Mariners announce coaching staff for 2021 season
The Mariners announced Monday the coaching staff that will join general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais for the 2021 season.
Seven coaches are set to return as the club, which finished third in the American League West in this 60-game season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and fell two games short of the playoffs, seeks to reach the postseason for the first time since 2001.
Manny Acta, Jarret DeHart, Perry Hill, Tim Laker, Olympia’s Jared Sandberg, Carson Vitale and Pete Woodworth will all return to their former roles, while Trent Blank will replace Brian De Lunas as Seattle’s bullpen coach, and will also be the club’s director of pitching strategy.
“Whether working remotely or working at the ballpark, this group helped our players get better in 2020,” Servais said in a release. “As we take steps toward our goal of annually contending for the American League West title, I am confident that our coaches will put our players in the best position to succeed.”
Blank, who was the club’s acting bullpen coach during 2020, will be in the role full time beginning in 2021 as the only new addition to the big league staff. This will be Blank’s third season in the organization after joining the Mariners as their director of pitching strategy in 2019.
Before he joined the club, the 31-year-old spent four years with TMI Sports Medicine, working as a baseball performance specialist.
A former reliever, he played three seasons in Colorado’s minor league system between 2012-14 after the Rockies drafted him in the 30th round out of Baylor in 2012. Blank pitched in 78 games in his professional career reaching Low-A.
Acta will enter his sixth season with the Mariners and his fourth as the club’s third base coach. He also spent two seasons as the bench coach from 2018-19.
The 51-year-old will also be entering his 17th season as a coach or manager in the big leagues after managing the Nationals from 2007-09 and Indians from 2010-12. He was also the third base coach for the Expos from 2002-04 and Mets from 2005-06.
DeHart returns for his second season as Seattle’s assistant hitting coach after roving the minor league system as a hitting strategist in 2019. He was the hitting coach for the Arizona League Mariners in 2018. The 26-year-old formerly played for LSU and Tulane.
Perry Hill is back as Seattle’s first base and infielder’s coach after working remotely in 2020 and is entering his third season with the club and 26th as a big league coach. With the guidance of the 68-year-old coach, the Mariners ranked third in the majors this season with a .989 fielding percentage, and had the third-fewest errors (23).
Tim Laker, who also worked remotely this season, will be back for his third season as the Mariners’ hitting coach. The 50-year-old is entering his fifth season as a big league coach after working as an assistant with the Diamondbacks from 2017-18.
Olympia native Jared Sandberg is entering his second season as Seattle’s bench coach and his third on the staff after joining the Mariners as a major league field coordinator in 2019.
The 42-year-old previously spent 11 years with the Rays organization, including 10 as a minor league manager. He led Triple-A Durham to back-to-back International League titles in 2017 and 2018, and won a Triple-A title in 2017.
Sandberg, a Capital High School product, played 12 professional seasons as an infielder, including parts of three seasons for Tampa Bay.
Vitale will begin his second season as Seattle’s major league field coordinator. He also spent the 2018-19 seasons as the organization’s minor league field coordinator. Prior to joining the Mariners, the 32-year-old spent two seasons as the Dodgers’ international field coordinator and four seasons in player development with the Angels, and managed the Dominican Summer League Angels.
The Creighton product was a 38th-round pick by the Rangers in 2010, and played two seasons in their system as a catcher.
Woodworth enters his second season as the Mariners’ pitching coach. The 32-year-old guided Seattle’s staff to 25 quality starts in 2020, which ranked fifth in the majors.
He was previously the pitching coach for Double-A Arkansas, where he worked with many of Seattle’s up-and-coming prospects, and was named the Texas League Coach of the Year following the 2019 season.
He was also the pitching coach for High-A Modesto from 2017-18 after joining Seattle in 2016 as the pitching coach for Low-A Clinton.
The upcoming season will be Woodworth’s sixth with the organization.
Nasusel Cabrera will also remain with the Mariners as their batting practice pitcher, while Fleming Baez will return as the bullpen catcher.
ROSTER MOVES
The Mariners made three more roster moves Friday, leaving their 40-man roster at 34 players.
▪ Seattle claimed right-hander Domingo Tapia, who made his major league debut in September, from the Red Sox. The 29-year-old posted a 2.08 ERA in five relief appearances.
▪ Right-hander Gerson Bautista, who spent the entirety of the 2020 season on the injured list with an elbow sprain, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma. The 25-year-old appeared in eight games with the Mariners in relief in 2019.
▪ Left-hander Taylor Guilbeau, who appeared in 25 games out of the bullpen for the Mariners the past two seasons, was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks. The 26-year-old debuted with the Mariners in 2019 and has a career 2.70 ERA across 20 innings. He posted a 1.17 ERA in eight appearances for Seattle in 2020.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 1:54 PM.
