5 takeaways from the Mariners’ first week of spring training games

The Seattle Mariners (3-5) have a full week of Cactus League play behind them. Let’s take a look at some important developments in from last week:

1. KIKUCHI TURNS UP THE HEAT

Mariners starter Yusei Kikuchi has made perhaps the most substantial turnaround of any pitcher in camp so far after spending his offseason tightening up his delivery mechanics and regaining his velocity.

“Overall, in all of my pitches, the velocity has gone up,” Kikuchi said Friday through interpreter Kevin Ando. “I believe that will lead to more swings and misses, and more strikeouts.”

Kikuchi’s fastball reached as high as 96 mph Friday against the Diamondbacks, keeping up with the velocity he had in his first spring outing Sunday, and didn’t tail off despite him ramping up to 45 pitches. He said he’s also increased his spin rate on the pitch by about 500 rpm.

“Getting down the mound, it’s coming out of his hand, you’re seeing the velocity — 95-96 today,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Anybody who throws that hard, it makes your secondary stuff that much better.”

Kikuchi’s noticed an uptick in the velocity of his slider and curveball, too. He focused on his slider in his most recent start — a pitch that was averaging close to 86 mph last season, per Baseball Savant — and it jumped as high as 93 against Arizona.

2. LETTING THE KIDS PLAY

Don’t get too excited — you won’t see Mariners top outfield prospects Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, or top pitching prospect Logan Gilbert make the Opening Day roster.

But, the kids certainly are getting to play this spring.

Gilbert tossed a pair of scoreless innings in his first Cactus League start Thursday, and looks every bit like the first-round draft pick Seattle picked up in 2018. We should see him pitch a few more times this spring.

“Really confident in myself and feel like I can go toe-to-toe with anybody,” Gilbert said. “That’s how I feel in my mind.”

We’ve already seen Kelenic and Rodriguez in five games each. Both have looked solid defensively. Kelenic is 3-for-11 with a double and a walk on the offensive side, while Rodriguez is 1-for-9 after logging his first Cactus League hit Thursday.

“It’s those big guys that can hit it a long way, (pitchers) usually try to see if they can handle the breaking stuff,” Servais said. “Julio is young and hasn’t seen as many as some of our older players. But, he’ll catch up quickly because he’s going to get a steady diet of that stuff.”

3. DOUBLES FOR DAYS

The five doubles Mariners utility infielder Tim Lopes has collected in four games played lead all spring training hitters — Cactus League and Grapefruit League — through the first week of spring training.

Lopes is 6-for-11 in his four appearances, has scored three runs and driven in six more, undoubtedly boosting his stock with the coaching staff as one of the players battling for a roster spot.

“Lopes kind of reinvented himself a couple of years ago,” Servais said. “I think when he first got into pro ball, he did not drive the ball like he does now. He’s taken a different approach. He’s obviously gotten stronger. But, he swung the bat very well for us in the big leagues last year.

“The thing with Lopes is where does he fit in the field? And he’s got work to do at a number different positions. He’s played the most at second base. We had him over at third (Wednesday) and you’ll see him some more at third. I thought he’s done a decent job in the outfield for never having done it before. ... It’s finding him spots he’s comfortable in.”

This old saying came to mind when discussing Lopes’ hot start — “If you can hit, you’ll play.”

4. SORTING OUT THE BULLPEN

The Mariners have about 30 relievers in camp to choose from. Here’s a long explanation from Servais about how that process will work:

“We’re going to ramp our guys up a little bit more than what they have done in the past. Some guys might get eight or nine outings down here, which is a good chunk. It’s more about — not the results, are they giving them hits or homers? — it’s just kind of more process-oriented. Are they throwing strikes? Are they putting hitters away? Are they getting balls where they need to get to in certain parts of the strike zone based on what they’re trying to do? The consistency.

“Understanding that they’re all not going to be perfect or really good every time out there. Can they still manage their way through an inning without it getting out of hand? Those type of things are what you’re looking at there, because those innings happen in the regular season as well. I’m not concerned about that at all.

“I think we’ll have a really good feel when we get to the end. And some guys who don’t make the team, they’re a few miles down the road (with Triple-A Tacoma). The number of pitchers we’ve used here the past few years, you’ll see a lot.”

Does that mean they’ll end up using 31 relievers like they did last year? No, but they should have plenty to pick and choose from on the 40-man roster and in their farm system this year, instead of having to hit the waiver wire hard.

“The bullpen that was in Double-A last year, those guys should be more of the depth pieces this year,” Servais said. “They were not ready to come to the big leagues last year when we needed them. I think we sat here in spring training last year concerned about our bullpen. How was it going to line up? We had some injuries early in the season and it kind of went haywire, so it was like, ‘OK, what do we got to lose? Let’s go claim some guys,’ because that group just wasn’t ready to pitch at the big league level.

“I think they are going to be ready and a lot of those guys are in this camp so we can help get them ready.”

5. WALKER ON THE WAY

Mariners starter Taijuan Walker is a bit behind schedule this spring, but is projected to make his first Cactus League appearance of the season this week.

Seattle has an off day Tuesday, but Servais expects Walker to slot into the starting rotation Wednesday when the Mariners host the Angels in Peoria.

Walker threw a simulated game Friday morning with mixed results.

“He needs to get in a real game,” Servais said. “He’s ready to roll. I thought the last 10 pitches he threw (Friday) were much better. He got after it there. But, maybe not quite as sharp as he was last time.”

Walker returned to the team that drafted him in the first round a decade ago the day pitchers and catchers reported to camp, signing a one-year deal. He’s still working his way back from Tommy John surgery that cost him most of the past two seasons.

He last pitched regularly in 2017, when he made 28 starts in his first season with the Diamondbacks, posting a 9-9 record and 3.49 ERA. He was on track to return during the 2019 season, but a shoulder strain derailed that plan, and he finished the season having pitched just one inning at the end of September.

This story was originally published March 1, 2020 at 7:00 AM.

Lauren Smith

The News Tribune

360-754-5473

Lauren Smith is a sports reporter at The News Tribune. She has covered high school sports for TNT and The Olympian, as well as the Seattle Mariners and Washington Huskies. She is a graduate of UW and Emerald Ridge High School.