SEATTLE, Wash. – Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that the Mariners have promoted six members of the club’s Player Development and High Performance departments:

• Emanuel Sifuentes – Director, Player Development
• Mat Snider – Assistant Director, Player Development
• Rob Scheidegger – Senior Director, High Performance
• Kate Weiss – Director, Sports Science
• John Walker – Manager, Rehab and Return to Play
• Greg Ackerman – Analyst, Sports Science

“The key to our success comes down to how well we care for, educate and develop our players.” Dipoto said. “These leaders ensure this as our focus every day, bringing high levels of communication, innovation and creativity along the way.”

Sifuentes, who is entering his 9th season in the Mariners organization, has been promoted to Director, Player Development. In his new role, he will be responsible for leading and overseeing the organization’s Player Development staff throughout every affiliate in the minor leagues. Sifuentes spent the 2021 season as Assistant Director, Player Development after spending the 2019-20 seasons as Manager, Player Personnel. Sifuentes graduated from Pepperdine University, where he played baseball and later served as Assistant Coach and Director of Baseball Operations after graduation. He was a Baseball Operations Intern for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013 before joining the Mariners organization in 2014 as Coordinator, Advance Scouting.

Snider, who is entering his 4th season in the Mariners organization, has been promoted to Assistant Director, Player Development. He spent the previous 3 seasons (2019-21) as Coordinator, Player Development since joining the Mariners in January 2019. Snider earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, where he played baseball. He received his Masters in Sports Management from Baylor University.

Scheidegger has been promoted to Senior Director, High Performance after joining the Mariners organization as Manager, High Performance on April 23, 2021. He oversees and manages the medical and athletic training staffs as well as supervision of strength & conditioning, sports science and performance nutrition throughout the organization. Scheidegger spent nearly 20 years in the University of Washington Department of Athletics, most recently holding the position of Associate Athletic Director for Health & Wellness – Head Athletic Trainer. He also served as the Head Football Athletic Trainer for 15 seasons from 2005-19. He received his Bachelor of Science, Exercise Science from Central Washington University.

Weiss has been promoted to Director, Sports Science after joining the Mariners organization as Coordinator on March 19, 2021. She oversees the gathering and dissemination of all data relating to player health, readiness and performance. Weiss spent the previous two-and-a-half years with the Los Angeles Dodgers as Major League Sports Science Coordinator. She received her Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology from the University of Southern California in 2009, Master of Science, Exercise Science – Biomechanics from Ball State University in 2013 and PhD in Sport Science and Biomechanics from Auckland (NZ) University of Technology in 2017.

Walker, who is entering his 5th season in the Mariners organization, has been promoted to Manager, Rehab and Return to Play. In his new role, he will oversee all player rehabilitation across the organization’s minor league affiliates as well as the Major League club. He previously served as Coordinator, Minor League Medical and Athletic Training since 2018. Walker worked as a Physical Therapist in the Cincinnati Reds organization from 2004-2010 and received his Master’s, Physical Therapy from East Carolina University.

Ackerman joined the Mariners organization in May 2021. In his role as Sports Science Analyst, he monitors and performs quantitative analysis focusing on athlete workload, athleticism, baseball biomechanics, and injury prevention. He spent parts of 3 seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2017-2020 and is a 2015 graduate from Syracuse University.