Stearns returns to manage Senators
Stearns, 56, leads a staff in Harrisburg in 2008 that has very familiar faces to Senators fans. Rick Tomlin returns for a fourth season as the Senators pitching coach. Former Senator Troy Gingrich comes to Harrisburg as the hitting coach, and Beth Jarrett returns for her fourth season as the Senators trainer.
Stearns becomes the sixth manager in modern Harrisburg history to manage the Senators for more than one season. He becomes the first manager to return after missing a season. Tomlin becomes the first coach to be with the Senators for more than three seasons, and Jarrett matches the four seasons Rich Ramirez spent as a Senators trainer.
Stearns is a native of Denver and attended the University of Colorado excelling in baseball and football. He was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1973 draft. He was also drafted by the Buffalo Bills of the NFL as a defensive back, but did not sign.
Stearns played 11 seasons in the Major Leagues. He appeared in one game with the Phillies in 1974 and then was traded to the New York Mets in December 1974. He played with the Mets the rest of his career and was a four-time All-Star catcher. He finished his Major League career with a .260 batting average with 46 homers and 312 RBIs.
After retiring as a player, Stearns has remained in professional baseball as a coach, scout, catching coordinator as well as a Minor League manager. As a manager in the Minor Leagues, Stearns has compiled a 447-477 record.
During the off-season Stearns lives in Florida and has three grown sons.
Pitching coach Rick Tomlin returns to both the Washington Nationals organization and the Senators for a fourth season. Tomlin was originally drafted by the Washington Senators in 1971 but did not play professionally. He is working his 20th Minor League season. In the off-season he lives in Florida with his wife and two sons.
Troy Gingrich becomes the third former Senator to return as a coach. Gingrich played with the Senators for parts of the 2001, 2002 and 2003 seasons, appearing in 34 total games. He retired as a player during Spring Training 2004. Since retiring, Gingrich has spent the past four seasons as a coach in the Nationals organization. He was Vermont's hitting coach in 2004 and has been in Potomac the past three seasons. Gingrich is married and resides in Southern California in the off-season.
The 2008 season marks the 17th year of professional baseball for athletic trainer Beth Jarrett. Beth returns for a fourth consecutive season with the Senators and her seventh with the Washington Nationals organization. Beth lives in North Carolina in the off-season.
The 2008 season begins Thursday, April 3, at Commerce Bank Park when the Senators host the Cleveland Indians' Eastern League affiliate, the Akron Aeros. The 2008 season marks the 22nd season for the Senators since baseball returned on City Island in 1987. For more information about the 2008 season, please check out the Senators website at www.senatorsbaseball.com.
Stearns' Minor League managerial record
Year, Team, Affiliate, Record
1990, Knoxville, Toronto, 67-77
1991, Knoxville, Toronto, 67-77
1994, Princeton, Cincinnati, 41-25
2003, Binghamton, New York Mets, 63-78
2004, Norfolk, New York Mets, 72-72
2006, Harrisburg, Washington, 67-75
2007, Columbus, Washington, 70-73
TOTAL: 447-477