Scott Steinmann to return to helm for 2015 LumberKings Season
Clinton, IA - The Clinton LumberKings will have a familiar face leading the way in 2015, as the Seattle Mariners have announced that Scott Steinmann will return to Clinton to manage his third season with the club. Steinmann, who also managed the LumberKings in 2009, led the club to the nationally covered comeback victory over Burlington in 2014.
Steinmann, who currently resides in Chandler, Arizona, nearby the Mariners complex in Peoria, joined the LumberKings just days before the 2014 season after the promotion of Chris Prieto to a position with the Seattle Mariners.
A former catcher in the Mariners system, the 41-year-old played three seasons of minor league baseball and reached AA in 1998. The former Miami University RedHawk, Steinmann has worked as a coach in Seattle's system since he finished his playing career in 1998. 2015 will be his ninth season managing a club, and fourth in the Midwest League.
Steinmann's 2015 staff will also feature two former LumberKings coaches, as Cibney Bello and Mike Kinkade will return to Clinton. Bello, who served as the pitching coach for the 2014 season, will return to fill the same role.
A two-time coach with the Arizona League Mariners, Bello spent eight seasons in the Mariners minor league system as a pitcher. The 31-year-old pitched in the Midwest League in 2005 with Wisconsin. After eight years in the Mariners system, Bello pitched in the independent league for three years, before he joined Seattle's coaching ranks prior to the 2012 season.
Kinkade, who spent six seasons in the majors, will return as the hitting coach, a position he held in Clinton in 2013. He was slated to return to the LumberKings for the 2014 season, but was promoted to Jackson where he filled the hitting coach role at AA. The Olympic gold medal winner at the 2000 Sydney Olympics played for the Mets, Orioles, and Dodgers over his MLB career, and became a coach in 2011. He has coached with the AquaSox, the AZL Mariners, the LumberKings, and the Generals.
The Clinton LumberKings, Midwest League Affiliate of the Seattle mariners, open the 2015 season at home vs. the Beloit Snappers on Thursday, April 9th. For the full 2015 schedule, season tickets, group party information, or merchandise, call the LumberKings at 563-242-0727 or visit www.LumberKings.com.