Welcome to the Everett AquaSox Shawn O’Malley! Shawn O’Malley was named the AquaSox hitting coach back in January by the team’s parent club, the Seattle Mariners. O’Malley, who was born in Richland, Washington is another former major league baseball player added to the Everett staff in the last couple of seasons, the last one being manager Louis Boyd, who was 25 years old when he was named the head coach of the Frogs back in 2019. O’Malley, who is only 33 years of age, not only brings major league experience to the AquaSox, but he also brings that young energetic vibe to a club of young adults who want the same dream that he achieved only seven seasons ago.
Shawn O’Malley was drafted in 2006 out of high school in Kennewick, Washington by the Tampa Bay Rays (known as the Devil Rays at that time). He was in their minor league system through 2013 before moving on. In 2014 he joined the Los Angeles Angels organization. O’Malley finally made the Major Leagues when the Angels called him up during the last month of the 2014 season and his career as a “Super Utility Player” began. He made his Major League debut by pinch-hitting for future hall of famer Albert Pujols. Shawn got an infield hit while plating a run, talk about an instant impact!
He joined the Seattle Mariners in 2015 and played two years with the organization. After lighting up the Pacific Coast League during the summer of 2015 with the Tacoma Rainiers, O’Malley received the call to join the Seattle Mariners in September of that season. Just like the season before, O’Malley produced the moment he was put in the lineup. Shawn O’Malley had three base his in his first baseball game with the Seattle Mariners and went on to hit .262 for the rest of the season while playing solid defense on the baseball field at several different positions. In 2016 Shawn O’Malley tore it up during spring training, hitting well over .400. He was still optioned to the Tacoma Rainiers where he continued to tear the cover off the baseball. In May of 2016, the Seattle Mariners called up O’Malley and he remained with the baseball club until seasons end. He played a huge role as the “Super Utility Player” on a team that finished in second place with an amazing 86-76 record.
In 2017 Shawn would sit out most of the season with an injury and would sign on with the Colorado Rockies for the 2018 season. O’Malley would finish out his baseball career in the Independent Leagues in 2019 and retire shortly after that at the young age of 31. Shawn would finish his career with a lifetime Major League average of .231 with 3 home runs and 25 runs batted in. But he was definitely a future baseball coach waiting in the wings.
Shawn O’Malley played 13 seasons in the minor leagues with nearly twenty teams. Shawn played in the bush leagues. He played in the high minor leagues and in the major leagues. In 2015, Shawn even spent a short time with our own Everett AquaSox. Shawn finished with a lifetime .265 batting average with nearly 4,500 plate appearances in the minor leagues. He had 1.015 base hits and had an OPS of .705. Even though he spent nearly his entire career in the minor leagues, he had a huge impact in our national pastime, baseball. Shawn was the role model for all of us hard workers. He was from a small town, many felt he did not have a chance. O’Malley proved all the doubters wrong by playing 13 seasons in what he loved to do best, baseball.
In 2020 Shawn O’Malley was hired to be the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners High A minor league baseball club, the Modesto Nuts. The Covid-19 pandemic hit which prevented him from his first coaching job. 2021 came and the Seattle Mariners stayed true to their word and hired O’Malley to be the hitting coach for their new High A minor league baseball club, our own Everett AquaSox. This is a man who has been all over the country, played in many ballparks, rode in many buses. Shawn O’Malley has the youth and the energy to bring to these young men. He knows what it takes to raise the level of play for our AquaSox players. I cannot wait to see the impact he makes.
Welcome back to Everett Shawn O’Malley!
