The Seattle Mariners took a swing on Jason Kanzler earlier this week, and the part of the hire that stands out most is not just his age or his resume. It’s the possibility that the organization’s development pipeline can keep running once players reach Seattle.
Kanzler, 36, arrives after working as a hitting coach in the Houston Astros organization and as the director of player development for the Chicago Cubs. He’s drawn plenty of praise for the way he communicates and the way he can command a room, but the questions come fast, too.
How will he manage a bullpen? How will he respond when the losses pile up?
How will he connect with veterans who are not far removed from his own age? Those answers will come only with time.
What makes this hire intriguing is the fit between Kanzler’s background and what the Mariners seem to need. At the end-of-season press conference, Jerry Dipoto said some players felt the club had basically left its minor league systems and philosophies behind once they got to the majors. Kanzler’s track record in player development suggests that the same lessons taught in the minors could be reinforced at the big-league level instead of fading away.
That matters because Seattle is still leaning on the growth of young players such as Cole Young, Colt Emerson, Michael Arroyo, Lazaro Montes, Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan. If the Mariners want those players to keep improving after they arrive, Kanzler looks like someone built for that job.
The cautionary examples are easy to find. Mike Zunino and Jarred Kelenic never managed to make the kind of massive leap in the big leagues that the Mariners hoped for, and nobody in Seattle wants that script repeated with the next wave of talent.
ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney also pointed to the bigger league-wide picture on the latest “Refuse to Lose Territory” podcast.
"And I also think, look, I mean, we’ve seen examples of that on both ends of the spectrum in Major League Baseball.
The Milwaukee Brewers are champions. And what do they do really well?
They get guys to the big leagues, develop prospects, and they continue to get better. Cooper Pratt, he has huge impact in the World Series, just learning as he goes along.
Sal Frelick, Brice Turang, all these guys, as time went on, they’re getting better.
And then you see an organization like the Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals in recent years, where it just felt like players just stalled and they don’t get better. And I’m not smart enough to know why each of those individuals, with the Orioles, or with the Cardinals, stalled.
But that is a thing. And in this era, when guys get to the big leagues faster than they ever have before, when they’re promoted into position, you have to keep developing.
Olney’s point fits the moment. Players are reaching the majors earlier than ever, which means the job doesn’t end when they arrive. They still need to grow, and Kanzler’s reputation suggests he can help keep that process moving.
Dallas Braden made a similar point on the “Baseball is Dead” podcast, saying Kanzler is well-versed in modern baseball teaching, language and data. That kind of fluency matters with today’s players, who already know the vocabulary and care about the information. If Kanzler can speak that language, it should only help him in Seattle.
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For Seattle, the appeal is obvious if the club wants a familiar, steady option at first base and a player who already knows the market and the clubhouse expectations. The fit is not without complications, though, because a reunion would ripple through the rest of the roster construction and force the Mariners to weigh how much they want to reshape the lineup around a returning veteran. [Read more 🡒]