Mariners notes: Justin Dunn impresses in first bullpen session, competing for rotation spot
Justin Dunn entered the offseason with a clear idea of where he wanted to be when Mariners camp rolled around this spring.
Following his September promotion in 2019, the 25-year-old right-hander spent his first full season in Seattle’s rotation in 2020.
He made each of his 10 scheduled turns in the pandemic-shortened season, posting a 4-1 record and 4.34 ERA.
There were some bumps. Though he struck out 38 batters, he walked 31, and had to work around dips in his fastball velocity, which averaged 91.2 mph in 2020.
But Dunn continued to compete. When he met with the Mariners to discuss his individual plan heading into the winter months, he knew what he wanted to focus on, and his ideas aligned with what the club had in mind.
“Nobody’s going to be a harder critic of me than me,” he said during a video call with reporters last week from the Mariners’ spring training complex in Peoria. “To say I was happy with last year would be doing me a disservice. When I had that exit interview, I had all of the stuff written down on my phone of what I was already planning on doing, and getting to work on in the offseason. That conversation also kind of lit a fire under me, put things into perspective and made me work a little bit harder, but I was already going to head down that path anyway.
“So, it was good to know I was on the same wavelength as the team. Also to hear that they believed in me, and they liked some of the things that they saw last year, but understand that both of us agree that that was not Justin Dunn last year.
“I’m capable of way more and I’m able to bring more to the team.”
When the offseason arrived, Dunn went to work. He started work with a nutritionist, made dietary changes — he had to cut out a favorite in pizza, and said the only guilty pleasure he is allowed is gummy bears — and trimmed down 10 pounds.
Dunn said he got faster, stronger, got some athleticism back, and now the ball is coming out of his hand well right now, and this is “arguably the best shape I’ve ever been in in my life.”
“I’m really excited with where I’m at,” he said.
So are the Mariners.
During Dunn’s first bullpen session of spring training last week, manager Scott Servais said Dunn’s fastball was averaging 93-95 mph, the velocity was up on his slider, creating more separation with his curveball, and Dunn is working with a new grip on his changeup that is showing promising results.
“He certainly took the end of the season discussion with him very seriously,” Servais said. “He’s in really good shape. You’re always curious how it’s going to play out on the mound and I thought he looked awesome.”
Servais said he’s excited about how Dunn is moving down the mound, and looking forward to seeing how Dunn progresses as camp continues.
With one spot in Seattle’s six-man rotation still open — Marco Gonzales, James Paxton, Justus Sheffield, Yusei Kikuchi and Chris Flexen are already penciled in — Dunn is competing this spring to earn that role, much like he was before camps were shut down last March.
“I’ve been competing since I was 10 years old,” he said. “My dad raised me to compete. I’ve had to compete for everything that I’ve wanted in my life. So competition is fun to me. It brings out the best to me. It makes me work harder. Gives me a little chip on my shoulder and it’s a lot of fun, so bring it on.
“I love to compete and I’m excited for every chance I get to touch the ball and blessed with the opportunity when I do it.”
DIPOTO RESPONDS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT KELENIC’S DEVELOPMENT
During his weekly radio appearance Thursday on 710 ESPN Seattle, general manager Jerry Dipoto again addressed comments made by top outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic about the timeline of his major league debut.
Kelenic and his agent Brodie Scoffield opened up in a story published Wednesday morning by USA Today about their frustrations with Seattle’s organization, and asserted the reason Kelenic has not made his debut is because he declined a long-term contract offer from the team.
Dipoto denied this claim during an interview with 950-KJR on Wednesday and again while speaking with 710 ESPN. He said he has not spoken with Kelenic since the USA Today story was released, but has checked in with Kelenic “every step of the way through his development.”
Dipoto said it is true that the club offered Kelenic a long-term deal in January of last year, and signing a major league contract would have added the 21-year-old to the 40-man roster, but “there was a very clear understanding that that would include a minor league assignment.”
“We will develop Jarred fully before we put him in a big league uniform, and we don’t feel like we’ve achieved that yet for a variety of reasons,” he said. “We are not manipulating his service time. We are doing our best to develop him fully.
“We are truthful with our players, and we have been very transparent through the course of development with each of them, and we have been with Jarred, and I’m confident that we’re doing the right thing for both him and the Mariners. Although sometimes, and he has this right, not all players are going to agree with what you’re doing.
“I’m sorry that he sees it through that lens, but that’s not how we see it at all.”
“I have not spoken with him since the article, but I did speak with him before the article, and I’ve spoken with Jarred at every step of the way through his development,” he said.
