A terrible two-month performance by the Mariners’ revamped lineup has cost Brant Brown his job.
The Mariners, who objectively have one of the least productive rosters in MLB, fired their first-year offensive coordinator and bench coach on Friday, the club announced.
“Unfortunately, our collective production as an offense led to this decision,” senior outfielder Mitch Haniger said. “And none of us feel very good about it. Brownie is not to blame for that. It’s not his fault.
“As for other reasoning, I have no idea. But we’re just trying to get our shit together and move forward.”
Brown was hired last winter under the newly created title of offensive coordinator in hopes of providing a spark to a lineup that set a franchise record in 2023 with a 25.9% strikeout rate, second-worst in MLB.
Instead, the lineup, as a whole, has been even worse through the first two months of this season, ranking No. 1 in MLB with a 28.3% strikeout rate, one of the highest rates in history. of the league.
The Mariners average just 3.6 runs per game; Among all MLB teams, only the Chicago White Sox have scored fewer.
“We know we’re capable of doing a lot more,” coach Scott Servais said.
It is the first time during the Jerry Dipoto/Servais era that the Mariners fired a hitting coach midseason.
The last time the organization made such a move was in June 2015, when Mariners legend Edgar Martinez replaced the fired Howard Johnson as hitting coach. Dipoto was hired to run the club’s baseball operations a few months later.
Jarret DeHart, who holds the title of director of hitting strategy, and assistant hitting coach Tommy Joseph will take on expanded roles. Servais said another hitting coach on the minor league side of the organization could also join the major league coaching staff.
Servais said the idea of having a “different voice” preparing the offense was part of the reason the club made the coaching change now.
“We really need to get our guys back to focusing on doing what they do best,” Servais said. “That’s training, you know? How do you get the most out of your guys? And that’s what we’re going to focus on here in the future.”
The Mariners (31-27) enter Friday’s series against the Los Angeles Angels in first place in the American League West thanks in large part to a pitching staff that is among the best in the majors.
The Mariners managed to win a series over their rival Houston Astros this week, winning three of four games despite scoring just nine runs in the four-game series.
On Thursday, the Mariners were held to four hits in a 4-0 loss to Astros rookie starter Spencer Arrighetti, who entered the game with a 6.93 ERA in his first eight starts.
“This team has a chance to have a really special season, and I talked about that when we started,” said Servais, in his ninth season as coach. “I still feel that way, knowing that we haven’t even scratched the surface of what we can do offensively. There are many good times ahead. “Sometimes you have to go through pain and today is certainly one of those days.”
Brown, 52, was a teammate of Servais with the Cubs in the 1990s, and previously served as a major league hitting coach with the Miami Marlins (2023) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2018-22).
He spent six seasons working as a coordinator in the Mariners’ player development system, from 2012 to 2017.
“It’s a difficult day for me personally,” Servais said. “Brant is a teammate of mine and a long-time friend. But at the end of the day, we have to do what is best for the team and what is best for our players.”
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