Astros fill their coaching staff vacancies mostly by looking within.
Miller, Snitker and Cintron promoted; Former Detroit scout Kelly also hired
Faced with three openings on their coaching staff, the Astros largely stayed within the organization.
The Astros on Wednesday promoted minor league coaches Troy Snitker and Josh Miller to major league roles, elevated former first-base coach Alex Cintron, and hired just one man from outside the organization to complete their 2019 on-field coaching staff.
Miller, who just completed his 12th season with the franchise, will replace Doug White as Houston’s bullpen coach. The 39year-old served one season as the Astros’ minor league pitching coordinator in 2017 after stints as a pro scout, minor league pitching coach and complex coordinator. Cintron and Troy Snitker will each serve as hitting coaches, spots vacated when Dave Hudgens became the Blue Jays’ bench coach and Jeff Albert was hired as the Cardinals’ hitting coach.
This is Cintron’s third major league promotion in three seasons with the Astros. He was the team’s Spanish interpreter, advance scout and assistant coach in 2017 before coaching first base last season.
Snitker served last season — his third within the Astros’ organization — as hitting coach with Class AA Corpus Christi. The 29year-old former catcher is the son of Braves skipper Brian Snitker, the reigning National League Manager of the Year.
Replacing Cintron at first base is Don Kelly, the only non-organizational name on the 2019 staff.
Kelly played for three teams across nine major league seasons as a utility man, last appearing in 13 games for the Marlins in 2016. Kelly and Astros ace Justin Verlander were teammates in Detroit from 200914. After his playing career, Kelly joined the Tigers as a pro scout before being summoned to Houston.
In another hiring Wednesday, former Astros analytics guru Sig Mejdal joined the Orioles as anticipated, reuniting with Mike Elias to rebuild a moribund franchise.
Mejdal will serve as the Orioles’ assistant general manager for analytics. The 52-year-old former NASA engineer will “oversee all aspects” of the Orioles’ analytics efforts while assisting and advising Elias in all manners of baseball operations decisions,” according to the statement announcing his hire.
Elias, most recently an assistant GM with the Astros, was introduced as Baltimore’s new executive vice president and general manager on Monday. When reports of Elias’ departure from Houston surfaced, Mejdal’s name was instantly connected to any opening within Baltimore’s front office. Mejdal allowed his contract to expire with the Astros following this season to pursue other opportunities.