Seattle Mariners Name New Manager

Detroit Tigers hitting coach and former Pittsburgh Pirates skipper Lloyd McClendon was tapped to helm the Seattle Mariners in 2014 Tuesday.

Greg Johns at MLB.com wrote Tuesday night:

McClendon is the fourth Major League manager hired this offseason, but the first with any prior experience, as Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik went with a man who led the Pirates from 2001-05 before spending the past eight years as a coach on Jim Leyland's staff in Detroit.

The club made the hire official not long after an MLB source confirmed a report initially tweeted by the Puget Sound Business Journal. McClendon will be introduced at a news conference on Thursday at Safeco Field.

"Lloyd is a bright and articulate guy," said Zduriencik, who was the Pirates' director of scouting from 1991-93, when McClendon played for Pittsburgh. "He has Major League managerial experience and has served in a vital capacity in Detroit under one of the game's best managers. He is a tireless worker and is very respected by the players with whom he has worked. We look forward to Lloyd embracing our players as we move the Mariners forward."

Zduriencik just concluded talks with five finalists to replace Eric Wedge, with McClendon among the group brought to Seattle for a second interview. The other finalists were A's bench coach Chip Hale, Padres bench coach Rick Renteria, former Mariners second baseman and longtime White Sox bench coach Joey Cora, and Dodgers third-base coach Tim Wallach.

 

McClendon will be introduced to the Seattle press Thursday at  Safeco Field.

Get more information at seattlemariners.com.