The Mariners announced this afternoon that they’ve hired Edgar Martinez as hitting coach for the remainder of the season. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times first reported (X link) yesterday that the Hall of Famer was going to join new manager Dan Wilson’s staff. The role was unreported, but in tandem with Seattle’s dismissal of hitting coach Jarret DeHart yesterday, it wasn’t hard to read between the lines.
While the M’s made clear that Wilson is their full-time manager, Martinez’s status after the year is up in the air. Seattle’s press release specified that Martinez has only taken the job for the final couple months of this season. The M’s would presumably be happy to keep him around beyond this year, but the 61-year-old has previously cited a desire for a less demanding position than a regular coaching role.
Few hitters are more accomplished than Martinez. He won two batting titles and three Silver Slugger awards during his 18-year big league career. Martinez made seven All-Star teams and finished his playing days with a .312/.418/.515 slash line. He spent his entire career with the M’s and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame within three years of his retirement after the ’04 season. While it took more than a decade, he eventually earned the sport’s highest honors with election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in January 2019.
Wilson was an All-Star catcher who played for the Mariners from 1994-2005. He overlapped with Martinez for all but the final season. The two have both remained involved with the organization in their post-playing days. Martinez worked as hitting coach on Lloyd McClendon’s and Scott Servais’ staffs between 2015-18. He stepped down after the ’18 campaign and moved into a less intensive role as organizational hitting advisor — a position that enabled him to work with both minor league and MLB players. Wilson had been a special assistant for player development for seven years before moving into the manager’s office yesterday.
Guard the Vogt
“While the M’s made clear that Wilson is their full-time manager”
Is or isn’t?
Zippy the Pinhead
Evidently, they hired him to be the permanent new manager. No search, no interim, no accountability for not talking to at least one POC, which isn’t a requirement, but no interview process at all is usually bad news. Now, move the fences in.
proton
They have moved the fences in. Maybe move them more to give Edgar’s Cantina more seats.
proton
Move the fences in make the park more HR friendly. How about not looking for the HR every pitch and hit singles or doubles? The mindset is a HR or K. Players think fans don’t pay to see singles. I would rather see 8 singles and four runs over 16ks and 1 run. Get the HR or bust mindset out of the thinking. Go up look for 1 pitch and swing for the fences then turn into a hitter. Edgar was never a HR or bust guy. He hit them but doubles were as good. Keep the inning’s alive. I know a lot will disagree but I have watched this game change over the many years I have been played watched coached and umped. The yard is great for doubles and a few triples and boring old singles.
Zippy the Pinhead
Move them again. Home/away pitching stats show the M’s pitchers are overrated, only benefitting by pitching in the Columbia Gorge. No hitter would ever want to come here unless he were vastly overpaid or the fences come in. Ownership isn’t paying, so move the fences (or move the infield toward center).
Guard the Vogt
Hr or bust mindset will probably not change with this hitting instructor.
proton
The Ms pitchers are overrated? Your name fits you are a pinhead. They are considered one of the top 5 staffs in all of BB. Even MLBN talks about how good they are. Not sure where you are from Zippy but kuddos for Volumbia Gorge reference. Even though the win blows out to left almost daily so the park would play smaller there. Going from 1st to 2nd is a bit more difficult the river runs deep and faster there too.
Guard the Vogt
Zippy the Pinhead thanks, I was reading that he wasn’t tabbed to be permanent and then read that comment and I guess the news changed.
I’m not sure one game in Seattle qualifies me to have an opinion on the Mariners, (I did eat crickets at the stadium tho) but I never thought Servais was the answer. Good human being though. I think they’re hoping Wilson can give them what Vogt is doing in Cleveland.
mlb fan
The Seattle Mariners have had these same sorts of offensive problems going back DECADES; back to a time when Felix Hernandez was the resident ace. So I’m inclined to believe their problems are more front office related(including ownership)than field level management related.
ThatsIT?
Junior left due to the stadium. It’s hard to hit at that park particularly during the night. There’s a plethora of big time bats who got lots of money and struggled in Seattle.
Zippy the Pinhead
Move the fences in. 10 feet at least.
McGrundle
They already did. The Mariners don’t even hit singles. Should we move the fences to the infield dirt?
BobbyAyala94
Junior did not leave due to the stadium- this is complete fiction.
ThatsIT?
It’s not, might not have been the reason but was part of the decision.
BobbyAyala94
What makes you say that? Just conjecture? He hit 19 homers in his 75 games there before leaving the Mariners after the ‘99 season- a 41 homer pace. It’s no Kingdome, but Griffey wasn’t worried about the stadium. His reasons for leaving are well documented and this isn’t one of them.
ThatsIT?
Try reading some articles at the time. It’s well documented. If I say it it’s well documented. I don’t need to lie and make stuff up I’m a baseball savant.
BobbyAyala94
@thatsit- Your calling yourself a savant? You have 80 grade insecurity.
proton
Forget the fences what did you think about the crickets? They were ok to me. An easy pass to get the garlic fries though.
Guard the Vogt
Crickets weren’t bad… Had a chaser, didn’t need it…
Gwynning
Coach? Heck, put ‘im in the clean-up spot!
Acoss1331
I bet Edgar could still hit and have a better on-base percentage lol
THEY LIVE!!!
Seriously doubt changing the hitting coach is going to make this team into a contender.
THEY LIVE!!!
Pull the fences in 20 ft. for starters.
mlb fan
“Pull the fences in”…At some point thinking the stadium is the main problem becomes a self fullfilling prophecy. I mean I get that stadiums like Cincy’s Great American Park and NY’s Yankee stadium have smaller dimensions, but good hitters hit at whatever stadium they’re playing in. The idea of constantly moving fences in cheapens the thrill of homeruns in my opinion.
Zippy the Pinhead
Constantly? The park has been unhittable since its opening 25 years ago. Move in the fences.
good vibes only
How is pulling in the fences going to help the Mariners more than the other team?
The Mariners fail to even put the ball in play more often than other teams by striking out way more than other teams.
Samuel
“How is pulling in the fences going to help the Mariners more than the other team?”
good vibes only;
They have a retractable roof. Now they need a retractable outfield fence. Move it in when the Mariners are batting,
out when the opposition is.
Zippy the Pinhead
I know you were joking, but a retractable fence is a great idea. Move in during March, April, May, and September and move it back in the warmer months. Then those bombs that die on the warning track might mean more. Of course, the pitchers will be pissed.
Zippy the Pinhead
They’ll stop being a team that only tries to hit home runs. And they’ll draw interest from better free agent hitters, who don’t want to hit in a cold, damp climate for half the season. Move in the fences.
DodgersBro
Zippy
“They’ll stop being a team that only tries to hit home runs…Move in the fences.”
This seems contradictory
good vibes only
Now that’s a change I can get behind! I already suspect they choose the timing of pulling that roof in sometimes when the other team is batting lol
good vibes only
Is that why free agent hitters don’t want to play there? Or could it be because the ownership group doesn’t actually want to spend any money on bats and so the free agent hitters aren’t getting serious offers?
The batters eye/stadium is too big/weather is too bad is just a bunch of excuses. The weather in Seattle is quite mild year round and it’s not any colder there than it is in other midwestern or northeastern cities. The position players are just (mostly) not any good and this team is in the state it is because the hitting side of the roster is made up of spare parts.
letitbelowenstein
Doubt he’ll help. The great hitters seldom make good coaches.
Unclemike1525
I think Edgar has forgotten more about hitting than any slug in MLB today. The question is , Will anybody listen?
SadMsFan
He’s already been the Mariners hitting coach once and was very successful. From 15-18, he raised our team average by 27 points and our team’s average runs per game by 1.2. He only left the position to spend more time with his family.
30 Parks
This is good for Julio Rodriguez.
Yanks4life22
One of the toughest outs I have ever seen. Broke my heart in 95’. What a series.
C Yards Jeff
What a swing. Short with minimal use of body parts. Let the ball get deep and then would turn on it. Kept it simple. The righthand version of one of his contemparies Barry Bonds.
Dumpster Divin Theo
They should hire him only to coach DHs
smkelly1970
they should hire him only to BE the DH. he couldn’t be any worse than that entire lineup.
Unclemike1525
If Edgar can’t show them how to hit they just stink.
drdback
Excellent hire. If they listen to Edgar, their bats will start producing very soon. I hope this works for them.
Zippy the Pinhead
I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this, but they should just move the fences in. 10 feet at least.
MPrck
FINALLY ! Better lat than never. Their fans must be ecstatic by now !
THEY LIVE!!!
Move the team to Salt Lake City and the hitters all become studs. Pitchers will cry me a river.
Juudester
The M’s are Cursed..Stadium voted down in 95 yet they built it anyway. bring back the Kingdome!..lol
SadMsFan
This is fantastic! He already did a great job as hitting coach before. The only difference between his previous time as hitting coach and now, is that last time the Mariners had some talent in their lineup. Currently, the Mariners are completely void of talent-except arguably Robles. And if anyone says Julio, he’s overrated, had two fluke mediocre seasons, he’s under an egregious contract, and he acts like a pretty boy on the field-he shows no effort, can’t make the big plays, and people got all excited about him cause he made one decent catch, being the only Mariners center fielder to do so since Mike Cameron who was stellar by the way and can make the catches Julio can’t make in his sleep. Even Robles has outplayed Julio at every turn and is actually a tough person. The Mariners should focus on acquiring players who do well at T-Mobile park, and stop getting career B players who are past their prime. Dipoto is a complete moron and incompetent and should be fired, along with Hollander and the majority of the Mariners front office. Not a good environment, and the Mariners have never had good organizational leadership.
good vibes only
What are you talking about lol. Julio is one of the best defensive center fielders in the league and his last two seasons were anything but mediocre. I get he’s having an ugly season at the plate but wow
SodoMojo90
No one‘s been able to make the catches Cammy did, even though Ichiro and Franklin Gutierrez also played in center since Cammy left. But they’re just average outfield defenders…
crazybaseballgal
Love Edgar but think this is a PR move to soothe angry fans
Nuke LaLoosh
Make contact. Singles. Doubles. Get on base. Move the runner.
Stop trying to pull everything off the plate and go the other way.