PEORIA, Ariz. -- The introductions that Luke Raley greeted his Mariners teammates with at the outset of Spring Training have been drastically different than one year ago, underscoring how much more settled he feels as he prepares for his second season in Seattle.
The big slugger has also added a new title to his persona as a first-time dad, as Raley and his wife, Katie Mihalik, welcomed the birth of their first child, Reagan, on Tuesday, right here in Arizona, allowing him to step away for a few days but return seamlessly.
¡°All the dads in here have been really good with me and, like, telling me what to expect and stuff like that,¡± Raley said. ¡°I don't know if I would have had that last year being new and not having the relationships I have now with the guys in the clubhouse.¡±
Raley and Mihalik had been patiently expecting for much of the first two weeks of camp, but due to minor complications -- Reagan was measuring ¡°a little bit big,¡± Raley said -- doctors recommended inducing before the 40-week mark. Yet limited bed space kept them waiting a little longer, before the call finally came in at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday that the hospital was ready.
¡°We had our phones on loud going to bed every night,¡± Raley said.
He was back in Peoria on Friday, brimming -- and ready to get back to work.
Raley is among the more fascinating players in Mariners camp, given that he¡¯s coming off a career year, had earned more playing time down the stretch in spite of his reputation as a platoon player, transitioned to a position that was mostly new to him and that the team's composition of said position -- first base -- is still developing for 2025.
A bird¡¯s-eye view of the roster suggests that the lefty-hitting Raley will platoon with free-agent acquisition Donovan Solano, who bats right-handed.
¡°Straight platoon, probably not, but closer to it,¡± said Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto.
Raley was brought up as an outfielder and is clearly more comfortable there, but Seattle is set at all three of those spots with Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodr¨ªguez and Victor Robles, with Raley as the fourth. Solano, meanwhile, will also be in the mix at third base -- but likely only in a pinch -- and at designated hitter, with first base being his clearest runway for playing time.
Solano arrived to camp late due to visa issues and didn¡¯t make his Cactus League debut until Friday, at third base. Raley returned to the lineup at first base on Saturday.
¡°We have to be mindful of Solano and just his ability to get back in the lineup regularly, and [Raley] too,¡± Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. ¡°So I think we'll get both of those guys a lot of reps over there, as much as possible and as much as makes sense in terms of health and whatnot.¡±
In a 2023-24 offseason that featured significant turnover, Raley emerged as Seattle¡¯s best acquisition, via trade with Tampa Bay. He mashed 22 homers, 19 doubles and two triples with 58 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in ¡®24, good for 2.3 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs, and 129 wRC+ (league average is 100). He also played in 137 games and had 455 plate appearances, both career highs and perhaps a volume that the Mariners weren¡¯t anticipating.
That¡¯s because Raley forced his way into more playing time, especially at first base, after Arozarena was acquired at the Trade Deadline and Robles¡¯ breakout led to him being an everyday player. With the Rays, Raley was used almost exclusively against righties, and his splits last year were still pronounced.
¡°Luke's Major League performance against left-handed pitchers, especially last year -- there's some intriguing elements there,¡± Dipoto said.
If last spring was about getting up to speed with his new team, this year -- fatherhood aside -- has been about harnessing his defense.
¡°There were still things that I needed to work on,¡± Raley said. ¡°There's just a lot at first base that you can't practice. Like, you can't practice the game speed of things, like when the ball gets smoked at you by a left-handed hitter and how the ball is going to kind of move on the ground and stuff like that. And I think that was something that caught me by surprise last year.¡±
It¡¯s clear that Raley is a big part of the Mariners¡¯ plans in 2025, potentially with the opportunity to see his role enhanced even more.