Dave Hansen was fired as the Dodgers’ hitting coach last month, but the Mariners have hired him to fill the same job.
Hansen replaces Chris Chambliss, who last month became the ninth hitting coach fired by the Mariners since 2000. In other words Hansen is stepping into a pretty tough job, although Seattle moving in the fences at Safeco Field should help the team’s raw offensive numbers some.
Hansen became the Dodgers’ hitting coach in the middle of last season after the team fired Jeff Pentland. Pentland found a new job as a Triple-A hitting coach for the Mariners and was added to the coaching staff in September to work alongside Chambliss. There was some thought that Pentland would get the job once Chambliss was fired, but instead a team has opted for Hansen over for him for the second time in 18 months.