Mariners center fielder Mallex Smith ‘extremely confident’ he will be ready for Opening Day
Mallex Smith is back roaming the outfield at T-Mobile Park, and there’s no doubt in his mind he will be ready for Opening Day.
Given his performance in his first intrasquad game Saturday night, the Seattle Mariners should be convinced, too.
Smith, the club’s everyday center fielder last season, finished 3-for-5 with a bunt single and a double off the wall in right that drove in a run, and tracked down a few fly balls in the outfield days after arriving to summer camp.
“I’m extremely confident in my ability to show up and perform,” Smith said on a video call with reporters after Saturday’s nine-inning game wrapped up.
Smith, along with utility player Dylan Moore and backup catcher Joe Hudson, was first seen at the ballpark Monday after clearing COVID-19 intake protocols.
When asked why his arrival was delayed, Smith said he would follow team protocol and did not comment on the situation.
But, despite completing only three days of full workouts before playing in his first game, Smith didn’t seem to miss a beat on the field.
“It’s rewarding,” he said. “Had to spend some time just off with this whole situation, so finally being able to get back on the field is just a fulfilling feeling.”
While he wasn’t on the field with his teammates from the outset of camp, Smith said he continued to prepare both physically and mentally at his home in Seattle, where he is staying during the season.
“It just gave me time to dive into the mental a little bit more,” Smith said. “So I just took time for that.”
Before he arrived in Seattle, Smith spent the baseball shutdown staying at his parents’ property in Florida, and was able to do “a little bit of everything” to stay in shape.
Smith missed the entirety of spring training in 2019 with an elbow strain, and spent a stint with Triple-A Tacoma before returning to lead the majors with 46 stolen bases.
He hit just .227/.300/.335 in 134 games with Seattle last summer and was 5-for-27 through 10 spring training games before camp was suspended in March.
So, Smith spent the shutdown working on his craft, and continued to sharpen what’s often viewed as his most prized asset — his speed.
“During the COVID break I was running a lot,” he said. “I never really stopped running. As much as I want to be a complete baseball player, I know running has been my carrying tool through the whole process of me being here, so I make sure I stay on top of that.”
The break also offered an opportunity for Smith to “just enjoy the peace and serenity of the outside.”
“My parents stay on a pretty good piece of land, so I’m not limited in space,” he said. “I can do everything from hitting on the land to sleeping in a tent.
“And I did both.”
Smith often slept in a tent near the wooded area on his parents’ property, he said — even among the crickets, snakes and other creatures lurking in the bushes nearby — out of reach of an internet signal.
“My mom actually begged me to come inside, but I actually appreciated being outside in the tent,” he said.
The time spent outdoors certainly seems to have worked in his favor given Saturday’s impressive result.
“Maybe the electrons from the earth put some good juju in my body, so let’s see how this goes on as we continue to progress through the season,” he said.
Each time Smith has been seen on the field, he’s worn a mask, and said he plans to “wear it everywhere,” including during regular season games.
“You probably won’t catch me without it at this point,” he said. “It just makes sense. At this point the best way to make sure that everybody else is healthy is to make sure that you’re healthy.
“If you’re healthy, then you have a better shot of keeping everybody around you healthy, and I just think that’s the smartest thing.”
Like so many other players, Smith is willing to do his part ensure the season goes on. He was “just excited” to finally get back on the field and play a competitive game Saturday.
“I was more happy than anything,” he said. “In a time like this, you don’t really realize how good you’ve got it until it gets tough. And these months that we haven’t been playing, just being able to come back out here and start back up, it’s very rewarding for me honestly.”
