The Seattle Mariners just made a bold bet by hiring Jason Kanzler as manager on Tuesday, a 36-year-old who has never managed a single game at any level. This is not a standard promotion or a safe choice for a team with championship hopes.
The New York Post reports that the 36-year-old served as the Cubs’ director of player development for the final three years of his tenure. Before that, he served as an assistant hitting coach for the Houston Astros during their 2022 World Series title run. The team skipped over seasoned veterans like former Astros manager Joe Espada to go with this relative unknown. They replaced Dan Wilson, who led Seattle to the AL West title just one year ago but was fired after a disappointing 76-86 season.
Advertisement
Most teams look for decades of experience when they hire a skipper. The Mariners are doing the exact opposite. Blake Butera, the 34-year-old Nationals manager, will be the only one younger than Kanzler, who becomes the second-youngest manager in MLB. He becomes the 22nd manager in club history and the third under president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. Dipoto explained the rationale for the risk: “Our goal in this process was finding a manager with the ability to challenge all of us to improve.” He added that “Jason has the mindset, expertise, communication skills, and intensity to help create a championship standard here in Seattle.” The front office clearly believes his fresh eyes will shake up a group that has grown stale.
Kanzler’s path to this job was not a straight line up the ladder. He was drafted by the Twins in the 20th round of the 2013 draft out of the University of Buffalo. He batted .249 with a .720 OPS over 255 games during three minor league seasons before his playing career concluded. He then moved into coaching, starting with High-A Fayetteville in 2019 before joining the Astros organization.
Advertisement
His time with the Astros offense was his biggest claim to fame. The American League ranked his team third in average runs per game at 4.55 in 2023, a result of his work. The Mariners hope that same offensive spark will ignite a roster that feels like it has immense talent but underperformed last year. Kanzler seems ready for the jump.
“I am thrilled to join the Mariners organization, and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running,” Kanzler stated. He knows the pressure is on immediately. “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.”
The clock starts ticking the moment spring training opens on Feb. 19 against the Padres in Arizona. If Kanzler fails, the Mariners will have wasted a year of a talented roster on a rookie manager.
