Jim Slaton

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Slaton still making mark in baseball
Former Brewers All-Star now coach with Mariners

MILWAUKEE -- In 1971 at the tender age of 20, Jim Slaton made his breakthrough to the Majors with the Milwaukee Brewers. The now 52-year-old former pitcher has seen his fair share of baseball excitement.
Slaton was named a member of the 1977 All-Star team and played in the World Series in 1982 with the Brewers. Though he has been retired as a player for over 18 years, he is far from retired from the game of baseball.

The right-hander led the Brewers in innings pitched and strikeouts in 1974 and again in strikeouts in 1975. Almost 30 years later, he is still leading a team in pitching, but this time as a coach.

Slaton is a special assignment coach for the Seattle Mariners minor league system. He spent the previous five seasons as the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers' pitching coach. Slaton also spent time coaching in the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics minor league systems prior to his position with the Mariners. Slaton says he is not surprised many of his former Brewers teammates are also still involved in the game.

"I bet about 20 guys on that '82 team are still coaching or working in baseball," said Slaton. "A lot of those guys just can't get out of the game. You can see all their passion, desire and talent to stay in the game this long."

Slaton says he loved playing for the Brewers and his best baseball memories came with the team. He was able to watch the team grow from its infancy in his rookie year in 1971 to their only World Series appearance in 1982 when they faced the St. Louis Cardinals in what was labeled the "Suds Series."

Slaton says nothing compares to the excitement of playing in the World Series: "I can't think of anything that was as exciting as that time. The playoffs leading up to it were amazing, too. The Angels had their champagne on ice like they had already beat us, then we came back from two games down and beat them in three straight games. It was just amazing how crazy those Milwaukee fans got."

Don't think just because Slaton is no longer with the Brewers that he does not follow the team. Slaton still keeps tabs on the club and he is impressed with the work the Brewers have done in the offseason and expects them to be a much better squad this year.

"This year the Brewers look like a good club," said Slaton. "They got some good everyday players in the [Richie] Sexson trade. We had [Scott] Podsednik in Seattle and he is a talented player. He was a good pickup for the Brewers. They should really be able to compete this year."

Slaton has had some major changes in his life since his days of rocking batters in a Brewers uniform. He feels that baseball has changed some too since he left the game in 1986.

"I think it changes every 10 years a little," Slaton said. "You get different parks, stronger players. It's probably tougher to pitch for those reasons now, but the basics of the game remain the same."

So what has Slaton been up to lately besides baseball? Slaton and his wife, Kelly, live in Palmdale, California, where Jim says he enjoys golfing and boating. Jim has two children, Jonathan (29) and Jennifer (27), and five grandchildren. Looking back on his career Jim has a lot of advice for current players. He says players should respect the game and enjoy themselves because it is short lived. A life in baseball may be short lived for some, but for Jim Slaton, there are many years to come.



Jim Slaton led Milwaukee's staff in strikeouts in both 1974 and 1975.