SF Giants hire former Mariners backstop as hitting coach for Low-A affiliate

The San Jose Giants announced its coaching staff last week. There was one notable change. The SF Giants hired former Seattle Mariners backstop Mike Marjama to be the hitting coach for their Low-A affiliate.

SF Giants hire former Mariners backstop as hitting coach for Low-A affiliate

The Giants have made changes at hitting coach across the minor league board so far for the 2026 season. San Jose, along with the Eugene Emeralds and Richmond Flying Squirrels, will have new hitting coaches for this upcoming season.

For San Jose, the rest of the staff is similar to the one from last season. Ydwin Villegas is returning for his third season as the manager. The Giants dominated the California League with an 81-51 record last season. They swept the Inland Empire to win the Championship Series.

That club excelled on both sides of the ball. The lineup posted a .755 OPS while averaging 6.14 runs per game, which was second and first, respectively, in the league. The pitching staff led the league by a comfortable margin with a 3.50 ERA. The Visalia Rawhide's pitching staff came in second with a 4.31 ERA.

Dan Runzler is returning for his fifth season as the pitching coach. He appeared in parts of four seasons with then Giants. This includes an improbable climb in 2009, where he began the year in Low-A and pitched his way to a major league promotion before that season concluded.

Depending on how the Opening Day roster comes together, San Jose should have an intriguing group of young pitching prospects. This includes Argenis Cayama, Keyner Martinez, and Luis De La Torre.

Drew Martinez is taking over for Nathan Keavy as the fundamentals coach. The other notable change is Mike Marjama replacing Travis Ishikawa as the hitting coach. Ishikawa had been in that role for four seasons, and will remain with the organization.

Marjama was a 23rd-round pick in the 2011 draft by the Chicago White Sox out of Long Beach State University. He appeared in parts of two seasons in the late 2010's, and his pro playing career ended after the 2020 season.

Since then, Marjama has worked as a hitting coach in the Miami Marlins organization. This includes a stint as the hitting coach for their Triple-A affiliate in 2025.