Spokane Indians Announce 2025 Field Staff

The Colorado Rockies announced the 2025 field staff for the Spokane Indians today, with manager Robinson Cancel, pitching coach Blaine Beatty, and bench coach Tom Sutaris all returning to defend last year's Northwest League title. Rounding out the field staff is new hitting coach Trevor Burmeister, who spent the previous two seasons in the same role with the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies.

Cancel enters his third season as Spokane’s manager and his ninth overall season as a coach in the Rockies organization. He joined Spokane following playoff berths with the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies in both 2021 and 2022. Cancel previously served as a coach with Short-Season Boise in 2017 in his first year with the Rockies and also spent two seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization as the manager of Rookie Level Danville (2016) and the Gulf Coast League Braves (2015). Cancel was originally drafted by Milwaukee in 1994 and played parts of four Major League seasons with Milwaukee (1999), New York-NL (2008-09) and Houston (2011).

Beatty embarks on his seventh season in the Rockies organization, second as the pitching coach with the Indians, and 28th season coaching overall. In 2022-23, Beatty was the pitching coach for Double-A Hartford, and previously served in a similar role with Albuquerque (2021) and Grand Junction (2019). Prior to joining the Rockies, Beatty spent 12 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles organization (2006-18), three seasons in the New York Mets organization (2003-05) and five seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization (1998-2002). As a player, Beatty was drafted by the Orioles in the ninth round of the 1986 First-Year Player Draft and totaled 12 seasons in the Minor Leagues. He debuted in 1989 with the Mets and appeared in seven Major League games from 1989-91.

Burmeister enters his sixth season in the Colorado Rockies system, including the past two as hitting coach for the Fresno Grizzlies after three seasons as the hitting coach with the Arizona Complex League Rockies. Prior to joining the Rockies, he served as the assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator for Madison College (2016-19) and as the assistant baseball coach for the University of Minnesota Duluth (2015-16). He was awarded the ABCA/Baseball America Assistant Coach of the Year in NJCAA for his work at Madison College in 2019. During the summer of 2016, Burmeister was the assistant baseball coach for the Madison Mallards of the Northwoods Summer Collegiate League. Burmeister attended Madison College before transferring to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Sutaris enters his first season as Spokane’s bench coach after serving as the team's hitting coach in 2024. Now in his eighth season with the Rockies organization, Sutaris' previous post was as Hartford's hitting coach from 2021-23. He spent 2018-19 with High-A Lancaster and served as an assistant baseball coach at the University of Incarnate Word in 2017 and a special assistant for the University of Texas baseball team from 2014-17. The New Jersey native played professionally in the independent Frontier Baseball League from 1993-96, earning All-Star nods in 1993 and 1996, while also serving as the team’s hitting coach in 1995.

ABOUT THE SPOKANE INDIANS

The Spokane Indians are the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies located in Spokane Valley, Wash., and are the reigning Northwest League Champions. The Indians have played at Avista Stadium—home to the MultiCare Kids Bench Seat and Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs Military & Veteran Ticket—since 1958 and have been a proud member of the Spokane community since 1903. Parking at all Spokane Indians games is FREE. The Spokane Indians Front Office and Team Store are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.