cincinnati-reds-name-alan-zinter-hitting-coach-promote-donnie-ecker/4083779002/ |access-date=October 1, 2020 |work=Cincinnati Enquirer |date=October 24, 2019}} On October 6, 2022, the Reds announced that Zinter would not return for the 2023 season.{{cite news |last1=Sheldon |first1=Mark |title=Reds part ways with 5 members of coaching staff |url=https://www.mlb.com/reds/news/reds-fire-5-coaches-after-100-loss-season |access-date=6 October 2022 |work=MLB.com |publisher=MLB Advanced Media |date=6 October 2022}}

Personal life

Zinter is married to Yvonne.{{cite news |last1=Miles |first1=Bruce |date=June 24, 2017 |title=Former Chicago Cubs prospect Alan Zinter knows about perseverance as San Diego Padres hitting coach |url=https://www.shawlocal.com/2017/06/24/former-chicago-cubs-prospect-alan-zinter-knows-about-perseverance-as-san-diego-padres-hitting-coach/a2ecycb/ |access-date=2025-04-12 |work=Northwest Herald}}