Alan Zinter

Who is Alan Zinter?

Alan Michael Zinter is a former professional baseball player. He briefly played in Major League Baseball in 2002 and 2004 with the Houston Astros and the Arizona Diamondbacks, and played in Nippon Professional Baseball in 1999 with the Seibu Lions. He is currently the minor league hitting coordinator for the Cleveland Indians.

Zinter was a 1st round draft choice by the New York Mets in 1989 as a catcher, but eventually moved to first base. He played in the minors for fourteen years, including one season in Japan for the Seibu Lions in 1999, before finally getting a call-up with the Houston Astros in 2002. His first hit was a home run off Scott Williamson and he batted .136. In 2004, he earned another call-up with the Arizona Diamondbacks, doing slightly better hitting .206.

Zinter played in 2006 with the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, but mostly as a pinch hitter and a defensive replacement. In 2007, Zinter played for the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League.

In 2008, Zinter began his coaching career with the Rookie level Missoula Osprey in the Diamondbacks organization.