Mariners’ faith in Dan Wilson has been more than justified

There were plenty of people critical about appointing Dan Wilson as Mariners manager, but it’s tough to argue with the success he’s had.

The Seattle Mariners continued to roll on Thursday night, as they beat the Colorado Rockies 6-2 and completed a three-game sweep. If it’s possible, the occasion was almost anticlimactic compared to the celebrations following the two previous games, when a playoff spot and the AL West division were respectively clinched.

In addition, the Mariners already knew ahead of Thursday’s contest that they had secured the second seed in the AL, which includes an invaluable first round bye to recuperate. The first AL seed is mathematically still in play, but realistically the M’s won’t claim it with both the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over them.

Regardless, it’s been one heck of a season for the Mariners in general and manager Dan Wilson specifically. What he’s achieved with this team has been nothing short of exceptional, with the mood within the fanbase in stark contrast to when he was hired last August to replace the fired Scott Servais.

A gamble for the Mariners to hire Dan Wilson

It’s not that Wilson was unpopular – he’s not. However, despite being beloved in Seattle, they were plenty who criticized the Mariners’ decision to just hire him right away as opposed to going through the due process of at least interviewing other potential candidates, including those who unlike Wilson actually had experience as a Major League manager.

There was speculation about why it was Wilson who was hired as manager, but there’s no need to or any point in getting into that. At the end of the day in the here and now, it’s safe to say he’s more than justified the decision to give him the role of leading the Mariners, with the team enjoying one of their best ever seasons in almost five decades of existence.

This is just the eighth time in 49 years the Mariners have won 90 games. This is also only the sixth time they’ve made the playoffs and it’s the M’s first AL West title since all the way back in 2001, with Wilson joining Lou Piniella as the only M’s managers to ever win the division.

Wilson’s .575 winning percentage is actually ahead of Piniella as the best in franchise history, albeit we appreciate he’s only been in the job just over a year. In any event, mainstream media members including Jayson Stark of The Athletic are taking notice and have Wilson on their shortlist to win AL Manager of the Year.

One of the big things about this Mariners team is just that – it’s a team in every sense of the word, with any individual accomplishments taking a backseat to the overall success of the organization. Cal Raleigh epitomizes this mentality which is there from top to bottom, and it all begins with Wilson.

Dan Wilson not looking to take any credit

We spoke to Wilson on Friday ahead of the Mariners’ series opener at home to the Los Angeles Dodgers and asked him for his thoughts about potentially being named AL Manager of the Year. His response was as expected in not wanting to take any credit, as he said:

“Well I mean great players make coaches let’s be honest and this group of players is a special group. I think we’ve seen the way they’ve played here over the last several weeks has been outstanding. Putting it together, quite an end to the season and getting to where we have is a tremendous experience.”

No one would have blamed Wilson if he admitted he felt some sense of pride or vindication. However, this was never going to happen with him (in a good way) as he said:

“These guys have been fighting for it all year long, so just to be a part of it – to be along for the ride so to speak – has been great. These guys have done all the work.”

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Dan Wilson thoroughly deserves his success

It’s refreshing that this is Wilson’s mindset and it again reflects positively on how the team conducts themselves as a whole. However, it doesn’t take away from the reality that he is extremely important to the team no matter what he says or believes.

With all due respect to Servais, you could just feel the change in the energy once Wilson took over as Mariners manager. In fairness whether the 56-year-old does get named AL Manager of the Year or not isn’t actually that important in the grand scheme of things, but it would still be thoroughly deserved.

Initially it was a gamble to hire Wilson as Mariners manager and surely even the higher ups in the organization would likely admit this in a candid moment off the record. However, at the end of the day it’s worked out extremely well, with it being hard to imagine many people being more worthy of the success he’s enjoyed in Seattle.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

What’s your opinion of the job Wilson has done since taking over as Mariners manager last August? How likely do you think it is that he’ll end up being named AL Manager of the Year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.