The K-Tribe Introduces Manager Aaron Holbert

He's been the hotshot young prospect, the everyday minor leaguer, the wide-eyed, coffee-sipping major leaguer and the Triple-A veteran fighting for playing time.

Aaron Holbert has worn almost every hat baseball has to offer, and Thursday he slipped into his newest one.

Holbert, whose 16-year playing career touched the big leagues twice but was spent mostly at the Triple-A level, was formally introduced as the new manager of the Kinston Indians during a press conference in Grainger Stadium's clubhouse.

A 37-year-old Southern California native who resides in the Tampa, Fla., area, Holbert believes his varied experience at all levels of the professional game has prepared him for his role mentoring young players in the Carolina League.

"I understand what these guys go through," he said.

"I can relate to all the facets of what these guys are feeling and experiencing and hopefully give them my insight of what I went through."

In a playing career that began when he was picked out of high school 18th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1990 draft, Holbert went through plenty.

He started out in Rookie ball with the Cardinals as a 17-year-old in Johnson City, Tenn., shortly after he was drafted. Six years and five levels later, he made his major league debut with the Cardinals but appeared in just one April game.

A middle infielder with speed, Holbert toiled at the Triple-A level for seven more organizations over the next nine seasons before returning to the big leagues in 2005, this time with the Cincinnati Reds. In the final six weeks of that season, he hit .222 with no home runs and two RBIs in 22 games, mostly as a pinch hitter.

Holbert finished his playing career with a .271 batting average, 77 homers and 559 RBIs in 1,541 minor league games. As a major leaguer, he hit .200 with no homers and two RBIs in 23 games.

Holbert recalled that during his last couple of years as a player, his mind started to drift toward coaching someday. At Triple-A Louisville, in the Cardinals organization, he'd find a spot in the dugout beside manager Rick Sweet and pick his brain during games.

"Trying to do whatever I could to learn from him really helped me to become the manager and the baseball man that I am now," Holbert said.

After he retired following the 2005 season, Holbert served as a Rookie-level hitting coach with the Reds for the next two seasons before joining Kinston's parent Cleveland Indians to manage low Class A Lake County in 2008.

In two seasons at Lake County, Holbert's teams went a combined 146-131 before he was promoted to Kinston to replace Chris Tremie, who is now Cleveland's minor league catching coordinator.

Holbert, whose goal is to manage in the big leagues and later serve as a general manager, cut his teeth on National League baseball and fell in love with the assertive nuances of the game.

While the strengths of his roster will largely determine his managerial style, Holbert said he embraces a disruptive approach.

"I like to put pressure on the defense, on the opposition, the opposing manager, the catcher," he said.

"We may run ourselves out of some innings, which we try not to, but we're going to be very aggressive and try to steal some bases and keep that pressure on the defense so they don't know exactly what's coming."

Dressed in gray slacks and a blueish button-down shirt, the svelte, youthful Holbert spoke with reporters Thursday after taking a tour of Grainger Stadium's facilities during his first visit to Kinston.

He said he was impressed with the ballpark, the clubhouse and the offices, especially since he wasn't sure what to expect.

In a playing career that put him into 17 different uniforms in 17 different cities, Holbert had his share of experience as the new guy.

Thursday, less than three months from opening day, he said he was ready to get going at his latest stop in his newest role.

"It should be a good time," he said. "I'm very excited about being here, and we should have a lot of fun this summer."