Tony Arnerich

Tony Arnerich
Seattle Mariners
Bullpen coach
Born: (1979-12-14) December 14, 1979 (age 45)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Anthony John Arnerich (born December 14, 1979) is an American baseball bullpen coach for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. He is a former minor league baseball catcher.

A California native, Arnerich attended college in Texas. After his junior year, he signed with the Kansas City Royals and played for minor league baseball teams in Iowa, Delaware, and Kansas from 2001 to 2004. Arnerich then joined the Florida Marlins and played minor league in North Carolina and Florida in 2004 and 2005.

Returning to California, Arnerich began coaching college teams in 2006 and earned a bachelor's degree in 2008. He coached a collegiate summer team in Minnesota from 2007 to 2009. Arnerich joined the Mariners in 2014, and was named a hitting coach in 2022. In 2024, he became the team's bullpen coach, replacing Stephen Vogt.[1]

Early education and minor league play

Arnerich graduated from Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, California, in 1998. He attended Santa Rosa Junior College for two years and then transferred to Texas Tech University to play college baseball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.[2] After his junior season, he signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Royals organization.[3] In 2001 and 2002, Arnerich played for the Burlington Bees.[4][5] In 2002 and 2003, he was with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, and in 2003 and 2004 it was the Wichita Wranglers.[6] He played in the Florida Marlins organization before retiring as a player,[2] with the Carolina Mudcats and Greensboro Bats in 2004, and the Jupiter Hammerheads in 2004 and 2005.[6]

Arnerich ended his minor league career with a .231 batting average, 8 home runs, and three stolen bases in 234 games. He also pitched in four games for the Hammerheads in 2004, posting a 0.82 earned run average in 11 innings pitched.[7]

Coaching and degree

Arnerich became an assistant coach in 2006 at Sonoma State University,[2] where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology in 2008.[8][9] He coached for the St. Cloud River Bats summer team from 2007 to 2009,[9] and the California Golden Bears from 2007 to 2014, during which the team went to the College World Series in 2011. In 2014, he joined the Seattle Mariners organization,[8] as a hitting and catching coordinator beginning in 2017.[10] The Mariners promoted Arnerich to minor league field coordinator in 2020,[8] major league hitting coach for the 2022 season,[11] and bullpen coach in 2024.[1]

Personal life

Arnerich has coarctation of the aorta, a narrowing of the artery from the heart. He received a mechanical valve in 2012, but developed a staph infection near the device in 2013. In October 2013, his doctors said a second surgery to replace the valve was necessary, with only a 50/50 chance of his surviving it. A later CT scan showed the infection had cleared, however, and Arnerich returned to work in January 2014.[12]

During a COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in spring 2020, Arnerich joined other Mariners players in posting video drills to encourage kids to continue in baseball activity. Arnerich's fielding drill video included his young son and daughter.[13][14]

References

  1. ^ a b Kremer, Daniel (December 7, 2023). "Mariners' 2024 coaching staff includes 2 newcomers". MLB.com. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  2. ^ a b c "Tony Arnerich Joins SSU Baseball Staff". Sonoma State University Athletics. 11 September 2006.
  3. ^ "Arnerich Signs With Kansas City Royals – Texas Tech Red Raiders". Texastech.com. August 15, 2001. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  4. ^ "2001 Burlington Bees". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "2002 Burlington Bees". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Tony Arnerich". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "Tony Arnerich Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  8. ^ a b c "2020 Coaching Staff Released" (Press release). Seattle Mariners. January 22, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2021 – via Minor League Baseball.
  9. ^ a b "St. Cloud River Bats Employees". US Staff. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  10. ^ Trupin, John (November 16, 2021). "Seattle Mariners finalize 2022 coaching staff". SB Nation. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  11. ^ "Mariners add McKay, Negron to coaching staff for 2022". Beckley Register-Herald. Associated Press. November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Rennecke, Andy (June 3, 2014). "Former River Bat gets a new lease on life". St. Cloud Times. Minnesota. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  13. ^ Smith, Lauren (April 14, 2020). "During MLB shutdown, Mariners players demonstrating individual drills for kids to try". The News Tribune. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  14. ^ Seattle Mariners [@Mariners] (April 5, 2020). "Mariners Minor League field coordinator, @TonyArnerich, brings us a fielding drill to help keep you sharp. #FindAWayToPlay #OnBase #WeGotThisSeattle" (Tweet) – via Twitter.