Mariners hire Toole as new PD director

SEATTLE -- One day after the Mariners vacated their director of player development role by promoting Andy McKay to assistant general manager, the club back-filled his position by hiring Justin Toole from outside the organization.

Toole, 36, who spent the past three years as the Major League hitting analyst for the Guardians, will be taking on the role that McKay held since being one of Jerry Dipoto’s first hires after Seattle's president of baseball operations arrived following the 2015 season.

“We are beyond thrilled to have Justin leading our player development program,” McKay said in a statement. “In Justin’s career as a player, coach, and member of the front office, he has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to make everyone around him better. With this hire, we have ensured that both our staff and players will continue to grow in ways that will bring us closer to a championship in Seattle.”

Toole has spent his entire professional career with Cleveland, first as a player then as a coach, initially signing as an undrafted free agent in 2009. The former infielder played 499 games over seven seasons in the Minors, topping out at Triple-A Columbus in '15. Then in '16, he began a string of hitting coach jobs, each of which led to a promotion. His first stop was at Short-A Mahoning Valley, followed by Class A Lake County in '17, High-A Lynchburg in '18 and Double-A Akron in '19 before joining the MLB staff in '20.

A fun Toole fact: He authored a book “9-in-9” chronicling a game on Aug. 25, 2012, in which he played all nine defensive positions with the High-A Carolina Mudcats.

Toole's pro career followed four seasons of baseball at the University of Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in psychology and health and sports studies in 2009. During his time at Iowa, he was elected by his teammates as team captain and as a member of the leadership unity council. He also served on the Iowa student athlete advisory committee. He earned his master’s degree from National University in performance psychology in 2020.