Scott Daniel Servais ( ); born June 4, 1967) is an American professional baseball manager and former player who currently manages the Seattle Mariners.
A major league catcher for eleven seasons, Servais was previously the assistant general manager for the and director of player development for the Texas Rangers. He played in the National League for the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies.
Early years
A native of Coon Valley, Wisconsin, Servais played high school baseball for the Westby Norsemen, and was selected in the second round of the 1985 amateur draft by the New York Mets, but did not sign. He opted to attend Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and played college baseball for the Creighton Bluejays. In 1986, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League. After his junior season, Servais was taken in the third round of the 1988 amateur draft by the Houston Astros.
National teams
Servais was a member of the United States national baseball team while the team competed in the last Amateur World Series before it was renamed the Baseball World Cup in 1986. Following the Amateur World Series, he played in the 1987 Pan American Games, where they won the silver medal and the 1987 Intercontinental Cup. Servais was also the back-up catcher for Doug Robbins at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, where the U.S. won the gold medal, although baseball was only a demonstration event.
Playing career
Servais began his major league career in 1991 with the Houston Astros, staying with them until the middle of the 1995 season when he was traded along with Luis Gonzalez to the Chicago Cubs for Rick Wilkins. It was with the Cubs, during the 1998 season, that he played in his only post-season. After the Cubs lost to the Braves in the National League Division Series as a wildcard team, he signed as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants.
Towards the end of the 2000 season, Servais was selected off waivers by the Colorado Rockies. Prior to the 2001 season, he was picked up as a free agent by the Detroit Tigers, but was released before the season began. Shortly before the 2001 season, Servais was picked up as a free agent by the Houston Astros. Servais was initially signed as a free agent prior to the 2002 season, but he did not make the opening day roster, making the 2001 season his final season.
Post-playing career
Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Servais served in the Texas Rangers' front office as the senior director of player development from 2004 until 2010. He was hired by Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim general manager Jerry Dipoto as assistant general manager in 2011. Dipoto and Servais are close friends, a relationship formed while playing together for the Colorado Rockies in 2000, when the pair had discussed Servais' dream of one day serving as a manager.
Seattle Mariners
When Dipoto resigned during the 2015 season, the Angels hired Billy Eppler. Dipoto was soon hired as the general manager of the Seattle Mariners on September 28, 2015, and second-year manager Lloyd McClendon was fired on October 9, less than a week after the season's conclusion. Two weeks later, Servais was hired as the manager of the Mariners for the 2016 season.
On June 26, 2016, Servais received his first ejection as a manager, asking home plate umpire Carlos Torres why he didn't ask the first or third base umpire to see if Shawn O'Malley went around on his swing or not. He finished his first season with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses.
Servais received his second ejection as a manager on April 16, 2017 after first base umpire C. B. Bucknor originally called Leonys Martín's grounder a foul ball and changed the ruling after Rangers first baseman Mike Napoli pleaded with Bucknor that it was a fair ball and Rangers manager Jeff Banister was on his way out to plead his case. On May 25, 2017, Servais received his third ejection of his managerial career on a questionable strike three call on Guillermo Heredia in the top of the sixth inning against the Nationals. His second season concluded six games under .500, a record of 84 losses vs 78 wins, achieving 3rd place in the American League Western Division.
On July 20, 2018, Jerry Dipoto announced that Servais' contract would be extended for an undisclosed salary and number of years. This extension came when the 2018 Mariners were playing 58-39, the fourth-best record in the MLB. The team would falter after the all-star break and finished the season in third place in the AL West, 14 games behind the first-place Houston Astros, and 8 games out of the wild card playoff game.