EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Riverhawks have announced veteran major leaguer Kelly Stinnett will be the team's first manager.
Stinnett played 14 seasons in the majors between 1994 and 2007, including stints with the New York Mets and Yankees.
"We received a tip Kelly might be interested in coaching in Canada and we moved quickly to secure his services," said Riverhawks managing director Randy Gregg.
"He brings so much to our team: tremendous major league experience, wonderful skill coaching talent, plus, outstanding character.
Stinnett currently leads the baseball program at Park University's campus in Arizona.
The Riverhawks are scheduled to begin their inaugural season later this spring.
The West Coast League announced last week that it was revising its schedule to eliminate all regular-season international travel due to COVID-19 public health and border restrictions.
Teams in the United States will play 48 regular season league games.
The league says the Canadian schedule will be released in the next two weeks. The WCL's other Canadian teams are based in British Columbia: the Victoria HarbourCats, Kamloops NorthPaws, and Nanaimo NightOwls.
The league has 15 teams spread across Oregon and Washington as well as B.C. and Alberta.
The WCL is a summer collegiate league featuring amateur players with at least one year of college experience and one year of college eligibility remaining.
