Dave Hansen Hired As Hitting Coach of The Seattle Mariners

I know I’m a couple of days late on this, but In a follow up from my previous post about the Dodgers firing Dave Hansen from his position as hitting coach, the former player has been hired by the Seattle Mariners as their new hitting coach, replacing the recently departed Chris Chambliss. The Mariners decided not to renew Chambliss’s contract which had expired.

Dave Hansen has been hired by the Seattle Mariners as their new hitting coach.-Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

If you remember, Hansen played for the Mariners from 2004-2005 before he retired. Apparently the Mariners were calling Hansen hours after the Dodgers fired him. Hansen went on to say, the Mariners were one of his primary choices, if not his first.

"“I’m really excited to be back”, Hansen said. “I loved it [in Seattle] as a player. Safeco Field is first class, as well as the organization. For me to come back is a blessing.”Hansen also went on to say, “Seattle was the first to call, within hours,” he said. “There were other teams involved as the process went on, but Jack and Eric were persistent and they had been keeping an eye on me since I first interviewed two years ago. They just wanted to make it happen and I was more than happy to do it. It’s safe to say the Seattle Mariners were my No. 1 choice.”"

Hansen played for the Dodgers from 1990-1996, and again from 1999-2002. Hansen still holds Dodger record for most pinch-hit home runs in a season with seven. He also holds records for most pinch-hits in a single season with 18, and most career pinch-hits with 110.

Hansen will be the eleventh hitting coach hired by the Seattle Mariners in the last twelve years. Seattle has placed last in the American League in batting and runs scored over the last four seasons. The team is also moving the fences in at their spacious ballpark, Safeco field. Meanwhile the Dodgers struggled to score runs all season long, finishing 16 in the majors in Batting, which could explain Hansen’s firing.

Hansen was originally hired as the Dodgers hitting coach in 2011, replacing Jeff Pentland. Ironically, Pentland was once hitting coach for the Mariners as well. Hansen had been offered another position by the Dodgers, but he declined.

The story was originally reported by Eric Stephen of Truebluela.com, and then by Greg Johns of MLB.com. You can check out both articles here, and here.

We wish Hansen all the best of luck up in Seattle. Whether you think firing Hansen was the right call or not, it is concerning listening to a former major league player, and hitting coach refer to scoring a run as “touching home base”. It’s called home plate Dave, home plate. Yeesh.