Mariners Announce Double-A Coaching Staff

The Seattle Mariners have announced their minor league player development staff for the 2021 season including coaches for their Double-A affiliate. Last month, the Arkansas Travelers were invited to continue being the Double-A club for the Mariners.

Collin Cowgill has been named as the manager for Seattle’s Double-A club after recently retiring from a 12 year professional playing career. The rest of the coaching staff includes Alon Leichman (pitching coach), Joe Thurston (hitting coach) and Ryan McLaughin (coach).

Cowgill, who will turn 35 in May, will make his managerial and coaching debut. He spent the 2020 Spring Training as a member of the Mariners but did not play in the shortened major league season. The former outfielder logged six seasons in the big leagues totaling 317 career games, hitting .234 with 12 home runs and 57 RBIs. He played for the Diamondbacks (2011), A’s (2012), Mets (2013), Angels (2013-15) and Indians (2016) making his MLB debut with Arizona on August 28, 2011 at San Diego. Originally drafted by Arizona in the 5th round in 2008, Cowgill was an All-American player at the University of Kentucky and is a member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame.

Pitching coach Alon Leichman is in his fifth season with the Mariners organization. Leichman was scheduled to be the Travs pitching coach last summer before the cancellation of the minor league season. He spent the 2019 season with Low-A West Virginia. In 2018 he served as the Dominican Summer League pitching coach and in 2017 worked as the coordinator of Organizational Learning for the Mariners. He split his college playing career between Cypress College (2011-13) and UC-San Diego (2014-16). A native of Israel, Leichman served three seasons in the Israeli Army before coming to the United States. On the international baseball stage, he has represented Israel in the 2013 World Baseball Classic before serving as the bullpen coach for Team Israel in the 2017 WBC. In the summer of 2019 he pitched for Team Israel during a successful run in the Olympic qualifying tournament.

Hitting coach Joe Thurston enters his fifth season with Seattle. Originally set to be the Travs hitting coach a season ago, Thurston spent 2020 as the major league 1st base coach following the opt-outs of other staff members. He spent 2019 as the hitting coach with short season Everett and 2017-18 in the same role at High-A Modesto. His coaching career began in 2016 as the hitting coach for Rookie level Billings in the Reds organization. Thurston enjoyed a 16 year professional playing career spanning from 1999-2015 including parts of seven seasons in the big leagues. He saw MLB time with the Dodgers (2002-04), Phillies (2006), Red Sox (2008), Cardinals (2009) and Marlins (2011) compiling 337 at-bats in 184 games. Thurston was a 4th round pick of the Dodgers in 1999 out of Sacramento City College.

Also on the staff is Ryan McLaughin who is starting his coaching career. He was signed by Seattle as a minor league free agent in early 2020 following his playing career at New York University. He did not play last summer due to the cancellation of the minor league season before transitioning to a coaching role.

The Arkansas Travelers were founded in 1901 and call Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock home. Additional information about the Travelers schedule and the upcoming 2021 season will be provided when available. For all the latest information with the club and events at the ballpark, log on to travs.com.