Brosius doing his job
By Kerry Eggers, Portland
Tribune, Thursday, July 12, 2018
SEATTLE — It didn't take
Scott Brosius long to move from a nondescript position into the eye of the
storm in the Seattle Mariners organization.
Now in his third season with
the Mariners, Brosius has gone from assistant coach at Triple-A Tacoma in 2016
to hitting coach with Seattle in 2017 to third-base coach with the big club
this season.
Suddenly, thousands of fans
have their eyes on the job Brosius is doing.
"Coaching third is like
umpiring," the Putnam High grad and former Linfield player and coach says.
"Your goal is to go unnoticed. If you do that, you're probably making the
right decisions. They only notice you when things go wrong."
Things have gone mostly
right for Brosius, who turns 52 on Aug. 15, since he left his post as
Linfield's head coach in 2015 to join the Mariners. The former major league
third baseman went 270-96 in eight years as head coach at his alma mater,
winning the NCAA Division III championship in 2013 and reaching the finals in
'14. After Jerry DiPoto was named as Seattle's general manager after the 2015
season, he brought Brosius into the organization.
Brosius is a name major
league fans recognize. He played 11 years in the big leagues with Oakland and
New York, helping the Yankees win three straight World Series championships
from 1998-2000. He was on top of the world in '98, when he hit .300 with 19
homers and 98 RBIs through the regular season, then claimed the trophy as World
Series MVP.
After retiring following the
2001 campaign, Brosius returned to McMinnville, where he, wife Jennifer and
their three children had made their offseason home for many years.
"I didn't retire with a
specific, 'This is where I hope to be in 10 or 15 years,'" Brosius says.
"But it didn't take long before I realized I wasn't going to stay away
from the game. It's just too much in my blood."
Brosius served as a
volunteer assistant at Linfield under his college coach — Scott Carnahan — from
2002-06, then flipped with Carnahan, taking over the program in 2007.
"It was great balance
for me, to be able to coach at Linfield all those years, but still be at home
in McMinnville with the kids and in my own bed," Brosius says. Then came
the offer from the Mariners.
"Being in the college
ranks for so long, you don't know if that professional opportunity would be
there," Brosius says. "With the kids out of the house, it was a good
time to get in it if I was going to try it."
Brosius spent only a year
coaching in the minors before the call-up to serve on manager Scott Servais'
staff in Seattle.
"I've enjoyed the
process of being in different roles," Brosius says. "Last year, I
worked primarily with the hitters. You're in the cage. You're with the guys all
the time. You're building relationships with them. You're in the trenches with
them as they swing the bat. When they struggle, you struggle. I enjoyed
that."
When Servais offered what
was, in effect, a promotion this season, Brosius embraced the new role. It's
the first time, however, he has coached third base. Brosius always coached from
the dugout at Linfield.
"It felt good they
trusted me with this job," he says. "They knew I'd work real hard to
get a handle on it. Spring training was important. I was probably the only guy
in camp who wanted all 30 games. I needed every game to get to know our
runners, to get a feel for positioning and those sorts of things.
"I've really enjoyed
it. I like the idea of having a role during the game. As hitting coach, once the
game starts, your day is pretty much over. Now, I'm involved in decision-making
on the field."
Servais appreciates the work
Brosius has done.
"Coaching third is a
hard job," the third-year Mariners manager says. "Scott has done an
outstanding job getting the signs from me to relay to the players, and with
decision-making on the field. Game situations, where we're at in the lineup — a
lot of things figure into it, and everything happens very fast. But I've been
really happy with him. He and Chris (Prieto, the first-base coach) have done a
really good job on the bases."
The Mariners (57-34 through
Monday) have been one of the surprise teams of major-league baseball this
season after going a disappointing 78-84 in 2017.
"Winning is fun,"
Brosius shrugs. "Last year, we felt like we had a good team going in, but
we had so many injuries, it was hard to get things on track. This year, we've
had some injuries, but it's been a strong, resilient group. They've continued
to play well. The thing that's impressed me is how the guys have a fight about
them. In the games we lose, you have to play 27 outs to beat us."
Would Brosius like to manage
in the big leagues?
"I mull that
over," he says. "I've always taken things year to year. There are
things I love about what I'm doing right now. Would I love managing more or
less? I'm not sure.
"There are things I
loved about the college side, too. You get to impact kids. You're like the GM
and the manager. Right now, I'll continue to do this and see where it
goes."
Brosius has kept his home in
McMinnville, choosing to rent a place in Seattle.
"It has worked out
great," he says. "When I'm in Seattle, Jennifer is here. When we go
on the road, she goes back home. It's an easy drive. Last week, we had a day
game before an off day. We drove home after the Sunday game and had Sunday
night and Monday at home. I played golf Monday (at Michelbook Country Club) and
drove back to Seattle Tuesday morning."
Brosius' two daughters,
Allison and Megan, are married and live in the Northwest — Allison in Myrtle
Point, Megan in Port Angeles, Washington. The youngest child, David, is at
Linfield after transferring from Oregon State.
A left-handed pitcher, David
underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2017, then had a second surgical
procedure done a month ago to "move the nerve," his father says.
"His goal is to get back on the field next year" for the Wildcats.
Brosius retains warm
feelings for McMinnville.
"It's still home,"
he says. "It was a tough decision to leave Linfield. My roots there are
pretty deep. I felt like if there were going to be a time to test the waters
professionally — I wasn't getting any younger — now is the time. I'm really
enjoying this, but I love the college game, and Linfield is a place that's dear
to me."
