Mariners finalize 2022 Tacoma coaching staff

TACOMA, WA (1/31/2021) – The Seattle Mariners have announced who will join the Triple-A coaching staff of newly-hired 2022 Field Manager Tim Federowicz, a former Major League catcher in parts of nine seasons and a veteran of more than 1,000 professional games played. Pitching coach Alon Leichman, hitting coach Brad Marcelino and coach and former Rainiers player Zach Vincej will join Federowicz in Tacoma this season. The athletic training staff will be comprised of Michael Feliciano (Athletic Trainer) and Michael Sadler (Strength & Conditioning Coach).

Tim Federowicz, Manager: Federowicz was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2008 after three seasons at the University of North Carolina. His Major League debut came with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 11, 2011; after beginning that season at Double-A with the Red Sox and a mid-season trade to L.A. All told, Federowicz donned a Major League uniform for the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers between 2011 and 2019, throwing out 31% of big league base-stealers, three percent higher than league average over that time.

His playing career came to a close in 2021, splitting time between the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A West) and the United States Olympic team, earning a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 games. A career .286 minor league hitter in over 3,500 plate appearances, Federowicz lifted 112 career home runs at all levels.

Alon Leichman, Pitching Coach: Leichman, 32, joins Tacoma after spending the 2021 season as the Mariners’ Double-A pitching coach (Arkansas Travelers). Born in Israel, Leichman has competed for and coached on his country’s national team, helping guide Team Israel in multiple European Championship tournaments, World Baseball Classics (2013 and 2017) and during qualifications leading to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held summer 2021). Israel’s victory over Mexico during the 2020 games was their first Olympic baseball win.

As Arkansas pitching coach in 2021, Leichman presided over a staff which finished second in their league (Double-A Central) in ERA (4.13) and WHIP (1.32). The Mariners talent-rich pipeline of arms runs through Arkansas, as under Leichman’s tutelage top prospects Matt Brash (2.13 ERA, 80 SO in 55.0 IP), George Kirby (2.77 ERA, 28 SO in 26.0 IP) and Emerson Hancock (.196 BAA, 13 SO in 13.2 IP) all validated their lofty national rankings upon making their Double-A debuts. Leichman had been ticketed to be the Arkansas pitching coach in 2020, prior to the cancelation of the Minor League Baseball season. He spent 2019 as pitching coach for the West Virginia Power, at the time the Mariners' Class A affiliate.

At the amateur levels, Leichman has also served as pitching coach for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of prestigious Cape Cod League, helping Y-D to the CCBL championship in 2016. Leichman coached then 20-year-old right-hander Michael Baumann at Yarmouth-Dennis, who made his Major League debut for the Baltimore Orioles in 2021.

He pitched four seasons of college baseball, first at Cypress College in California for two years, before transferring to UC-San Diego for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Brad Marcelino, Hitting Coach: Marcelino has spent the last several years as a private hitting instructor and consultant, working with numerous professionals and Major Leaguers. Prior to, he was hitting coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of San Diego, a post he held 2012-2018. At USD, Marcelino also coached third base as well as the team’s base running and outfield.

In his seven seasons, Marcelino coached a top-100 MLB draft selection in five consecutive years (2013-2017), most notably slugger Kris Bryant, selected second overall from USD in 2013. He routinely produced top-20 nationally ranked recruiting classes for the Toreros.

Zach Vincej, Coach: Vincej, 30, will be a first-year coach following eight seasons as a professional shortstop (798 career games). He spent the 2018 season with Tacoma, playing in 109 games for the Rainiers (6 HR, 51 RBI). That season he made his Mariners debut, going 2-for-4 with an RBI in Seattle against Houston on August 1 (started at 3B).

Selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 37th round of the 2012 draft out of Pepperdine University, Vincej broke through for his Major League debut on Sept. 1, 2017 with the Reds at Pittsburgh, the first of nine big league games played for the Reds that September, which included his first MLB hit on 9/30 at Wrigley Field. Vincej most recently played in 101 games for Triple-A Norfolk (Baltimore Orioles) in 2019, batting .270 with eight home runs.

While at Double-A Pensacola in 2016 (Cincinnati), he won a Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove Award, and will be an invaluable resource to Rainiers infielders.

Michael Feliciano, ATC begins his fifth season in the Mariners organization and his first as athletic trainer with Tacoma. Michael Sadler begins his first season as strength and conditioning coach for the Rainiers, spending 2021 at the same post with Double-A Arkansas.