The Seattle Mariners Hire Don Wakamatsu As Manager

After interviewing seven candidates, Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik has selected Oakland bench coach Don Wakamatsu as Seattle‘s new manager. Prior to his stint as Bob Geren’s bench coach on the Athletics, Wakamatsu was on the coaching staff for the Texas Rangers.

Wakamatsu has four years of managerial experience. The majority of his coaching experience is in the minor league level.

As everyone knows, the Mariners were the first team to spend over $100 million on a team that lost 100 games. The question is whether the team needs a change in leadership, or if previous general manager Bill Bavasi, grossly overpaid for terrible players. I think it’s probably somewhere in the middle.

Zduriencik has made it obvious that he plans on setting up the Mariners with a top shelf farm system that can feed the Major League club as well as develop players to deal to other teams.

Now a major piece of Zduriencik’s vision has taken place in new skipper Wakamatsu.