Scott Brosius Won’t Return To Mariners’ Coaching Staff; Perry Hill Likely To Be Hired

Mariners third base coach Scott Brosius won’t be returning to the organization in 2019, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. The organization had hoped to renew Brosius’ contract and had formally invited him back, per the report, but Brosius decided weeks ago that he’d be pursuing other opportunities, it seems.

The departure of Brosius comes in the wake of the Mariners’ dismissal of pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. and the resignation of hitting coach Edgar Martinez, who passed up an opportunity to return in order to spend more time with his family moving forward. Martinez asked that the Mariners work with him to find a new role, which prompted the creation of an “organizational hitting advisor” position; he’ll remain with the organization in that capacity next season.

It seems, though, that the Mariners are also close to announcing a veteran addition to their staff, as MLB.com’s Greg Johns points out that former Marlins first base/infield coach Perry Hill recently changed his Twitter bio to include “Seattle Mariners-Infield Coach.” Beyond that, Johns noted that second baseman Dee Gordon, who knows Hill well from the pair’s time with Miami, posted an Instagram photo celebrating Hill’s hiring today. Hill was let go by Miami earlier this offseason amid a wide swath of coaching changes.

It’s not clear what other duties Hill would have with the Mariners — he could step in as the third base coach or perhaps push incumbent first base coach Chris Prieto to another role on the staff — but he’ll bring considerable experience to the table. The highly respected 66-year-old has a dozen years of experience in the Marlins organization in addition to numerous coaching roles with the Pirates, Expos, Tigers and Rangers dating back to the 1993 season. Johns notes that the staff is expected to be finalized this week.