Jason Kanzler’s first words as Mariners manager will shock you

An unknown no longer, Jason Kanzler officially introduced to Mariners fans.

If you are a Mariners fan and didn't know who Jason Kanzler was before your favorite team hired him, you are not alone.

The 36-year-old was relatively unknown outside the most locked-in baseball circles.

But just because his work was primarily behind the scenes, it doesn't mean it wasn't good.

In fact, he was great at player development, to the point where the Chicago Cubs promoted him to be the director of their entire farm system.

That speaks volumes.

Sure, he hasn't been an MLB manager before.

But Mike Macdonald wasn't a head coach before the Seahawks hired him, and look how well that turned out.

Of course, comparing the two people and sports is apples to oranges, and by no way does this mean Kanzler will win a world championship like Macdonald did.

But it does mean don't let unfamiliarity or a first opportunity spoil your view of what could end up as a great hire.

“This is just at a way higher magnitude, with brighter lights with a third deck,” Kanzler said of getting this opportunity at this stage in his career.

“But in the end, it's the same. I want to win.”

When asked about his viewpoint from afar of the Mariners, his answer was the sort of stuff that could become of legend if the M's reach new heights under Kanzler's watch.

“I fondly remember coming here when I was with the team that shall not be named,” Kanzler joked, referring to the Houston Astros.

“What distinctly stands out to me is this atmosphere is electric,” Kanzler added.

“I remember 'electric factory' was a thing that was used, and one of the things that excites me among many things is that I would ride the lightning with this team and this city.

“In terms of the players. I think it's extremely exciting. This is a young group. They are talented. This is a good team already, and they have the potential and talent to be excellent.”

So the Mariners had star players with tough seasons in 2026, not meeting their potential.

Enter a player development-minded manager.

While it is impossible to predict how these things will go, it's easy to see why President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Justin Hollander thought Kanzler stood above the rest.

You could call his lack of experience a risk, fair enough.

But I would reply, how is it less of a risk than a retread manager that was let go from another team for whatever deficiency?

If the Mariners are going to take a swing, they might as well swing for a ceiling they haven't seen before.

Kanzler spent the past three years as the Cubs' Director of Player Development.

That is not a bad place to be, since they seemingly rebuilt successfully after breaking up their 2016 title team in a series of trades.

Before his time with the Cubs, Kanzler was a hitting coach for the 2022 Astros.

Those Astros ended the Mariners' first playoff appearance since 2001 with a three-game sweep in the Division Series decided on Jeremy Peña's 18th-inning homer.

Kanzler won a World Series ring seven years after his pro career stalled in the minor leagues with the Minnesota Twins.

After a stint as a high school teacher, Kanzler went into coaching and was considered for a hitting coach role with the Mariners.

Kanzler is the third first-time manager hired by president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto.

The difference is that he hired two former major leaguers, Scott Servais and Dan Wilson, who were longtime catchers and helped the Mariners achieve some of their best success since Lou Piniella ran the show.

Some fans and critics of the team may have hoped for more of a known figure to head the clubhouse.

Especially considering neither of the first two managers under Dipoto had managerial experience either.

The early skepticism that the hire may evoke for some is largely understandable.

A 36-year-old with a unique background but lack of managerial experience is a pretty big question mark for a team that is not only coming off a 76-win season, but also desperate to take advantage of the core that has taken them closer to a World Series than they have ever been.

Personally, the thing that struck me most from Kanzler's first public appearance was his thoughtful answers to the questions from the media.