'No one I trust more with hitters': Martinez named new Mariners hitting coach
Hall of Famer focusing on batters' approaches to spark turnaround at the plate
Daniel Kramer
@DKramer_SEATTLE -- Edgar Martinez recognizes that baseball¡¯s modern game has changed drastically since his generation, when he was among the all-time greatest hitters. And that¡¯s why he intends to bring a more grounded ¡°approach¡± to his new role.
Martinez was announced as the Mariners¡¯ new hitting coach ahead of Friday¡¯s game against the Giants, selected by new manager Dan Wilson as part of a personnel overhaul that included the departures of their predecessors, Jarret DeHart and Scott Servais, respectively.
Martinez, who said it was an easy decision to accept, will hold the role through the end of the 2024 season.
¡°It's a great opportunity to work with a friend,¡± Martinez said, ¡°and also with someone that I played with for years, that I know really well.¡±
Like Wilson, Martinez isn¡¯t just ingrained in the fabric of the organization¡¯s history; he¡¯s also remained a ubiquitous presence since his playing days. He returns to the role that he held from midway through the 2015 season through the end of 2018, and since then, he¡¯s served as an organizational hitting adviser, having occasionally visited throughout the season.
¡°There is no one I trust more with hitters than Edgar,¡± Wilson said. ¡°The thing about Edgar that I think a lot of people don't understand is that he was a tremendous hitter. He just had tremendous talent. But that's not all he had. He studies hitting. He's a student of hitting, and he can break it down better than anybody.¡±
Also like Wilson, Martinez arrives with established relationships among many in the big league clubhouse.
¡°He's always had some really good insight,¡± said utilityman Dylan Moore, ¡°just kind of like here and there. Like, 'Hey, what do you got on this and that?' It'll be cool to work with him a little bit more closely and see what he has to offer.¡±
Martinez will be charged with helping one of MLB¡¯s least productive offenses find more consistency. It¡¯s a struggle that¡¯s been ongoing all season, if not dating back to last year. The Mariners entered Friday ranked last in the league in strikeout rate (27.7%) and batting average (.216), 29th in slugging percentage (.365), 28th in OPS (.666) and 27th in runs per game (3.93).
Those issues have been the primary culprit behind the team squandering a 10-game lead atop the American League West to a 5 1/2-game deficit entering Friday -- and consequentially, a large part of why Servais and DeHart were dismissed.
¡°It's really good talent,¡± Martinez said. ¡°And I think that what is in the past is in the past. ... They have the drive. And they want it. They want it bad.¡±
Martinez believes he can make the biggest impact by simplifying things. Despite being 20 years removed from his playing career, the 2019 National Baseball Hall of Fame electee still believes he can find the right balance of blending analytics with fundamentals.
¡°There is so much information,¡± Martinez said. ¡°Some players can handle that, but not every player. ... I'm going to try to help them just kind of focus on what is important, that is just giving your best effort on the field and be yourself. They have to know if they're a contact hitter, if they're a gap-to-gap hitter, or a home run hitter.¡±
Essentially, his tactics will center more on in-game, situational sequences.
¡°The focus is going to be about just thinking about the approach,¡± Martinez said, ¡°thinking about fighting for their at-bats ... and being ready for a plan. But the approach is something that we're going to stress a lot.¡±
Elaborating further, Martinez said: ¡°The approach is, which is the one that I believe in, we're going to use the middle of the field, be fastball-ready and adjust to other pitches. And in the fundamental side of the game, just doing the little things -- moving the runners, having focus with men in scoring position or [a runner on] third base with less than two outs; how to approach that situation.
¡°It's going to be just conversations with them and getting feedback, and I'm here just to support them to be able to achieve those goals.¡±
Martinez and Wilson were teammates as players with the Mariners for 11 seasons, from 1994-2004, appearing together in the postseason four times. They hope to make it a fifth, but on the coaching side.