[1] He was a 1st round draft choice (24th overall) by the New York Mets in 1989 as a catcher, but eventually moved to first base.

Zinter played in 2006 with the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, but mostly as a pinch hitter and a defensive replacement.

In 2008, Zinter began his coaching career with the Rookie level Missoula Osprey in the Diamondbacks organization.

[5] On November 4, 2014, Zinter was announced as the new assistant hitting coach for the Houston Astros by general manager Jeff Luhnow.

[8] In 2018 and 2019, Zinter worked as the San Francisco Giants Assistant Director of Player Development, Offense.