Long Time AquaSox Coach Also A Vietnam Vet

Today, as we celebrate Veterans Day, it’s hard for the Everett AquaSox office not to think about longtime coach Andy Bottin.

Bottin was an outfielder and a member of the first graduating class at Lynnwood’s Meadowdale High School in 1967. Drafted and signed by the New York Yankees, he played two years in their farm system — until he was drafted again.

By the Army.

He served two years, including an eight-month stint as a platoon sergeant in Vietnam.

Upon his discharge, Bottin signed a contract with Class AAA Syracuse and was set to report to Yankees spring training in 1971. He was just one step from The Show — one hot streak from the major leagues. However, unable to report to camp due to family medical issues, he was reassigned to Class A and ultimately released in 1972. In total, Bottin appeared in 108 professional games and hit seven home runs.

Still, he couldn’t stay away from sports. He turned to slow-pitch softball, playing on the Price Enterprises team that won the USSSA World Championship in the mid-1980s. His success earned him a place in the Washington State Softball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Softball even led to a new career. After playing against a police team, one officer encouraged Bottin to apply to the police academy — and he did.

He expressed an interest in coaching and began attending a few Mariners spring trainings, assisting coaches when he could. He also volunteered as a baseball coach at Stanwood High School.

“At that time, I was a liaison between the police department, the Mariners, and the commissioner’s office,” Bottin explained. “Through that, I got to know Woody (Woodward, Seattle’s former general manager) and Jim Beattie (Seattle’s former director of player development). When they asked if I wanted to get back into the game, I said I’d love to.”

After retiring from the police department in 1995, Bottin joined the Mariners organization as a batting and outfield coach for the Everett AquaSox, where he remained through the 2001 season. In 2008, he made his managerial debut with the AZL Mariners and was named Manager of the Year after leading his team to the 2009 championship.

That 2009 title was his first since 1967, when he was an 18-year-old outfielder for the New York Yankees’ Class A team that captured the Appalachian League championship — but this time, he finally earned a ring.

“We got a mug,” Bottin laughed. “My roommate then was Ron Blomberg, and I can’t tell you exactly what he said, but basically he thought we should wear them around our necks.”

Bottin continued coaching in the Arizona League before returning to the AquaSox in 2014. He went back to the AZL Mariners for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, then finished his coaching career with Everett in 2017.

Today, Bottin calls Camano Island home, where he works as a real estate agent with Windermere — and he’s still a proud AquaSox season ticket holder.

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