SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres today announced the members of Manager Andy Green's coaching staff for the 2016 season. Returning to the staff will be pitching coach Darren Balsley and third base coach Glenn Hoffman. Joining the staff in 2016 will be Mark McGwire as bench coach, Alan Zinter as hitting coach, Tarrik Brock as first base coach and Doug Bochtler as bullpen coach. Also joining the coaching staff in 2016 will be Eddie Rodriguez who will serve in a variety of roles. Executive Vice President/General Manager A.J. Preller made the announcements.
Balsley, 51, returns for his 14th full season as the Padres pitching coach for 2016. Since the beginning of his first full season in 2004, the Padres pitching staff has posted a 3.89 ERA (7532 ER, 17428.0 IP), the fifth-best mark in baseball in that span and fourth-best among National League teams. Balsley is the second-longest tenured pitching coach in the National League behind the San Francisco Giants' Dave Righetti. A native of Newport Beach, Calif., Balsley graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in San Diego and attended Palomar College.
Hoffman, 57, returns for his 11th season as the Padres third base coach, his 18th as a coach at the Major League level. The 2016 season will be his 41st year overall in professional baseball.
McGwire, 52, joins the Padres coaching staff after spending the past three seasons as hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Under his guidance over the past three seasons (2013-15) the Dodgers have posted the seventh-best average in the Majors and third-best in the National League, hitting .260 over that stretch. Prior to his tenure in Los Angeles he served in the same capacity for the St. Louis Cardinals for three seasons (2010-12), with the Cardinals posting the best batting average in the National League over that stretch while also winning a World Series title in 2011. Originally signed by the Oakland Athletics as a first-round selection (10th overall) in the 1984 First-Year Player Draft, the 12-time All-Star hit .263 (1626-6187) with 252 doubles, six triples, 583 home runs, 1414 RBI and 1167 runs scored over 16 Major League seasons with the Athletics (1986-97) and Cardinals (1997-2001). His 583 career home runs currently rank 10th-most all-time in Major League history, including a career-high 70 home runs in 1998, breaking Roger Maris' single-season home run record of 61 home runs set in 1961. The former first baseman also took home 1987 Rookie of the Year honors with the A's as well as three career Louisville Silver Slugger awards and one career Rawlings Gold Glove award.
Zinter, 47, joins the Padres as hitting coach after spending the 2015 season as assistant hitting coach for the Houston Astros. Prior to making his Major League coaching debut with the Astros last season he spent the previous three seasons serving as minor league hitting coordinator (2012-14) in the Cleveland Indians organization. Zinter made his coaching debut in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in 2008, serving as a hitting coach in Arizona's minor league system for four seasons (2008-11). Originally signed by the New York Mets as a first-round selection (24th overall) in the 1989 First-Year Player Draft, Zinter played parts of two Major League seasons with the Astros (2002) and Diamondbacks (2004) as well as a total of 19 minor league seasons across several organizations.
Brock, 41, enters his second season with the Padres and first on the Major League coaching staff after serving as the organization's outfield and baserunning coordinator in 2015. Brock joined the Padres in 2015 after serving as the first base coach for the Houston Astros in 2014. Prior to joining the Astros, he spent seven seasons (2007-13) with the Florida Marlins organization where he served as outfield and baserunning coordinator, including parts of the 2010 season as first base coach for the Major League staff. Originally signed by the Detroit Tigers as a second-round selection in the 1991 First-Year Player Draft, he played parts of 13 professional seasons with the Tigers (1991-96), Seattle Mariners (1997-98) Colorado Rockies (1999), Chicago Cubs (1999-2000) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2002-03), including 13 Major League games for the Cubs in 2000.
Bochtler, 45, rejoins the Padres organization for his first career Major League coaching assignment. He joins the Padres after spending the previous five seasons coaching in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, serving as the pitching coach for the Single-A Kane County Cougars in 2015 after serving in the same capacity for South Bend (2014), Missoula (2013) and Yakima (2011-12). Originally signed by the Montreal Expos as a ninth-round selection in the 1989 First-Year Player Draft, Bochtler made his Major League debut for the Padres in 1995, pitching parts of his first three Major League seasons (1995-97) for San Diego. The right-hander enjoyed his best Major League season in 1996, a season in which the Padres won the National League West Division, by going 2-4 and posting career-bests with a 3.02 ERA (22 ER, 65.2 IP) and 68 strikeouts against 39 walks in 63 relief appearances.
Rodriguez, 56, will enter his third season with the Padres and first on the Major League coaching staff in 2016 after serving as the organization's infield coordinator for the past two seasons. He joined the Padres after spending five seasons with the Kansas City Royals organization, including three seasons (2011-13) as the Royals' third base coach. Rodriguez brings to the Padres coaching staff 12 years of Major League coaching experience, having served the Toronto Blue Jays as third base coach (1998), the Arizona Diamondbacks as first base (2001) and third base coach (2002-03), the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals as bench coach (2004-06), the Seattle Mariners as first base coach (2008) and the Royals as first base (2010) and third base coach (2011-13). As a player, Rodriguez originally signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a first-round selection (third overall) in the January phase of the 1978 Draft and played six seasons in the minor leagues.
