Mr. Mariner Comes to Everett
August 16, 2023 - Northwest League (NWL)
Everett AquaSox News Release
From 1984-1991, Alvin Davis dazzled Mariners fans, earning the nickname Mr. Mariner for his incredible approach at the plate and his incredible personality off the field. The former infielder won Rookie of the Year in 1984 and led the Mariners to some rare bright spots in a difficult era of its history.
After retiring as a player in 1992, Davis went home to Southern California and experienced life a little bit. He raised his kids, became involved in the church, and coached High School baseball. Then in 2013, the game Davis loved called back to him, and the Mariners gave him an ideal opportunity to get re-involved.
"I wasn't getting any younger, and it had kind of been on the radar. I had some conversations with Mariners personnel over the years, and I think at that point in life, my wife and I were becoming empty nesters; it felt like if I wanted to get back into baseball, the time was now, which was 11 years ago now," Davis said.
Davis likes to work with younger players, so being a roving instructor in the minor leagues is advantageous for him. He takes a keen approach to coaching younger guys, nurturing the mental side of the game as much, if not more than the physical side.
"When I go in and visit the big club, their routines are a little more set; they have a lot better idea of what they need to do to get ready," Davis explained. "So sometimes on this level, with the AquaSox, they're still trying to figure out what their routine is, how to get ready, what works best, so we have conversations along those lines, a lot of thought process conversations."
Part of Davis's coaching philosophy is a major emphasis on keeping players, especially young players, in the moment. He says that younger players struggle with looking over their shoulders and looking too far ahead in their development. Davis values the day-to-day process of getting better and tries to impart this knowledge to the players he coaches.
As part of this philosophy, Davis is very intentional about practicing what he preaches. Despite being an old-school guy, the Mariner legend has embraced the way technology has changed the game and has made it a point to learn from the younger players and coaches he is around on a daily basis.
"The impact that technology has had on the game has kind of led the shift or changes since I have been back. It allows us to have a precise idea of what will work and what won't work," Davis explained. "Especially since I am an older guy in my 60s, I need to be a continual learner and kind of have that good balance of knowing my experience is very helpful and has a lot of value, but also having an open mind into how I can incorporate the shifts and changes in the game to help myself to continue to develop as well."
Part of Davis's job is to ensure uniformity in philosophy among all the minor league levels. He says one of the major shifts the Mariners' organization made since he re-joined is having a cohesive message at all stops on the organizational ladder. He thinks this is very beneficial to the players as a whole.
"We are a very vertical organization. Not only is that good in itself, but it also helps benefit our players. When our players get promoted from Low-A to High-A, the drills we see them do are similar. They know their day is going to look a certain way as they move throughout the day, our terminology is the same," Davis said. "As they move through our system, a promotion is actually a promotion; it's not like they are starting all over again. Back over the ten years, I've been here, there have been times in the distant past where that wasn't necessarily the case, and I felt for the players."
Beyond all the lingo and points of emphasis that can fill a baseball mind, at the end of the day, the game, like many things in life, is about relationships. Davis understands this, and that is why his favorite memories over the last 11 years have nothing to do with specific pitches or hits but are centered on seeing the young men he works with achieve their dreams in front of his eyes.
"I've had the pleasure of being in some different affiliates when some of our players have gotten their call up to the big leagues, and that is always a special experience. Then getting to see them like I did when I was in Seattle this weekend, seeing Cade Marlow, Emerson Hancock, Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, and all the players that have come through our system. To see them up top, to see them settle in, to get the call, that is always special," Davis said.
After more than four decades of being involved in professional baseball, Davis has not lost the love for the game that helped make him one of the greatest Mariners of all time.
"The one-on-one competition of the hitter and the batter, the strategy that comes with the game, the fact that it includes in hitting or batting, one of the hardest things to do in all of sport and us as fans get to see some of the players do it at such an exceptional level. These are things that we will talk about for years to come," Davis said. "I think it still truly is a team game. Not one player can take over a game like you can in basketball or a Quarterback in football."
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