Months away from the mound helped Mariners starter Kendall Graveman appreciate game
Seattle Mariners starter Kendall Graveman couldn’t hold back a smile Tuesday afternoon at American Family Fields of Phoenix.
The significance of the two short innings he spent on the mound in the Mariners’ 2-1 win over the Brewers didn’t escape him. Before this start, he hadn’t pitched in a major league game — spring training or otherwise — since 2018.
“I know first impressions are big,” he said. “A lot of these guys haven’t seen me throw. A lot of people haven’t seen me throw in a long time. And, it proves to myself, too, ‘Hey, you can get out there and get these guys out.’ ”
Graveman made just seven starts with the A’s in 2018 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Then he spent the entirety of last season rehabbing in the Cubs’ minor league system, eventually starting a pair of games late.
So, before his first outing of this spring camp, a freshly signed member of the Mariners’ rotation, Graveman pulled catcher Tom Murphy aside. He told Murphy he just wanted to “go out and compete and have fun.”
“I think over these last 18 months of rehab I’ve really grown to rekindle the passion for the game,” Graveman said. “I don’t want it to be a stress. Let’s go out and have a good time, and have fun, but also stay focused. I think that was our goal today.”
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow will we cover spring training in 2020?
The Seattle Mariners are ready to report to spring training and so is The News Tribune. Beat reporter Lauren Smith will be on the ground in Peoria, Ariz., from the first full squad practice. And our coverage will continue through the final roster decisions at the end of March, bringing fans the latest on the second year of Seattle’s rebuild. Click on the arrow in the top right for more.
Looking to the future
While the Mariners aren’t exactly expected to contend for a playoff spot in 2020, these six weeks of preseason workouts and games will give us a closer look at some of the top prospects — like outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, and former first-round draft pick Logan Gilbert — expected to be key pieces of the club’s future, and some of the young players battling for Opening Day roster spots. We’ll also be able to catch up with the more experienced players — like veteran third-baseman Kyle Seager and ace pitcher Marco Gonzales — already in Seattle’s clubhouse.
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Even though he pitched without issue in those two rehab games in the Cubs system last season, Graveman said Tuesday was the first time he was able to throw without thinking about the injury.
“Even through all that you’re thinking, ‘Is it going to feel good today?’ ” he said of those games. “Through the offseason you kind of get over it, and now going forward, let’s go out and compete.
“When you can limit the thoughts going through your head and just go out and simply compete, that’s when we’re at our best as players. All of us.”
True to who was during his five earlier seasons pitching in the majors, Graveman offered a solid two innings in the win over Milwaukee, allowed a hit and a walk, but no runs, and induced five ground balls.
He said he felt healthy physically, hit as high as 90 mph with his fastball, and said he was satisfied with how the ball is jumping out of his hand so far.
“I know he was excited and anxious,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He threw the ball really well.
“That’s what you’re going to get. You’re going to get soft contact, the ball’s going to be on the ground, you’ve got to play good defense behind him, and we did that today.”
Graveman wants it to be known that’s who he is, because when he tries to be a strikeout pitcher, he gets away from what he’s best at.
“It was very good to see the ball hit the ground today,” he said. “The sink was good. I thought the velo was good. I thought we changed speeds just enough. And I thought we attacked hitters.
“Twenty-six pitches in two innings is a good number. That gets you deep in ballgames (in the regular season) and ultimately helps the team win.”
Two scoreless innings on a sunny afternoon is a far stretch from where Graveman was at last spring. He chuckled remembering what he was doing at this time last year.
“Trying to stay out of the way over at the Chicago Cubs facility,” he said. “What did the day look like? A couple hours of rehab, a couple hours of workout, a couple hours of conditioning.
“I felt really anonymous, but it was good. It was a good season of feeling anonymous. Nobody really knew how I was. I was staying out of the way, which is good. I needed that.
“For me to take a step back and watch game knowing I wasn’t pitching a year ago was good. And having all year last year spent basically in the AZL rehabbing around a bunch of young guys, that was also refreshing.”
It all made Graveman, now 28 years old, appreciate his return to a major league mound.
“I’m blessed to be able to put on a uniform,” he said. “I was talking to some of the guys earlier before the game, some of the guys that were coming over to back up … and just telling them it’s a privilege to put on this jersey every time we go out. That’s kind of how I viewed it today.”
He’s back to enjoying the game — a sentiment he’s sharing with the younger players in the Mariners’ clubhouse this spring.
“I don’t ever want anyone to have applied pressure and stressed,” Graveman said. “I do think that’s a huge point of emphasis for me because I’ve been in that spot where I’ve put unwanted, unnecessary pressures on myself, and it’s not fun to be in that situation.”
As a competitor, he said, it’s easy to get so caught up in wanting to get the job done, that the impact is eventually negative.
“As long as you’re prepared going into a game, I can live with the results, and that’s what we hang our hat on,” Graveman said. “We prepare well enough and this should be a fun day, the day we get to play. I don’t care if you’re 0-for-10, 0-for-20 or 0-for-your-last-30, or you haven’t gotten an out in what feels like a month.
“Let’s just go out and continue to have fun, prepare like we need to, and then go out. I think that’s big for a lot of young guys trying to prove themselves, just to remember that.”
SHEFFIELD PERFECT
In his first Cactus League outing this season, Mariners starter Justus Sheffield threw two perfect innings, striking out three batters.
“It feels good to get out there and face some other hitters other than ourselves,” Sheffield said. “It felt pretty in sync. Me and Murph were on the same page.”
Sheffield, the 22-year-old left-hander expected to open the season in Seattle’s rotation, said he mixed in all of his pitches against the Brewers, and was pleased with the results.
“That’s nice to be able to go out there and work on what I really need to work on, and go out there and attack guys and pound the zone,” Sheffield said. “That was the plan.”
If there was one pitch to improve on as the spring continues, Sheffield said it was his changeup.
“I did throw like two good ones, so it’s just going to take more outings,” he said. “I was getting good movement on it. Just starting a little bit off the plate. Just a small adjustment.”
SHORT HOPS
Mariners outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic, a Wisconsin native, made his first Cactus League start against the Brewers. He played right field and went 1-for-3 with a run-scoring single in the seventh. He eventually came around to score the game’s winning run on a Brian O’Keefe single. Kelenic has reached base in four of his six plate appearances this spring. ... Mariners starter Taijuan Walker was initially scheduled to pitch one of Seattle’s split squad games Thursday afternoon, but has been scratched as the club continues to take care with his return from Tommy John surgery in 2018. Walker will throw another live batting practice session or a simulated game before he makes his first Cactus League appearance. ... Top Mariners pitching prospect Logan Gilbert will now start Thursday afternoon’s home game in Peoria against the Giants after he was originally scheduled to pitch the away game against the White Sox that day. His start will be broadcast on tape delay on 710 ESPN Radio.
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 4:21 PM.
