Brant Brown Out As Mariners Bench Coach, Offensive Coordinator
By Brittany Wisner, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - The Seattle Mariners have parted ways with offensive coordinator Brant Brown, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Brown was added to the Mariners coaching staff this off-season after spending previous seasons as the hitting coach for the Miami Marlins and L.A. Dodgers. Prior to that, Brown had spent five years (2013-2017) in Seattle’s minor-league system as the Minor League field coordinator.
The Mariners are currently in first place in the American League West but their offensive production has presented significant issues.
Through the first two months of the season, the Mariners are 29th in the league in runs scored per game (3.64), 28th in batting average (.221), 27th in on-base percentage (.295) and 25th in slugging percentage (.361).
They also hold the highest strikeout percentage in the league at 28.3%, after the organization vocally committed to cutting down on strikeouts this off-season. In 2023, the team set a franchise record in strikeout rate with a 25.9 K%, the second-highest in the league.
Brown was tasked with bringing in a new offensive philosophy for the 2024 season. He emphasized an individualized approach for each player, identifying a hitter’s “go zone” and committing to only swinging at pitches within that zone.
Brown also spoke of adjusting one’s plate approach depending on the count and where they were at in the game, focusing on doing whatever needed to be done to help the team win.
“It’s a ‘we’ format,” he said on an episode of The Hot Stove Show in early January. “It’s all about the ‘W’ and what is the game asking for… pass the baton, stay within myself.”
The clubhouse seemingly had positive reactions to Brown’s messaging. “I feel like everybody in that clubhouse believes in Brant Brown,” Cal Raleigh said in Spring Training. “And, as far as the things that he’s bringing to the table, the things that he’s talking about, it’s firing us up. And it’s kind of an exciting new thing that’s come up… it’s like a fresh new start.”
Unfortunately, Brown’s philosophy hasn’t appeared to translate onto the field, as this year’s offensive numbers reflect. The team has yet to find any offensive consistency; if anything, the Mariner bats have been consistently cold, with hot streaks an infrequent occasion and never lasting very long.
Moving forward, the team has said that director of hitting strategy Jarret DeHart and assistant hitting coach Tommy Joseph will have increased roles with the Mariners hitters.
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