Mariners hoping for Edgar to continue in 'significant role' in '25
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SEATTLE -- The correlation between the Mariners’ team-wide success and that of its most talented position player has been striking ever since Julio Rodríguez debuted in 2022. But that’s been especially true over the final five-plus weeks of ‘24.
Rodríguez ripped a 101.1 mph RBI single in Sunday’s 6-2 win over Oakland, capping a stellar September that has both he and the Mariners eager for his potential to do so over the entirety of a season in 2025. He credits health as a big component for his upward finish, having distanced himself from the high right ankle sprain suffered on July 21.
But the biggest factor, in the center fielder's eyes, has been Edgar Martinez.
“I know I've mentioned him a lot throughout this last little stretch, but I've got to give a lot of credit to Edgar,” Rodríguez said. “He was somebody that kind of instilled a lot of things that I kind of forgot about myself. And I'm grateful that he was able to be part of this coaching staff for the last stretch of the season.”
Martinez’s role moving forward is arguably the most fascinating storyline as the Mariners head into the offseason, given the tangible results that Seattle’s offense showed during his tenure and how much players -- beyond Rodríguez -- credited him for that success. When Martinez was brought on, it was listed as only through the end of the 2024 season.
By all accounts, the Mariners have made it clear that the ball is in Martinez’s court for the Hall of Famer to determine how he’d like to contribute next season.
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“We're trying to figure out how to develop a creative situation with our hitting program that allows Edgar to play a prominent role without asking him to be with the team for 162 games,” Dipoto said before Saturday’s game. “But I think you will see Edgar play a significant role, whether that's as our full-time hitting coach or as some other high-level hitting instructor.”
Dipoto even jokingly threw in the word “beg” when asked his methodology to bring Martinez back.
“I would love him to continue to do what he's doing,” Dipoto said, “because I think it's truly a difference maker.”
The Mariners finished 21-13 under Martinez and new manager Dan Wilson, who took over on Aug. 22. And their offense found new levels of consistency. Seattle hit .255 with a .764 OPS and 5.1 runs per game under its new leadership, compared to .216, .666 and 3.9, respectively, respectively, in its first 128 games.
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Martinez had most recently served as an organizational hitting advisor, occasionally dropping in for homestands, and was Seattle’s hitting coach from midway through 2015 through the end of 2018. Dipoto joined the front office ahead of 2016.
“This is as engaged as I've seen Edgar in talking about a more team-oriented approach,” Dipoto said. “And I think he learned a lot by watching us play when he wasn't in the dugout, and he's really relaying that to the players in a very translatable way.”
Beyond his grounded coaching style, Martinez has also connected with the growing presence of Spanish-speaking players in the clubhouse, which comprises its entire outfield of Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena and Victor Robles -- all of whom will be back and expected to be key offensive players. Sources have said that the ability to speak Spanish will be a significant factor in Seattle’s search for a hitting coach this offseason.
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Wilson, whose first call upon being named manager was to Martinez asking him to be his hitting coach, will be an instrumental figure in assembling next year’s coaching staff. The Mariners haven’t outlined yet who among the 2024 staff will return.
“That's kind of the first thing on the docket as the offseason hits here,” Wilson said. “And we'll be talking with 'Gar' and the coaching staff and figure out, assess the needs. It's all about the assessment of the needs and then we'll go forward from there. And, yeah, what ‘Gar’ has been able to do here, offensively, in the last 30 games has been very, very impressive. And certainly we're going to want to continue that work going forward.”