Impressions from new M’s manager Scott Servais’ press con.

The Seattle Mariners introduced their new manager, Scott Servais, at a press conference Monday morning at Safeco Field. This was the first Mariners event I attended since becoming the Herald’s Seattle sportswriter two months ago, so this not only was my first chance to get a feel for Servais, it was also my first opportunity to size up new general manager Jerry Dipoto.

So what were my impressions?

I have to say I came away impressed.

A few weeks ago I penned a column just after the Mariners hired Dipoto. The column, which was an open letter to Dipoto, implored Seattle’s new GM to put additional resources toward player development. Having covered the Everett AquaSox, Seattle’s Northwest League affiliate, for 12 years, I’d seen first-hand the Mariners’ struggles in player development.

When it was announced Dipoto hired Servais to manage the team Friday, there were eyebrows raised because Servais, who had been an assistant general manager with the Los Angeles Angels (where he worked for Dipoto when Dipoto was the Angels’ GM), had no on-field managerial experience at any level.

But what Servais does have plenty of is player-development experience. Servais’s job with the Angels the past four seasons was heading up the organization’s scouting and player development divisions. Before that Servais was in charge of player development for the Texas Rangers from 2006-11, a period when the Rangers were pumping out prospects like a Pez dispenser. Servais spoke extensively Monday about how player development continues at the major-league level, that it doesn’t stop in the minors. Given Seattle’s recent history with high-profile prospects who flopped a the major-league level, these were welcome words to hear.

I also asked Servais about his take on the advanced statistics movement in baseball. I’ve been something of a stat head since acquiring my first copy of the Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract in the late 1980s, and although the analytics have in many ways passed me by (and may have reached a point of diminishing returns), I was still curious how Servais would respond, especially since his predecessor, Lloyd McClendon, was reportedly an old-school manager who wasn’t particularly into the advanced stats. It was good to hear Servais give a cogent answer, emphasizing the need to use the information available. He also said, however, that he wasn’t a complete numbers guy and that the human element needed to be considered as well, and I happen to agree that a balance needs to be found between the analytics and scouting sides of an organization.

As for Dipoto, he comes across as a competent individual, and hopefully that carries over to how he runs the team. The thing I found most interesting was hearing him talk about hiring Andy McKay as the team’s new farm director. The hire of McKay was rather unconventional, as McKay’s background is psychological rather than in player development. But it was certainly interesting to hear Dipoto talk about how unlocking the mind is the next great frontier in baseball. Visionary or crackpot? Who knows? But I’m certainly curious to find out.