SEATTLE – Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto announced today that the Mariners have hired Tanner Swanson as Bench Coach and CJ Gillman as Hitting Coach.
“I am excited to have Tanner and CJ join our coaching staff,” said Manager Jason Kanzler. “Both individuals bring an exceptional understanding of the game and skillsets that I am confident will help maximize the talent on our roster.”
Swanson, 44, joins the Mariners from the New York Yankees, where he spent 7 seasons on their Major League coaching staff. He most recently served as Field Coordinator and Director of Catching (2024-26).
From the time he joined the Yankees in 2020, Swanson served as Director of Catching, overseeing the catching operations for the Yankees organization at all levels. From 2020-23, he also served on the Major League staff as Quality Control/Catching Coach.
Swanson helped coach catcher Jose Trevino to his first career Gold Glove Award following the 2022 season, the 3rd Yankees catcher (6th time) to win a Gold Glove. Trevino was also named the AL Platinum Glove winner that season.
Prior to his time with the Yankees, Swanson served as Minor League Catching Coordinator for the Minnesota Twins from 2018-19. He began his career in baseball coaching at the collegiate level, spending 9 seasons in various positions, most notably as a Volunteer Assistant Coach at the University of Washington for 5 seasons (2013-17). While at UW, the program’s catchers earned three All-Pac 12 Conference selections.
Swanson grew up in Roslyn, WA and attended Cle Elum-Roslyn High School (Cle Elum, WA). He graduated from Central Washington University (Ellensburg, WA) with a degree in physical education and school health, where he played baseball and earned an academic all-conference selection. Swanson and his wife, Laura, have four daughters.
Gillman, 37, will be joining a Major League staff in a full-time capacity for the first time. He spent the 2026 season as the Washington Nationals Director of Hitting, where he oversaw hitting strategy at all levels.
He was a member of the Mariners organization from 2022-2025, serving as Minor League Hitting Coordinator, where he oversaw minor league hitting efforts and implemented Mariners staff development programs across every level in the minor leagues.
He filled the same role for the Cincinnati Reds from 2020-2021. Prior to joining the professional ranks, Gillman was the Recruiting Coordinator/Assistant Coach for the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO).
Gillman graduated from the University of Dayton in 2012 and played 2 seasons (2012-13) of professional baseball with the Windy City ThunderBolts in the Frontier League. He resides in Castle Rock, Colorado with his wife, Jess, and their three children.