Mike Benjamin, a 13-year Major League veteran, will take over managing the Kane County Cougars for the 2016 season. (Photo courtesy Kane County Cougars)

Mike Benjamin, a 13-year veteran of four Major League teams, has been named 17th manager of the Kane County Cougars.

The team, in conjunction with the organization’s Major League affiliate Arizona Diamondbacks, made the announcement of Benjamin’s job and other field staff.

The Cougars open the 2016 season on April 7 against Clinton at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark in Geneva.

In 2015, Benjamin served as manager of the D-backs (Rookie League), a team that finished 25-30.

Prior to that, Benjamin served as an assistant coach for the Arizona State University baseball team (2010-14) and also played collegiately for the Sun Devils in 1986 and 1987.

His Major League career included stints with the Giants (1989-95), Phillies (1996), Red Sox (1997-98) and Pirates (1999-2000, ’02) as an infielder. In 818 games, he hit .229 with 109 doubles, 24 home runs and 169 RBI. Benjamin was a third round selection by the Giants in the 1987 draft.

Benjamin’s field staff will include pitching coach Rich Sauveur, hitting coach Jonathan Mathews, coach Shawn Roof, athletic trainer Ryne Eubanks and strength and conditioning coordinator Skyler Zarndt.

Sauveur is a first-year coach with the D-backs and appeared in 34 big league games with six teams.

Mathews begins his third season in the D-backs organization and was hitting coach at Class-A Advanced Visalia in 2015. Mathews served in the same capacity for the South Bend Silver Hawks of the Midwest League in 2014.

Roof, who will begin his first season with the D-backs, has worked in various coaching capacities in Minor League Baseball and at the collegiate level. Roof played for four years at the University of Illinois (2004-07).

Mark Grudzielanek, who served as Cougars manager in 2015, has been named Assistant Hitting Coordinator in the D-backs farm system.

Last year’s hitting coach, Vince Harrison, has been promoted to Visalia while pitching coach Doug Bochtler was named bullpen coach for the San Diego Padres earlier this offseason.

Athletic trainer Rafael Freitas and strength and conditioning coordinator Sean Light have been promoted to Double-A Mobile in 2016.

Last year, Arizona affiliates were 455-382 (.544), the second-highest winning percentage in the Minors behind Houston (.553; 502-405). Four D-backs affiliates advanced to the postseason with two winning league titles (Short-A Hillsboro, Rookie-Advanced Missoula).

The D-backs and Houston Astros were the only two organizations featuring two full-season clubs with a .600-plus winning percentage, with Visalia (.600) and Kane County (.609), which had the fourth-best winning percentage among all full-season Minor League clubs.

For more, visit the Cougars web site at Kane County Cougars

— Kane County Cougars welcome Mike Benjamin as new manager —