Mariners pick an experienced manager this time
New Seattle Mariners manager Mike Hargrove walks through the stands of an empty Safeco Field following a TV interview Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2004, in Seattle. Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi announced the hiring of Hargrove Wednesday, who will replace Bob Melvin, who was fired at the end of the 2004 season. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
SEATTLE (AP) — The Mariners gambled and went for an inexperienced manager after Lou Piniella left Seattle for Tampa Bay two years ago. Not this time. This time they got a veteran with lots of experience.
”He's got a heckuva resume as a manager and a player,” general manager Bill Bavasi said Wednesday when he introduced Mike Hargrove as the 13th manager in the Mariners' history.
Hargrove, who managed the Cleveland Indians for nine seasons and the Baltimore Orioles for four, replaces Bob Melvin, who failed as a rookie manager in Seattle.
Bavasi emphasized that Hargrove has seen the highs and the lows. ”He's had a lot of success and he's been through some real tough times.”
Melvin and his coaching staff, with the exception of pitching coach Bryan Price, were fired a day after the Mariners completed the fourth-worst season — 63-99 — in the franchise's 28-year history.
Hargrove, who hit .290 in a 12-year major league career with Texas, San Diego and Cleveland that ended in 1985, suffered through seasons of 98, 95 and 91 losses in his final three years as manager in Baltimore. He was fired after the 2003 season.
”I think you manage to the talent you have,” Hargrove said.
The talent is pretty sparse in Seattle. The Mariners have Ichiro Suzuki, baseball's new single-season hits king, but not much else. They're going to have to get some free agent help this winter.
The Mariners gave Hargrove a three-year contract. Bavasi has two years left on his three-year contract.
Scott Spiezio and Rich Aurilia, two of the free agents Bavasi brought to Seattle last winter, were major busts. Aurilia didn't finish the season with the Mariners.
”We're going to have to have a lot of outside influence this winter,” Bavasi said.
But Seattle isn't looking for just a quick fix after having the third-worst record in the majors in 2004 and the worst since the 1983 Mariners lost 102 games.
Hargrove, who will celebrate his 56th birthday next Tuesday, knows he has his work cut out for him.
”We want to get back, obviously, to Seattle's tradition of winning as quickly as possible,” he said. ”But we want this thing to last a long time.”
Piniella managed the Mariners for 10 seasons. Under his leadership, Seattle tied the major league record for victories with 116 in 2001. The Mariners made it to the AL championship series under Piniella in 1995, 2000 and 2001.
Bavasi said Hargrove was chosen over three other former major league managers: Grady Little, Terry Collins and Jerry Manuel. Bavasi emphasized that experience was the key to Hargrove's appeal.
Hargrove was called two weeks ago by the Mariners, who wanted to have a manager in place before the start of the World Series this weekend.
Teams aren't allowed to make managerial announcements during the Fall Classic because baseball doesn't want to detract from its title event.
Hargrove and Bavasi will pick the coaching staff in Seattle. It may include a new pitching coach.
Mark Wiley, Hargrove's pitching coach in Cleveland and Baltimore, is a possible candidate for that job in Seattle if Price isn't retained.
”I'm very fond of Mark,” Hargrove said of Wiley, who is unemployed. ”But I also know the Seattle people have a lot of trust in Bryan. We'll just see where it goes.”
Hargrove spent last season as an assistant to Indians GM Mark Shapiro. He has a career major league managerial record of 996-963, including 721-591 with the Indians from 1991-99.
He led the Indians to five consecutive AL Central Division titles from 1995-99, and World Series appearances in 1995 and 1997. He managed Baltimore from 2000-03.
Hargrove, who also was fired by the Indians, was the manager when Cleveland knocked Seattle out of the 1995 ALCS in six games.
Hargrove is confident the Mariners will be contenders again soon. Despite their horrible record, the Mariners drew 2.9 million fans to Safeco Field last season, when they had a player payroll of $90 million. They are expected to have a similar payroll next season. ”From the ownership to the general manager, all the way down are people that are dedicated to bringing a winner here,” Hargrove said. ”I'm not sure that's the case everywhere else.”
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