AquaSox 2017 Coaching Staff Named
EVERETT, Wash. - The Everett AquaSox have announced the return of José Moreno as manager of the team for 2017. Hitting Coach Austin Knight begins his first season in the organization, while newcomer Danielin Acevedo has been hired on as pitching coach. Longtime Mariners minor league coach and Camano Island, WA native, Andy Bottin, will serve as bench coach. Performance Coach Michael Apodaca rounds out the staff.
In two previous seasons at the helm in Everett (2008, 2010) José Moreno piloted the club to a regular season record of 81-71 and a Northwest League Championship in 2010. His 2010 AquaSox club finished with 49 wins, which was the most in club history. Moreno is beginning his 17th season in the Mariners organization and most recently spent four years as the Latin American Field Coordinator. Moreno also managed Rookie-Pulaski in 2009 and led Rookie-Peoria to an Arizona League Championship with a 37-19 record in 2007.
"We are pleased that Jose Moreno will lead the club during the 2017 season. He has a wealth of experience with the Mariners and is a proven winner," stated Everett AquaSox General Manager Danny Tetzlaff. "I am sure he can build on his success here in 2010 when we won the league championship."
Austin Knight joins the staff in his first season as AquaSox hitting coach. Knight most recently served as the head baseball coach at Northeast Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant, TX and was previously a volunteer assistant at Texas A&M. Prior to coaching, Knight enjoyed a standout collegiate career at Dallas Baptist University. Austin's younger brother, infielder Nash Knight, appeared in 24 games with the Vancouver Canadians last season.
Danielin Acevedo begins his 10th season as a pitching coach in the Mariners organization; his first in Everett. Acevedo spent the 2016 season as the pitching coach for the Mariners in the Dominican Summer League. He was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent right-handed pitcher by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1999 and spent seven seasons in the minor leagues before finishing up in 2006. In 2004, he was named the Most Valuable Pitcher for the Arizona League Athletics and spent parts of two seasons pitching for the Northwest League's Vancouver Canadians in 2004 and 2005.
2017 will mark Andy Bottin's 23rd year as a coach in the Mariners system. He managed the AZL Mariners to the 2009 Arizona League Championship and was named the 2008 Mariners Player Development Staff Member of the Year. Bottin began his coaching career in Everett in 1995 and remained on the staff through the 2001 season. He spent 20 years as a policeman in Seattle, retiring from the force in 1995. Bottin played in the New York Yankees system from 1967-72 and reached the triple-A level, but his career was cut short by military service in Vietnam.
Performance Coach Michael Apodaca is back for his second season in the Northwest League. Apodaca graduated from New Mexico State University with a B.S. in Kinesiology with a minor in Exercise Science.
The 2017 Northwest League season is scheduled to begin June 15. For information about ticket plans, planning a group outing or about the season schedule, the public is invited to visit the AquaSox stadium store at 3802 Broadway in Everett, call (425) 258-3673, or log onto AquaSox.com.