Texas A&M hires Max Weiner from Seattle Mariners as new pitching coach

Texas A&M has its new pitching coach. Aggies head coach Jim Schlossnagle announced on Monday that Max Weiner is taking over the role for the 2024 season.

Weiner comes to Texas A&M from the Seattle Mariners organization. He had served as the pitching coordinator for the Mariners since 2018.

“We are excited to welcome Max to Aggieland and look forward to his impact on the growth and development of our pitching staff both on and off the field,” Schlossnagle said in a statement. “He has been at the forefront of the incredible transformation of the Seattle Mariners organization over the past few years.”

Weiner worked closely with the front office in Seattle. He contributed with player development, scouting, analytics and more.

“After talking with several sources in both professional and college baseball, front office executives, scouts, major and minor league players, it became very clear that Max is widely considered one of the brightest, young, energetic pitching coaches in the entire baseball community,” Schlossnagle said. “He has been at the forefront of the science of pitching development while also helping and teaching great pitchers how to compete to win.”

Prior to working with the Mariners, Weiner spent one season in the Cleveland Guardians organization, serving as the minor league pitching coordinator. As for his playing days, Weiner spent two seasons at Lake Sumter State College, before transferring to FIU.

“I cannot overstate how grateful I am to dedicate my life’s work to our players, to this staff and to Aggie culture,” Weiner said. “Coach Schlossnagle is a winner unlike any other, and the opportunity to partner with him and Texas A&M is the honor of my lifetime. I am fully committed to helping our pitchers dominate the strike zone and return to Omaha.”

Texas A&M infielder Trevor Werner selected by Kansas City Royals in 2023 MLB Draft

Elsewhere with the Texas A&M program, infielder Trevor Werner was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2023 MLB Draft on Monday.

The Royals drafted him as a two-way player.

Werner has not pitched since the 2021 season. He hit .252 in 57 games this season with 56 starts. He had 14 homers and 13 doubles on the year.

More on the 2023 MLB Draft

The 2023 Major League Baseball Draft will begin during All-Star week, with the first two rounds getting underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 9. Rounds 3-10 will then begin at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, July 10, with rounds 11-20 starting at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 11.

This year’s MLB Draft is a historic one, as a draft lottery was used to determine the order for the first time. The Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland Athletics each had a 16.5% chance to receive the No. 1 overall pick. Ultimately, Pittsburgh won the right to have the first selection, with Washington finishing right behind them at No. 2. Oakland, however, fell all the way down to No. 6 overall.

While the MLB Draft is always unpredictable, the consensus is that this year’s top prospects both hail from LSU, who won the 2023 College World Series. Pitcher Paul Skenes and outfielder Dylan Crews headline this year’s class, which is considered a deep one.

Within the first ten rounds of the draft, each slot is assigned a certain value. Each team has a bonus pool that they are able to spend on these picks, and players will sign at, above or below their assigned slot value.

In rounds 11-20, there is no assigned slot value and MLB teams are free to spend up to $150,000 to sign their picks from the second half of the draft. If they exceed the $150,000 mark, that added amount will be deducted from their bonus pool.

Following the final day of the 2023 MLB Draft, selected players like Trevor Werner will have until August 1 to sign a contract.