Washington (United States) (AFP) – Jason Kanzler, player development director for the Chicago Cubs over the past three seasons, has been hired as manager of the Seattle Mariners, the Major League Baseball club announced Tuesday. Kanzler, in his first managerial post, becomes the 22nd manager in Mariners history and at age 36 is the second-youngest manager in MLB after Washington’s 34-year-old Blake Butera.
“Our goal in this process was finding a manager with the ability to challenge all of us to improve,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “Jason has the mindset, expertise, communication skills, and intensity to help create a championship standard here in Seattle.”
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Kanzler replaced Dan Wilson, who was dropped at the end of this year’s campaign after just over two seasons with the Mariners in which he went 187-171. Seattle won the American League West division last year with a record of 90-72, but slid to 76-86 this year, settling for third in the division.
“I’m thrilled to join the Mariners organization and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running,” Kanzler said. “This team has an immense amount of talent in all facets of the game and my coaching staff and I are excited to access and unlock this team’s full potential.”
Kanzler served as an assistant coach for the Houston Astros in 2022 when they won the World Series and in 2023 before joining the Cubs.
© 2024 AFP
