Mariners Minor League coach departs for MLB position
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The Seattle system suffered a shock earlier this week when a prominent member of their Triple-A team decided to depart for the East Coast. Mariners utility player turned Tacoma Rainiers coach Shawn O’Malley is moving to the Washington Nationals, joining the MLB staff as an assistant hitting instructor.
O'Malley certainly has the resume for his new job. He received the O’Malley was named the 2025 Dave Henderson Minor League Staff Member of the Year by the Mariners. His Tacoma Rainiers hitters finished fourth in hits (1,455), third in RBIs (885), third in walks (704), and second in on-base percentage (.375), as the team won the second-half Pacific Coast League championship.
He joined the coaching ranks in 2020 and had prior stints with two other Seattle affiliates: the Single-A Modesto Nuts (2021-22) and Double-A Arkansas Travelers (2023).
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The Mariners haven't released an official statement thus far. However, he's taking a huge leap ahead in his coaching career, and it illustrates his impact on the players. O'Malley has drawn praise within the organization for the development of several prospects.
O'Malley's big league career was brief
O'Malley played just three seasons and appeared in 124 Major League games before moving on to coaching. He hit .231, three home runs, 25 RBI, and a .632 on-base percentage in that short time frame.
The newly departed O'Malley is a Tri-Cities native and attended Southridge High School in Kennewick, Washington. A standout star, he led the Suns to the 2003-2004 Washington State 4A Baseball Title before being selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the fifth round of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft (139th overall) after his collegiate career at Washington State University.
