Horner to manage Mavericks again for 2009
The Seattle Mariners announced the field staff for the 2009 High Desert Mavericks on Wednesday, which includes pitching coach Jaime Navarro, hitting coach Tommy Cruz, and athletic trainer Jeremy Clipperton.
Horner enters his fifth season in the Mariners organization and fourth as manager. He also managed the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2006 and 2007.
Prior to becoming a coach, Horner played for nine seasons in the Mariners Minor League system as a catcher. He hails from Twin Falls, Idaho where he was a USA Today All-American football player for Twin Falls High School.
Navarro, who coached the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in 2008, begins his second season in the Mariners organization, his first in High Desert. Navarro spent 11 years in the Major Leagues, pitching for the Brewers, Cubs, White Sox and Indians. He had 116 Major League victories and had a career ERA of 4.72.
Navarro's father, Julio, also played Major League baseball for the Dodgers, Tigers and Braves.
Cruz begins his 19th season in the Mariners organization and his first in High Desert. He served as an advance scout for the Major League team last year after ending his playing career, which included two brief stints for the Cardinals and White Sox.
Clipperton was the athletic trainer at Double-A West Tenn in 2008 and recently received the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society's (PBATS) highest Minor League award as the top athletic trainer in all of the Minor Leagues.