Seattle Skipper Dan Wilson is the Embodiment of What It Means to be a Mariner
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For Seattle Mariners manager Dan WIson, this season has to feel a bit like old ties. A former M's catcher who played alongside such greats as Ken Griffey Jr, Randy Johnson, and Ichiro Suzuki, he played 12 of his 14 Major League seasons as a player with the franchise. In 2012, he was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame.
That would have been enough of a legacy for anyone to be called a success. And Wilson certainly was as a player, making the All-Star team in 1996, as well as garnering the respect of his teammates and contemporaries. Known for his sharpness and ability to handle pitchers, Wilson developed his ability to work with every player at every position from behind the dish. That's what eventually helped him become a manager.
He assumed the role of manager for the Mariners with just 34 games to play in 2024, replacing another former player, Scott Servais. That helped bring things full circle has been like a Swiss Army knife for the organization. He had been everything from a player, to an announcer, to a Minor League instructor, to eventually, the team's skipper.
Mariners Manager Dan Wilson is the Perfect Man for the Job
Having felt both the success and the sting of playing in Seattle, Dan Wilson was determined to lead a resurgence in the Emerald City. And he has done so, guiding them to their first division title in 24 years. And although the Cincinnati Reds originally drafted him, he's basically been a Mariner for life. Wilson has stated that the Seattle fans are some of the best in baseball.
And if he can lead the club to its first World Series championship? Then, there might be a statue of the Seattle skipper outside of T-Mobile Park someday.
“The electricity here has been incredible, and that’s why you love to do it at home. The fans here deserve that and to celebrate with us,” the Seattle skipper said right after his team clinched a playoff spot this season. “What a just incredible evening, an incredible game they were treated to by these guys. Got a little emotional in the ninth inning as we got one out to go and it’s just loud as can be."
"It just brings back a lot (of memories), and it just feels really good that T-Mobile was as loud as it was and the feeling was as positive as it was – and these guys are the reason why."
