Seattle Mariners senior director, hitting strategy Edgar Martinez (11) and Dylan Moore (25) talk during batting practice before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at T-Mobile Park on May 10. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Former WS Champion and Seattle Mariners Coach Discusses What Makes Edgar Martinez A Great Coach

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated May 13, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Though the Seattle Mariners have lost four straight games entering play on Tuesday, the team has still performed well through 40 games.

Thus far, Seattle is 22-18 and in first place in the American League West. They lead the division by 1.5 games. The biggest reason for the early success is the team's better offensive approach. At 197 runs scored, Seattle has scored the fourth-most runs in the American League.

A big reason for that? A full season of working with Edgar Martinez, who was hired as the team's Director of Hitting in the offseason, and the addition of full-time hitting coach Kevin Seitzer.

Martinez previously served as the Mariners' hitting coach, stepping aside after the 2018 season, and everyone who has come in contact with him seems to be a big fan of his approach and teaching methods.

That includes former Mariners' coach Scott Brosius, who spent three years with the organization (2016-2018), working alongside Martinez in 2017-18. He joined the Refuse to Lose podcast on Tuesday to discuss Martinez's effectiveness and much more, including beating the Mariners in the 2000 and 2001 ALCS's as part of the New York Yankees.

I think, you know what he brings, number one, is credibility. I mean he's Edgar, he's been there, he's done it, he was a great hitter, a self-made hitter, if you look back at his career, late bloomer, you know, so lots of credibility. Did it for a long time. So that's number one.

But then number two, he has the ability to keep something that's difficult: hitting and keep it simple. And in today's world where there's tons of information out there and there's so much that hitters are seeing and having to absorb, there's a place where just.... that's a true teacher's ability is to take all that stuff and be able to present it in a very simple way. And Edgar's approach is simple. Use the middle of the field, you stay fastball ready. I Kind of think those are things that, that are just kind of really foundational things of hitting that I think he's able to remind guys in this age of all these other things... that you can keep your approach simple and have success.

Brosius played 11 years in the big leagues with the Athletics and Yankees, winning three World Series titles in New York. He was also an All-Star.

You can hear the full interview in the podcast player below:

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: