The Mariners are hiring Brant Brown in an unspecified coaching role, reports Daniel Kramer of MLB.com (X link). Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported this afternoon that Brown was interviewing with Seattle.
Brown, 52, spent the 2023 season as hitting coach with the Marlins. He’d previously served as a hitting coach with the Dodgers before joining eventual NL Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker’s first staff in Miami. Brown has spent the past half-decade coaching major league hitters. Before joining Los Angeles, he had worked for the Mariners as a minor league coordinator.
Specifics of his new role in Seattle are unclear, although Mish indicates it’s a bigger role on the hitting staff than Brown had held in Miami. Considering he was already the hitting coach with the Fish, it’s possible he’ll take on something like an offensive coordinator role with Seattle.
The Marlins were a slightly below-average offensive team this past season. They finished 19th with a .316 on-base percentage and .405 slugging mark. Miami was only 26th in overall run scoring, although their pitcher-friendly ballpark surely plays a role in that. That’s also true of the roster, which was still built primarily around pitching. Miami’s 2023 numbers were improved on those from the preceding season; they finished 27th in OBP and 28th in slugging the year before Brown’s arrival.
Miami will look for a hitting coach for a second straight offseason. John Mabry and Jason Hart held assistant hitting coach roles this past season. Mabry has a fair amount of prior experience as a lead hitting voice. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald indeed floats him as a possibility to step into Brown’s place.
Brant Brown…traded four times in 1 for 1 deals, in under two years. Is that a record?
Not sure, hum me a few bars
Maybe he could bring one of the FA from his former teams
Soler
Bellinger
Turner
2023 Marlins offense may have been objectively bad, but there were improvements over 2022. Brown probably deserves some credit for that. I also enjoyed his in game interviews.
Brant brown dropped the 3rd out playing lf for the cubs in 97 in a clinching game. Damn nearly gave Santo a heart attack. Hitting, hopefully not fielding coach,
Exactly what I was thinking
Santo “OOOOH NOOOO, HE DROPPED THE BALL”
Ron almost did have a heart attack that day lolol
it was 1998. The Cubs were historically awful in 1997, Ryno & Harry’s final season.
For whatever it’s worth, he’s worked with a few of the biggest free agent bats.
Brant Brown sounds like the saloon keeper on “Gunsmoke”.
Brant: hmm i dropped the ball. Mariners dropped the ball last season. Maybe we should team up.
Pat Hughes radio announcer said that Cubs manager had to console Ron Santo after Brant Brown dropped that ball haha poor Ronnie was the best