When baseball resumes, Olympia native Jared Sandberg will begin new role with Mariners
More than six weeks have passed since Jared Sandberg suddenly found himself boarding a flight back home.
The 42-year-old Olympia native, who was hired by the Seattle Mariners last season as their major-league field coordinator, and named their bench coach this winter, was in the midst of his second spring camp with the club when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation.
In the days leading up to baseball’s shutdown, Sandberg heard the reports from home — Washington had emerged as an epicenter of the virus, large gatherings were limited by Gov. Jay Inslee, and schools were closing until at least late April.
With the chaos at home, Sandberg’s wife, Julie, and their children, Evan and Clara, were planning to join him in Arizona on March 15, where daily life still seemed relatively normal, despite MLB opting to suspend spring training games and delay Opening Day. The Mariners, at that point, planned to continue operating out of their training facility in a limited capacity.
But, Sandberg’s family never boarded a plane. He and others still in the clubhouse were given instructions that Sunday morning to head home, and he was back in Olympia that night. The Mariners shut down all operations in Peoria later that week.
“Everything kept changing, like every hour,” Sandberg said of the final few days at the complex. “The communication was outstanding as far as making sure everybody knew what was going on. I think setting up the plan that we did in the short term was a great plan to keep everybody in the best shape they could be, and keep them going, pitchers built up, and so on, from a baseball standpoint.
“Then it just turned to life, and making sure everybody is safe, and knowing that once we got word that it was going to be a while, that we were going to be shut down with no baseball, then it was just time to send everybody home. … It definitely felt very normal in Arizona, but as the wave continued to move across the states, everybody started to feel the effects.”
Like so many others preparing to hunker down for the long haul, Sandberg’s family made a trip to the grocery store the day after he returned, relying in part on frozen foods and vegetables with good shelf life and have been socially distancing and making limited trips ever since.
“We’ve basically spent a month now just staying at home and being a family, and trying to find structure,” Sandberg said. “The days are going by fast, which is crazy.”
Inslee announced his stay-at-home order about a week after Sandberg returned, and he and his family have used the time to connect in ways they usually don’t have the chance to this time of year, when he is typically beginning another long summer of baseball.
Julie was gifted a sourdough starter, so the family has enjoyed biscuits or pancakes in the morning, while also planning out dinners using either the smoker or grill or cooking in the kitchen.
“We’re able to sit down and have family dinners, and have these discussions at dinner that maybe weren’t happening before because I wasn’t here,” Sandberg said. “I was off doing the baseball thing, and then the kids had activities as well. Things have definitely slowed down.
“I think having that family time, whether it’s cooking the dinners, whether it’s sitting down around the dinner table and actually having family dinner every night, or cleaning up as a family, I think those times are awesome.”
Sandberg’s family appreciates having him around in a time they normally wouldn’t, and they’ve been staying active outside together while the kids remain out of school. They’ll bike the trails near the Evergreen State College, run or walk. They’ll work on throwing drills, play catch in the street or the yard, or take some batting practice. Sandberg says he has even worked on his fastpitch windup.
For the most part, they’ve tried to take a break from social media and television — apart from watching “Survivor” as a family on Wednesdays — and interact in other ways, including keeping competitive juices flowing by playing a lot of games as a family and keeping cumulative scoring sheets.
“Whether it’s having the TV on or cell phones at the table, or a computer on the lap, life never really slows down,” Sandberg said. “I think during this time life has really slowed down, and we’re able to enjoy each other.”
Sandberg has valued the time. A big draw of joining the Mariners last season was being closer to home.
When baseball does resume, he’s looking forward to donning the hometown uniform in the dugout again with new responsibilities. As the bench coach, he will essentially be manager Scott Servais’ right-hand man.
“Scott just basically told me to prepare like you’re a manager and come to every meeting prepared, and when the game starts, manage in your mind like you’re the manager, and throw your ideas out,” Sandberg said.
It’s a more familiar role for Sandberg, who managed Triple-A Durham his final four seasons with the Rays organization, leading them to back-to-back International League titles in 2017 — the Bulls also won the Triple-A title that year — and 2018.
Sandberg has been coaching professionally since 2008, following a 12-year career as a player. He played parts of three major league seasons with Tampa Bay, and still holds the organization’s minor league records for home runs (113), RBI (473) and runs scored (417). He was drafted out of Capital High School in 1996.
Given his extensive time coaching in the minors, Sandberg has plenty to offer a young Seattle organization in the second phase of its rebuild.
“Knowing the direction of the organization, where they were headed, it was definitely going to be a good spot for me,” Sandberg said. “Being in the minor leagues and in player development, bringing some of those ideas that the Tampa Bay Rays organization had here from a player development standpoint was going to be key. Definitely part of the draw.”
Joining the team he grew up rooting for, working with beloved Mariners figures like Alvin Davis and Dan Wilson, and being able to relive pivotal moments in the franchise’s history — like the 1995 season — through the recent re-airs on ROOT has been a good bonus, too.
“I can recall it, even though I was a junior or senior in high school,” Sandberg said. “It was just a great time as the Mariners kind of turned the community into baseball fans. The new ballpark was built. … I wear Mariners gear every day during the offseason, or even during this time, just because I’m proud of what the Mariners represent in the community. To put that on every day is fantastic.”
Sandberg, given his success managing in the minors, has ambitions to fill the same role in the majors one day but says he is happy to be in the role he is in right now.
“Managing in the big leagues would definitely be a dream or goal,” Sandberg said. “I’m in a really good spot right now, being at home in a bench coach position. I’m able to grow as a person and as a baseball guy, and the Mariners continue to challenge me and push me.
“I’m in a really good spot right now, but I would love to manage at some point.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 5:22 AM.
