Seattle Mariners Hire Former Speedster Eric Young Jr. as First Base Coach

The Seattle Mariners brought back Eric Young Jr., who had spent time with the organization already.

Washington Nationals first base coach Eric Young Jr. reacts during a game against the Colorado Rockies on April 8, 2023, at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Seattle Mariners made several moves to their coaching staff on Tuesday.

The big headliner of the transactions was decade-long Atlanta Braves coach Kevin Seitzer joining the Mariners in the same role and Edgar Martinez overseeing the hitting program as the Senior Director of Hitting Strategy.

Seattle also hired another coach that is no stranger to playing or instructing in the organization.

The Mariners brought on Eric Young Jr. as the first base coach after he spent the past two seasons in the same role with the Washington Nationals.

Announcing our ️2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ coaching staff, led by Manager Dan Wilson!

Say hi to the newest members of the crew:
🔹 Hitting Coach – Kevin Seitzer
🔹 Asst. Hitting Coach – Bobby Magallanes
🔹 1st Base Coach – Eric Young Jr.
🔹 Major League Field Coordinator – Louis Boyd

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) November 26, 2024

Young had a decade-long playing career from 2009-2018 with the Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels. He led the National League in steals in 2013 with the Rockies and Mets.

His last stop was a minor league deal with Seattle. He signed a minor league deal on March 26, 2019, and was released on July 23 of that same year.

After two seasons in the Mexican League, he joined the coaching staff of the Mariners Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers. He coached one season in Tacoma before leaving to take the coaching role with the Nationals.

According to a news release published by Seattle PR on Tuesday, Young Jr. will also be in charge of base running.

Young also was in charge of base running when he coached with Washington. Under his instruction, Washington was 12th in steals in 2023 with 127 and first in that category in 2024 with 223.

October 1, 2023

CJ Abrams has broken the single season record for steals with number 47 pic.twitter.com/eJMbbXai0t

— Nationals Fan (@Nats_HRs) October 1, 2023

The Mariners were ninth in steals in 2024 with 140. Dylan Moore, Victor Robles and Julio Rodriguez all had more than 20 steals for Seattle last year. Moore and Robles crossed the 30-steal mark.

The Mariners were one of the more aggressive teams in the league after Martinez and manager Dan Wilson were hired on Aug. 22. Under Young, that trend is likely to continue.

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