5 takeaways from the Mariners’ first week of Cactus League play
The Mariners are seven games into their Cactus League schedule, and what this team will look like in what is expected to be a full season is beginning to take shape.
The first week of games in Arizona have offered some interesting highlights — including a club-record four consecutive ties, a rare 5-2-3-2 triple play and more than a few home run blasts.
Each Monday this spring training, The News Tribune will break down five important developments from the week as the Mariners inch closer to their season opener against the Giants on April 1.
Here is what we have learned through the club’s first seven games:
The Mariners have had their first look at (most) of their six-man rotation
Much of the starting rotation the Mariners will roll out when the regular season begins is already set.
Marco Gonzales has already been named the Opening Day starter for the third consecutive season, and has appeared in one Cactus League game and one simulated game at the club’s complex in Peoria as he prepares to again set the tone for the rotation.
The Mariners believe Yusei Kikuchi could be a breakout candidate entering his third year in the majors. He struck out three in two innings of work his first time out last week.
“I thought his stuff was really sharp,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said postgame.
Justus Sheffield, another returner to this rotation, also looked sharp in his first outing — he threw two scoreless innings — coming off an impressive rookie season last summer.
Servais said he liked what he saw out of newcomer Chris Flexen, who the club signed this offseason after pitching the 2020 season in Korea. Flexen allowed two runs (one earned), but also struck out three in his first appearance.
The Mariners haven’t pitched James Paxton in a Cactus League game yet — he threw a simulated game last week to work on his secondary pitches — but he could slot back in soon.
“It is about April 1, it’s not about where we’re at here in early March,” Servais said last week.
Seattle currently has four lefties and one right-hander in Flexen expected to make the Opening Day rotation.
The final spot in the appears to be a toss-up between right-hander Justin Dunn and lefty Nick Margevicius. Both pitched two frames Saturday.
Pitching prospect Logan Gilbert started against the Angels’ power-packed lineup Sunday, and could get more opportunities in camp, but likely gets more minor league experience before debuting.
The kids are (better than) alright
This is how the first Cactus League game ended for the Mariners on Feb. 28:
Seattle was locked with the Padres — a favorite to contend for a World Series title in 2021 — heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Two quick strikeouts implied this spring training game might end in a 4-4 tie, but top prospect Jarred Kelenic drew a two-out walk, Braden Bishop was hit by a pitch and Jack Reinheimer walked to load the bases.
Then Julio Rodriguez, another of the club’s top outfield prospects, walked up to the plate, ripped a base hit back up the middle, and Kelenic trotted home, giving the Mariners the walk-off win.
Rodriguez driving in Kelenic for the game-winning run? Sounds like something fans can dream about for years to come.
“Those kids are fun,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said postgame. “They really are. They come to the park every day just trying to get better and learn from the group we have around them, and it’s great getting them those experiences.”
When speaking to reporters about the moment later, Rodriguez said it’s time for fans to get excited about the future of this club.
“We have really, really good players in this organization, so it is a really good time to get excited about them,” he said. “To be honest, that’s something I can see for a long, long time.”
The Mariners have all but two of their top 10 prospects (per MLB Pipeline) in big league camp, including Kelenic (No. 1), Rodriguez (No. 2), right-hander Emerson Hancock (No. 3), Gilbert (No. 4), outfielder Taylor Trammell (No. 5), catcher Cal Raleigh (No. 8), outfielder Jake Fraley (No. 9) and left-hander Brandon Williamson (No. 10).
But, don’t forget about the more experienced players who will anchor this club
This should tell you what you need to know about how experience can help Seattle this summer: Three Mariners hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in Thursday’s game against the Rockies.
Who were they? Three of the more experienced players on the roster.
Mitch Haniger, now back at full strength after undergoing three surgeries during the past two seasons, crushed a three-run homer to left to start the barrage. Kyle Seager, the most tenured Mariner, then sent a blast to right. And Ty France, a key offensive acquisition from the Padres last summer, followed with a solo shot to left.
Having a combined 16 seasons of big league experience — and proven power — in this batting order every day should provide an exciting boost to Seattle’s offense.
The Mariners also return a few younger — but now more experienced players — who broke out during the shortened 2020 season.
Center fielder Kyle Lewis is the reigning American League Rookie of the Year. First baseman Evan White, who was a rookie last year, and shortstop J.P. Crawford are also coming off Gold Glove-winning seasons.
There’s plenty of competition in left field
Lewis will return as the Mariners’ starting center fielder after his Rookie of the Year season in 2020.
Haniger will make his anticipated return to right after missing more than 150 games in the past two seasons.
But, who will open this season in left? We might not know until spring training comes to a close, but here are five candidates for the job:
Braden Bishop: Bishop is one of the better defensive outfielders in Seattle’s system, has speed, and has yet to commit an error in 227 innings split between center, left and right. But, he hasn’t produced consistently enough offensively the past two seasons to secure regular playing time, hitting .128 (11-for-86) with 31 strikeouts across his 39 appearances. It seemed he would get an extended look in 2019, but his season was derailed by a serious spleen injury. He spent most of last season at the club’s alternate training site in Tacoma.
Jake Fraley: Fraley was so impressive offensively his first season in Seattle’s system in 2019, he jumped from Double-A to Triple-A midway through the summer and made his big league debut in August. But, injuries limited him to 12 games that first season up, and he played in only seven in 2020, spending most of the summer at the alternate training site. In his 70 plate appearances in the majors, he’s hit .152 (10-for-66) with 25 strikeouts. But, Servais has said Fraley will get plenty of opportunity to get on track this spring. He’s overhauled his offensive approach and leaned out, showing up to camp about 15 pounds lighter. “There is a really good player in there who has put good seasons together,” Servais said recently. “We’ve just got to get him back on track a little bit. Nobody wants it more than Jake Fraley.”
Jarred Kelenic: This saga took another turn Saturday morning, when the club announced an MRI scan revealed a strained adductor muscle in Kelenic’s left knee, sidelining him for an undetermined amount of time. Kelenic told reporters in Peoria he only expects to miss a week, and the Mariners won’t slow him down if he does make a speedy recovery, but any time missed impacts the 21-year-old’s opportunity to prove he deserves to be on the field when the Mariners open their season April 1. Speculation about where Kelenic will land at the end of March has been high since former president and CEO Kevin Mather’s comments about Kelenic’s timeline surfaced in February. Frustrations from Kelenic and his agent, and implications of service time manipulation followed, though the Mariners have long maintained the reason he hasn’t debuted yet is lack of experience at the upper levels of the minors. For a while it seemed Kelenic would open 2021 with the Rainiers, and make his way to Seattle after logging significant Triple-A at-bats. Then the league announced last week the Triple-A season would be delayed until May, so the question became would Kelenic stay in Arizona for minor league camp after the big leaguers returned to Seattle, would he be sent back to the alternate site where he played last summer, or would he break the Opening Day roster and debut in left field? It now seems how quickly he recovers could dictate what happens these final three weeks of camp.
Jose Marmolejos: Before the pandemic shut down spring training last March, Marmolejos was playing his way into the conversation to make the Opening Day roster with his bat, and continued to impress when the Mariners regrouped for summer camp. His versatility gave the club options on defense. He debuted as Seattle’s Opening Day left fielder last July, and appeared there most often (18 games of the 35 he played in), while also playing some first base, right field and getting reps at designated hitter so the Mariners could get his bat in the lineup.
Taylor Trammell: The 23-year-old’s name has come up almost on a daily basis when Servais speaks to reporters. “Every game he plays in, he seems to do something,” Seattle’s manager said Saturday, after Trammell crushed his third extra-base hit of the week. In five games, Trammell is 3-for-8 with two doubles, an eye-popping opposite-field homer against the Cubs, two RBI, a walk and a strikeout. He’s also played some solid defense in both left and center. The Mariners acquired Trammell last summer in their seven-player swap with San Diego, and they’re learning there’s a lot to like about the young outfielder. They put him on the 40-man roster during the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and he played a full season at Double-A in 2019, so he’s already had meaningful upper-level minor league experience. If he keeps producing this spring, don’t be surprised to see him in Seattle sooner rather than later.
But, could the Mariners go with a utility player here?
It’s possible. Dylan Moore, the club’s go-to utility player the past two seasons, is a reliable outfielder, though he’s expected to start the season at second base. Sam Haggerty or Shed Long Jr. are the more likely options if the Mariners do go the utility route.
Haggerty played most of his games up with Seattle last season in left, hit consistently and the Mariners like his speed. Long opened last season at second base, but never got going offensively, and ended the season on the injured list. He hasn’t appeared in a Cactus League game yet this spring, still working his way back from shin surgery last fall.
Home run tracker
Kelenic launched the Mariners’ first home run of the spring Wednesday, and the timing was perfect.
Servais was watching from the dugout in Mesa, a headset situated over his ears as he spoke with ESPN analysts on a live broadcast of his club’s meeting with the Cubs.
Kelenic was up to bat.
Servais was answering a question about how clubs decide when to bring players up to the majors.
“Players will let you know when they’re ready,” he said, at the exact moment Kelenic swung and sent a pitch soaring toward the fence.
The ball didn’t come down until it reached the berm in left center, evading the glove of the leaping center fielder by several feet.
Kelenic rounded the bases, his first homer of Cactus League play — a two-run opposite-field shot — in the books. When he spoke to reporters on a video call later, he was asked about the timing of his home run and what his manager said on the broadcast.
“I think it’s perfect timing,” he said.
The Mariners have hit six more homers since — and they have often come in threes.
Following Kelenic’s blast, the Mariners hit two more against the Cubs. Trammell crushed a solo homer an inning after Kelenic, and Reinheimer followed up with a two-run knock in the ninth.
Haniger, Seager and France unleashed the back-to-back-to-back homers the following day against the Rockies.
France leads the club in homers after the first week of games, sending his second — a solo shot — beyond the fence in left center against the Angels on Sunday in Tempe.
