Mariners appoint Scott Servais new manager
Jerry Dipoto, who took over as general manager of the Seattle Mariners last month, has hired former deputy Scott Servais to take over for Lloyd McClendon as the club's new manager.
"Through the course of the 20-plus years I've known Scott, I've come to see him as one of the most complete, well-balanced and inclusive baseball people in the industry," Dipoto said in a statement. "I've been fortunate enough to call him a teammate as a player, while also having worked closely with him as an organizational leader in both Colorado and Los Angeles. He is a communicator with strong baseball acumen and leadership skills. I truly believe his strong character and career experience as a player, coach, and executive have prepared him for this opportunity."
Servais, a third-round pick in the 1988 draft, logged parts of 11 seasons in the majors with four teams. He's served as assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Angels since 2011, working under Dipoto until the GM parted ways with the organization in July. Servais interviewed for the vacant general manager's job after Dipoto left the Angels, but the position was given to Billy Eppler, the former assistant GM of the New York Yankees. Despite extensive front-office experience, however, Servais has never managed at the professional level.
"I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to manage the Seattle Mariners," Servais said. "It has long been my goal to manage a big league team and while I took a slightly different path than many, I am confident in my ability to lead. We have a terrific core of players and I'm looking forward to bringing in a coaching staff that will help me establish a winning culture here as we work toward putting a championship-caliber team on the field for the fans of the Northwest."
Tim Bogar, who logged 22 games as interim manager of the Texas Rangers in 2014 and was considered a strong candidate to replace McClendon, will reportedly serve as bench coach under Servais, who is now the 17th full-time manager in Mariners history.
After falling one game shy of a wild-card berth in 2014, the Mariners regressed this season, despite signing Nelson Cruz to a four-year deal in December. Beset with the third-worst offense in the American League, the Mariners managed a 76-86 record and finished in fourth place in their division for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.