Padres Announce 2026 San Antonio Missions Coaching Staff
TL San Antonio Missions

Padres Announce 2026 San Antonio Missions Coaching Staff

Published on January 21, 2026 under Texas League (TL)
San Antonio Missions News Release


SAN ANTONIO - The San Diego Padres today announced that Houston, Texas native Chris Tremie, who spent parts of four seasons as a major league catcher, will manage the San Antonio Missions during the 2026 season. Tremie enters his first year with the Padres and Missions after 13 seasons as a manager in the Cleveland Guardians organization and the last seven seasons as the minor league field coordinator for the Cincinnati Reds.

Tremie will be joined by two other fresh faces in pitching coach Erick Abreu and bench coach Brian Burres. Beyond those three newcomers, a host of familiar faces will return to the Alamo City including hitting coach Eric Del Prado, athletic trainer Juan Peña, strength coach Chandler Craig, performance analyst Brendan Amend and video coordinator Ryan Gard.

"We are thrilled to welcome Chris Tremie to San Antonio," said Missions General Manager David Gasaway. "A Texas native with so much experience in the game will fit right in as a great on-field leader for the Missions."

Tremie debuted as a catcher for the Chicago White Sox in 1995. He later played for the Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros across a total of 22 Major League Baseball games. Tremie retired in 2005 as a member of the Round Rock Express, the Astros' Triple-A affiliate at the time, and began his managing career in 2006 with the Cleveland organization. His time with Cleveland included two years of managing Double-A Akron and six years leading Triple-A Columbus.

The Houston native attended the University of Houston, where he helped lead the Cougars to two 40-win seasons before being drafted by the White Sox in the 39th round of the 1992 MLB Draft. As a minor leaguer in the White Sox organization, Tremie played with NBA legend Michael Jordan on the Double-A Birmingham Barons as Jordan attempted to play professional baseball.

Abreu, a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, pitched for nine years in the minor leagues with the New York Yankees and Houston Astros, even making a stop with the Texas League's Corpus Christi Hooks. Abreu then became a pitching coach in the Astros' system for nine seasons, spending time in six different levels ranging from the Dominican Summer League to the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys. Over the last two seasons, Abreu served as the major league bullpen coach for the Atlanta Braves.

Burres brings recent leadership acumen from within the Padres organization, working as the manager for Single-A Lake Elsinore in 2025, as a pitching coach at the Arizona Complex League in 2024 and as an assistant coach with High-A Fort Wayne in 2023. Burres also boasts the most extensive major league playing career on the staff, pitching in over 100 games for the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates across six big-league seasons.

Del Prado returns to the Missions for his second season as hitting coach. Prior to his time in San Antonio, Del Prado worked as a hitting coach at the Arizona Complex League (ACL) in 2023 before taking on the hitting coach role with Single-A Lake Elsinore during the 2024 season. A native of El Segundo, California, Del Prado played baseball at Willamette University and coached for four years at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon.

Peña begins his second season with the Missions after winning one of only 14 Minor League Baseball Athletic Trainer of the Year awards in 2024 for his work with Single-A Lake Elsinore. Peña worked in the Detroit Tigers organization from 2018-2023, with most of his time spent at the Florida Complex League. He is from Lakeland, Fla. and graduated from East Central University.

Craig continues his stint with the Missions after joining the club last year. Before the Missions, Craig worked for two seasons as strength and conditioning coach with High-A Fort Wayne. He previously spent two seasons with the Red Sox organization, including time with Single-A Salem. Craig is a native of Lubbock, Texas and graduated from Texas Tech University.

Amend, who recently completed his master's in sports performance from Point Loma Nazarene University, will be in his second season with the Missions after time with the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Gard, a graduate of Arizona State University, commences his fourth season working in San Diego's system and second in San Antonio.

The Missions begin the 2026 season on Thursday, April 2 in Oklahoma against the Tulsa Drillers. The Missions' home opener is Tuesday, April 7 as the Missions welcome the Corpus Christi Hooks, Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Secure your tickets now by calling 210-675-7275, or visit samissions.com.

Check out the San Antonio Missions Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Texas League Stories from January 21, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central