Youth, potential fill Mariners spring training clubhouse for rebuild. ‘Pretty refreshing’
The Seattle Mariners spring training clubhouse is nearly to the point of bursting. Ahead of Tuesday morning’s first full squad practice, light blue jerseys lined 70 of the lockers. Only one remains empty.
As the weeks carry on this spring in Peoria, Seattle’s active roster will be whittled down to the new major league standard of 26 players, but right now it’s packed with players — most of them young, and still in the early stages of their careers — thirsting to prove themselves.
That has fifth-year manager Scott Servais plenty fired up as camp gets into full swing.
“I think this might be the most players we’ve ever had in a camp (since) I’ve been here,” Servais said. “I think there’s 70 guys out there, so we’ve certainly got a lot of guys to touch, and player plans to go through. We’ve got things to work on. We’ve got a very young team.
BEHIND THE STORY
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The Seattle Mariners are ready to report to spring training and so is The News Tribune. Beat reporter Lauren Smith will be on the ground in Peoria, Ariz., from the first full squad practice. And our coverage will continue through the final roster decisions at the end of March, bringing fans the latest on the second year of Seattle’s rebuild. Click on the arrow in the top right for more.
Looking to the future
While the Mariners aren’t exactly expected to contend for a playoff spot in 2020, these six weeks of preseason workouts and games will give us a closer look at some of the top prospects — like outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, and former first-round draft pick Logan Gilbert — expected to be key pieces of the club’s future, and some of the young players battling for Opening Day roster spots. We’ll also be able to catch up with the more experienced players — like veteran third-baseman Kyle Seager and ace pitcher Marco Gonzales — already in Seattle’s clubhouse.
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“I’m looking forward to this spring. We have the ability to slow it down a little bit. Last year we were in such a rush to get off to Japan. This year we’ve got a full complement of spring training games and everything that goes along with that.
“I’m fired up. I really am. I think everybody looks forward to this day.”
First full-squad workout
Pitchers and catchers reported last Wednesday, and most position players also arrived last week, but Tuesday was the first official workout as a full group.
Some players cheerfully chatted with their locker neighbors after they arrived early in the morning at Seattle’s complex. Others played ping pong. And the youthful energy spilled onto the practice fields as position players like first baseman Evan White ran drills, up-and-coming pitchers like Justin Dunn threw live batting practice, and top outfield prospects like 20-year-old Jared Kelenic and 19-year-old Julio Rodriguez swung for the fences in their first batting practice session in big league camp.
“It’s an exciting time for baseball,” Kelenic said. “First day. First full squad practice. It was a lot of messing around, but staying focused on the field. We’re just ready to get going. It’s a very unique group. We’re all really tight-knit. Everybody gets along. Everybody is so nice. It’s a really special group.”
This is the youngest group Mariners catcher Tom Murphy, who has played parts of five seasons in the majors, said he has ever been with during spring training. It also might be the most lively.
“It’s pretty refreshing,” Murphy said. “It seems like the younger guys bring a work ethic with them where they’re willing to work from the time they get in to the time they leave.
“Sometimes spring training can feel like you’re going through the motions. Right now, it doesn’t feel that way at all.”
Mariners center fielder Mallex Smith, who has played four seasons in the majors, said the influx of youth creates good energy among the young players and veterans alike.
“The beautiful thing about youth is everybody’s excited and ready to make a statement,” Smith said. “That’s good for the vets and the young guys. A guy like me, I look around and see the hunger in these young guys’ eyes, it reminds me of when I was there and the things I was willing to do to get to the point I am now. It keeps me hungry.”
Rotation, other spots undecided
For the majority of the players Seattle is currently carrying in its clubhouse, it’s easy to remain hungry. The Mariners’ rotation is not definitively set. Neither is their bullpen. There are certainly utility spots to be decided. And Mitch Haniger’s injury creates an opening in the outfield for the foreseeable future.
“There’s certainly some jobs that are out to be won,” Servais said. “There are some spots still open. But, I think the biggest thing is opportunity — the opportunity that our young players have.
“I look back on my career in a similar situation. I came up with a young group of guys when I was in Houston and we’re all kind of learning together. You really develop strong relationships when you go through the journey with certain people, and I’m looking forward to this group taking advantage of the opportunity.”
Even for those who don’t break camp with the big league club, the next five weeks give Seattle’s staff an opportunity to continue to develop the young players they believe will someday write their anticipated return to the postseason.
“We’re trying to build a foundation for a championship ball club,” Servais said, “and it starts today.”
“That’s definitely on our minds,” Rodriguez said. “Every single day we’re talking about it. We know that we’ll have the chance. We know that we’ll have the team down here. That’s our dream. ... We are really hungry for it.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2020 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Youth, potential fill Mariners spring training clubhouse for rebuild. ‘Pretty refreshing’."
