Seattle Mariners make changes to 2020 coaching staff
Sep 30, 2019, 5:53 PM
Chris Prieto, who was the Mariners' third base and outfield coach, won't return in 2020. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Mariners’ coaching staff will look quite different in 2020. The team has confirmed that third base/outfield coach Chris Prieto and bullpen coach Jim Brower will not return, and pitching coach Paul Davis has accepted another position within the organization.
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Prieto began his Mariners career in 2013 managing the rookie ball Pulaski team to a division-winning 41-27 record. The following year he joined Lloyd McClendon’s Mariners staff as the quality assurance coach. Under current Mariners manager Scott Servais, Prieto has served as a special projects coach, first base coach and most recently third base coach.
In 2019, Prieto worked extensively with Seattle’s outfielders, a group that included a number of infielders attempting to learn the outfield. Prieto and Mallex Smith had an everyday routine for early extra work that Smith credited with helping him get back on track after a disastrous start to the season in the field.
Brower came to the Mariners in 2018 from the Cubs organization, where he served as minor league pitching coordinator for two years. Prior to that he was the Double-A pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals. Brower spent his first season with the Mariners as an assistant coach who specialized in using the analytics to help further develop pitchers at the big league level. In 2019 he served as the bullpen coach.
Davis’ new position has yet to be announced. He has extensive experience working with technology and video on the pitching side and could fill an organizational role in pitcher development.
The team is expected to hire from within for at least one of the pitching positions, with Double-A pitching coach Pete Woodworth a front-runner to win a spot on the Major League staff.
The remaining coaches – Manny Acta (bench), Tim Laker (hitting), Perry Hill (first base/infield) and Jared Sandberg (Major League field coordinator) – have all been invited back with contract conversations beginning this week.
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