Rainiers preview: Tacoma’s 2015 roster
2014 record: 74-70, third place in the Pacific Coast League Northern Division
Manager: No. 4 Pat Listach (first season in Tacoma; eighth overall as a minor league manager)
STARTING PITCHERS
The skinny: Taijuan Walker won the battle for the fifth spot in the Mariners’ starting rotation. So after jumping straight to the big leagues last year – and starting 29 games with a 3.85 ERA and 143 strikeouts – Elias will start this season atop the Rainiers rotation. Injuries and rest should volley Elias between Seattle and Tacoma, effectively making him the sixth pitcher in the M’s rotation. Hultzen, the second pick in the 2011 draft, isn’t actually injured, but keeping him on the disabled list allows him to pitch in warmer weather at extended spring training in Arizona.
| NO | NAME | T-B | HT | WT | AGE | 2014 CLUB(S) |
| 29 | Roenis Elias | L-L | 6-1 | 190 | 26 | Tacoma (AAA)/Mariners |
| 15 | Jordan Pries | R-R | 6-0 | 190 | 25 | Jackson (AA)/Tacoma (AAA) |
| 22 | Mike Kickham | L-L | 6-4 | 220 | 26 | Fresno (AAA)/Giants |
| 32 | Sam Gaviglio | R-R | 6-2 | 195 | 24 | Springfield (AA) |
| 23 | Mike Montgomery | L-L | 6-4 | 200 | 25 | Durham (AAA) |
| Anthony Fernandez* | L-L | 6-4 | 215 | 24 | Tacoma (AAA) | |
| Danny Hultzen* | L-L | 6-3 | 210 | 25 | Did not play |
*Disabled list
RELIEF PITCHERS
The skinny: Leone was a key piece to the Mariners’ MLB-best bullpen ERA (2.60) last season. He posted a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings and struck out 70, but had a rough spring training, allowing 10 earned runs in seven innings. He should still see plenty of time in the big leagues this season. Saunders was a starter in the Mariners rotation two years ago, but manager Lloyd McClendon made clear this spring that the 33-year-old is being remade into a reliever. Saunders had started in all 221 games he appeared in before last year.
| NO | NAME | T-B | HT | WT | AGE | 2014 CLUB(S) |
| 11 | Logan Bawcom | R-R | 6-2 | 200 | 26 | Everett (A)/Tacoma (AAA) |
| 19 | Justin Germano | R-R | 6-2 | 210 | 32 | Round Rock (AAA)/Albuquerque (AAA)/ Rangers |
| 50 | Mayckol Guaipe | R-R | 6-4 | 235 | 24 | Jackson (AA) |
| 10 | Dominic Leone | R-R | 5-11 | 210 | 23 | Mariners |
| 14 | Mark Lowe | R-L | 6-3 | 210 | 31 | Indians/Columbus (AAA) |
| 8 | Lucas Luetge | L-L | 6-4 | 205 | 28 | Mariners/Tacoma (AAA) |
| 35 | Joe Saunders | L-L | 6-3 | 215 | 33 | Frisco (AA)/ Omaha (AAA)/Norfolk (AAA)/Round Rock (AAA)/Orioles/Rangers |
| 39 | Forrest Snow | R-R | 6-6 | 220 | 26 | Jackson (AA)/Tacoma (AAA) |
| Brian Moran* | L-L | 6-3 | 210 | 26 | Did not play |
*Disabled list
CATCHERS
The skinny: If need be, Baker can even pitch. The Chicago Cubs had exhausted their bullpen, so Baker came out and pitched a scoreless top of the 16th inning against the Colorado Rockies last year. And he earned the win. Baker struggled at the plate last season, hitting .192, but he’s a veteran catcher who spent all of last season in the majors. He hit .331 his sophomore year at Cal in 2001. Hicks played 28 games with the Rainiers after starting the season in Jackson and hit .277 with a pair of home runs and 20 RBIs.
| NO | NAME | T-B | HT | WT | AGE | 2014 CLUB(S) |
| 24 | John Baker | R-L | 6-1 | 215 | 34 | Cubs |
| 6 | John Hicks | R-R | 6-2 | 210 | 25 | Jackson (AA)/Tacoma (AAA) |
INFIELDERS
The skinny: Marte, the No. 3 prospect in the Mariners’ organization according to Baseball America, only played 19 games in Tacoma – all at shortstop – after playing 109 in Jackson. But he was good for both, hitting .302 for Jackson and .313 for the Rainiers. He’s behind Alex Jackson (in Class A Clinton) and D.J. Peterson (in Jackson, but that could quickly change) on the Mariners’ top prospects list. Marte figures to slide over to second base when Chris Taylor returns from a broken right wrist suffered in spring training and likely heads to Tacoma.
| NO | NAME | T-B | HT | WT | AGE | 2014 CLUB(S) |
| 3 | Leury Bonilla | R-R | 6-1 | 215 | 30 | Tacoma (AAA) |
| 7 | Ketel Marte | R-S | 6-1 | 165 | 21 | Jackson (AA)/Tacoma (AAA) |
| 20 | Jesus Montero | R-R | 6-3 | 235 | 25 | Tacoma (AAA)/Mariners |
| 18 | Shawn O’Malley | R-S | 5-11 | 175 | 27 | Arkansas (AA)/Salt Lake (AAA) |
| 13 | Carlos Rivero | R-R | 6-3 | 200 | 26 | Portland (AA)/Pawtucket (AAA) |
OUTFIELDERS
The skinny: Jones and Romero will anchor the Rainier batting order. Both, especially Jones if only for his speed threat, should find themselves back in Seattle throughout the season. Remember when Gutierrez won a Gold Glove with the Mariners in 2010? He took all of last season off after a relapse of the gastrointestinal problem that’s nearly derailed his career. He was signed on a minor league deal in January. Kivlehan will make his Triple-A debut after batting .295 with 20 home runs and 103 RBIs between High-A High Desert and Double-A Jackson last year.
| NO | NAME | T-B | HT | WT | AGE | 2014 CLUB(S) |
| 16 | Jabari Blash | R-R | 6-5 | 224 | 25 | Jackson (AA)/Tacoma (AAA) |
| 21 | Franklin Gutierrez | R-R | 6-2 | 200 | 32 | Did not play |
| 9 | James Jones | L-L | 6-4 | 200 | 26 | Tacoma (AAA)/Mariners |
| 27 | Patrick Kivlehan | R-R | 6-2 | 215 | 25 | High Desert (A)/Jackson (AA) |
| 17 | Stefen Romero | R-R | 6-2 | 220 | 26 | Tacoma (AAA)/Mariners |
This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Rainiers preview: Tacoma’s 2015 roster."