Mariners' 2024 coaching staff includes 2 newcomers

By Daniel Kramer | December 7, 2023

One of the key components to the Mariners’ offseason is to “change the way our offense works,” as president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said this week at the Winter Meetings.

And while the personnel upgrades are still in the works on the heels of major trades of well-known players, the club took another step to support its lineup by adding Brant Brown and Tommy Joseph to its coaching staff.

Brown will take over as bench coach and offensive coordinator, while Joseph will serve as the assistant hitting coach. Tony Arnerich will move to the bullpen coach role that Stephen Vogt vacated when he took the Guardians’ managerial position. The rest of the coaching staff under Mariners manager Scott Servais will return for 2024, other than Nasusel Cabrera, who leaves the organization after serving as batting practice pitcher.

“There are certain parts about our offense that are very good,” Dipoto said earlier this week. “There are other parts that we feel like created a weird distribution of runs. We’d like to more evenly distribute our run scoring, and I think that probably happens with more contact.”

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In the days leading up to the hirings of Brown and Joseph, Servais said that he was as optimistic with this group as any since he took over in Seattle ahead of the 2016 season.

“I am really excited about the staff we’ve assembled for 2024 and beyond,” Servais said. “We have a group whose singular focus is to help our players and our team get better each and every day. I believe the addition of Brant and Tommy deepens our hitting group, an area of focus for us, and it allows Tony to move to the bullpen where he can assist us in assuring we stay strong in an area that has been key to our success.”

Brown spent last season as the Marlins’ hitting coach, his lone year in Miami, while Joseph joins the organization from the Giants, where he spent last season as the hitting coach at High-A Eugene.

Brown left his mark in Miami on a club that surprised baseball by reaching the postseason, but his true ascent came during six seasons with the Dodgers, where he worked with some of the game’s best hitters and was part of playoff teams throughout his tenure.

“Brownie has been through the wars,” Dipoto said. “He’s worked with great hitters. He’s helped them turn keys. He’s got unbelievable energy. We know Brownie from his time with us, and it was a no-brainer for us.”

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Of Joseph, Dipoto said, “He’s lived a baseball life. He’s succeeded. He’s failed. He’s been celebrated. He’s been maligned. He’s going to be a great in-between [coach] for Brownie and [Jarret DeHart].”

In addition to the transitions and hirings, here’s the full Seattle coaching staff for 2024:

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