Austin Nola continues his baseball journey as the Mariners' new bullpen coach
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On December, Seattle hired former Mariners player Austin Nola to be the team's bullpen coach for the 2026 season. Nola played in 14 games for the Colorado Rockies last season, but he was waived before the end of the season. So, this will be the former catcher's first year as a coach, as he returns to the Emerald City after being traded away in 2020.
Nola's MLB career spanned from 2019 to 2023, predominantly with the Miami Marlins organization, the San Diego Padres, and the Mariners. He played for eight seasons in the minors before making his debut in 2019 with Seattle.
From there, he posted a career batting average of .247, with 24 home runs, and 137 RBI as a mostly part-time player. However, he gained a reputation as an intelligent fielder and a team leader when called upon. Now, Nola takes that leadership to the coaching ranks for a team that's looking to repeat as division winners in 2026.
After a brief (and tough) stint with the Rockies in 2025, Nola had accepted an opportunity to join the Atlanta Braves as a Spring Training invitee. But then, he got a call from the Mariners with an offer to return to the organization. But this time, as a coach. It was at that point that Nola decided to step away from the action as a player and focus on a new phase of his baseball life.
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“It just seemed like the stuff that, right when I got traded, that they were hitting on was clicking,” said Nola, who closely followed Seattle’s playoff run last year. “And I was like, 'Man, it actually worked.' The stuff that they were pushing for, and the way they played, it just has been an accumulation of years, and it looked like a lot of fun."
"And I just had to tell myself, ‘I'm going to miss out on that if I push one more year to play,’ and I didn't want to do that. I didn't want to miss out on it.”
Nola will fit well with the M's coaching staff
For Nola, the transition from player to coach just continues on a journey that he's been on virtually his whole life. He and his younger brother, Aaron, now a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, were both standout stars in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their father was their youth coach, and both boys made it to the MLB level. So, being in baseball is part of his pedigree.
Mariners manager Dan Wilson has highlighted Austin Nola's wealth of experience and leadership, emphasizing how valuable his insights will be for developing the bullpen. The skipper also warmly welcomed his new bullpen coach, along with fellow fresh faces Carlos Cardoza (the team's new third base coach) and Jake McKinley (Major League field coordinator).
“I am excited to welcome Austin, Carlos, and Jake to our coaching staff,” Wilson said in a statement. “They bring decades of baseball knowledge to an already outstanding group of coaches. I am thrilled with our staff and believe they will continue to do an outstanding job of helping our players prepare each day.”
