SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Mets announced that Chad Kreuter will serve as the team’s manager during the 2020 season.
He takes over for Brian Schneider after the New York Mets named Schneider their quality control coach on Friday, the Syracuse Mets said. Kreuter spent the last three seasons as manager for the St. Lucie Mets, the Advanced-A affiliate of the New York Mets.
Kreuter is in his fourth season in the Mets’ organization. The 55-year-old previously managed the Modesto Nuts, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, to begin the 2006 season before he was named the head coach at the University of Southern California in June 2006. Kreuter managed the USC Trojans for four years from 2007 to 2010.
The Santa Barbara, California native also worked in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization as the minor-league field coordinator in 2011.
As a player, Kreuter was a catcher for 16 years in the majors from 1988 to 2003, having played for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Anaheim Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Los Angeles Dodgers. During his major-league career, Kreuter was behind the plate for 892 games and caught 36 percent of baserunners stealing.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity the Mets have given me to manage their Triple-A team,” Kreuter said in a statement. “One of the cool things about this opportunity is getting the chance to manage players in Syracuse that I also managed in St. Lucie over the last three years. I’m hearing a lot of great things about Syracuse with the stadium renovations, the fans, and both the coaching and front office staffs. The Mets are committed to putting a strong team on the field, and I’m excited to lead that team this season.”
The Syracuse Mets open the 2020 season on the road on April 9 against the Pawtucket Red Sox. Syracuse’s home opener is on April 17 at NBT Bank Stadium against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com