Rainiers 2016 Field Staff Finalized

TACOMA, Wash. -- Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto and Director of Player Development Andy McKay today announced the field staff for the 2016 Tacoma Rainiers season.

Returning for a second season as the Rainiers manager is Pat Listach, who will be joined by hitting coach Scott Brosius and pitching coach Lance Painter. Trainer Tom Newberg and performance specialist Derek Mendoza round out the club's 2016 field staff.

Listach, 48, returns to Tacoma after leading the club to a 68-76 (.472) record in 2015. Under Listach's guidance, the 2015 Rainiers ranked in the top three in the Pacific Coast League in home runs (first, 148), stolen bases (tied-first, 157), and slugging percentage (third, .434).

This season will be Listach's fourth as a manager in the PCL, where he has a career record of 178-159 (.528). He was named PCL Manager of the Year after leading the 2008 Iowa Cubs to an 83-59 record.

A former infielder, Listach played six seasons in the Major Leagues after being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the 1988 draft. Listach was named the 1992 American League Rookie of the Year following a campaign in which he hit .290 with 54 stolen bases for the Brewers. He was originally drafted by the Mariners in the 23rd round of the 1987 draft, but did not sign.

Brosius, 49, joins the Mariners organization after 16 years at Linfield College, including eight seasons as head coach. During his time leading the Wildcats, Brosius accumulated a 270-96 (.738) record, one national championship, four regional titles, and five Northwest Conference titles.

Following his selection in the 20th round of the 1987 draft by the Oakland Athletics, Brosius went on to make appearances in parts of 11 Major League seasons. His accomplishments as a player include three World Series titles with the New York Yankees from 1998-2000, Gold Glove honors in 1999, and World Series MVP in 1998. While in the Oakland farm system, Brosius played with the Tacoma Tigers from 1990-93, compiling a .271 batting average with 97 runs and 103 RBI.

Painter, 48, has served as a pitching coach in the Mariners organization for the last 10 seasons, including time with Single-A Wisconsin (2006-07), Advanced-A High Desert (2008, 2013), Single-A Clinton (2009), and Double-A Jackson (2010-12, 2014-15).

Painter made 314 appearances and logged 450.0 innings across 10 Major League seasons with the Colorado Rockies (1993-96), St. Louis Cardinals (1997-99, 2003), Toronto Blue Jays (2000-01), and Milwaukee Brewers (2001). He was originally selected by the San Diego Padres in the 25th round of the 1990 draft and made his Major League debut with the Rockies on May 19, 1993 against the Padres.

Newberg begins his 30th season in the Mariners organization and his 10th as the Rainiers athletic trainer in 2016. Newberg served as an assistant trainer at the Major League level for 17 years from 1990-2006 and was selected as the athletic trainer for the 2009 Triple-A All-Star Game in Portland, Oregon.

Mendoza enters his third season in the Seattle farm system, having previously served as the performance coach for Jackson in 2014 and the Dominican Summer League Mariners in 2014.

The Tacoma Rainiers are slated to open the club's 2016 season on Thursday, April 7. Season tickets, group outings, and suite packages for the team's 2016 campaign are available now, and can be purchased by calling the Tacoma Rainiers front office at (253) 752-7707 today.

The most up-to-date information leading up to the 2016 season can be found at www.tacomarainiers.com, or by following the Rainiers on Twitter (@RainiersLand) and liking the team on Facebook.