It feels like Christmas morning, but it’s November 6, because the Mariners finally brought Tanner Swanson home! The New York Post reports our beloved M’s have officially pried Swanson away from the Yankees organization to become the new bench coach under head coach Jason Kanzler. This is a move many of us in the Emerald City have been dreaming about for years, and it’s happening right now.
The Prodigal Son Returns to the Emerald City
Tanner Swanson isn’t just some coach; he’s one of us. This 44-year-old was born in Cle Elum, went to Cle Elum-Roslyn High School, and still makes his home in Roslyn. He cut his teeth playing college ball right here in the Northwest, starting at Green River and Everett community colleges before moving on to Central Washington. After that, he coached high school baseball in Sultan and at his alma maters, eventually landing at the University of Washington. It was there he found his true calling: coaching catchers, even founding his own development business, D1 Catching. His journey took him to the Twins in 2017 as a minor league catching coordinator, and then to the Yankees in 2019. He was their quality control coordinator, big-league catching coordinator, and even their field coordinator. Now, with the bench coach spot open, Kanzler and the M’s managed to bring Swanson back where he belongs.
He’s Not Just a Coach, He’s a Catching Innovator
This isn’t just a feel-good story about a local guy coming home. This hire is absolutely HUGE for what it means for our Mariners. Under Swanson’s leadership, the Yankees’ catching corps went from just “middling” to consistently one of the best teams in catcher framing runs. Remember Jose Trevino’s Gold Glove season in 2022? Swanson was the man behind the scenes, and Trevino led the entire league in that crucial metric. He’s also been credited with the incredible development of Yankees catcher Austin Wells, who many scouts thought would have to move off the position after college. Instead, Wells has been top five in catcher framing runs for each of the past three seasons, thanks to Swanson’s work. This guy isn’t just teaching the old ways, either. He was an early adopter, even a pioneer, of the one-knee-down catching philosophy way back in 2017 with Twins minor leaguer Ben Rodriguez. That technique was controversial at the time, but it’s standard practice now, and Swanson was at the forefront. He’s a true thought-leader, a respected voice in the industry who speaks at conferences and appears on podcasts.
The impact this guy could have on our Mariners, especially on our backstops, is massive. He’s got a proven track record of turning good catchers into elite ones and revolutionizing the position itself. We cannot wait to see what he brings to the Emerald City as part of Jason Kanzler’s staff. Get ready, because our catching game is about to hit another level!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Lookout Landing.
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