Mariners' biggest spring standouts so far
Daniel Kramer
@DKramer_PEORIA, Ariz. -- We¡¯re one week into Cactus League action, which seems like a solid time to take a look at the state of things with the Mariners. Here are the standout players and storylines so far in Spring Training.
Hitter: OF Jarred Kelenic
Kelenic went deep again on Wednesday in a road game against the Cubs, and again, it was his revamped process?that stood out. Behind 0-2 and against a lefty, Kelenic didn't panic. He stood firm on his back side and had good balance to allow him to cover the entire plate and mash a heater middle-away.
Kelenic recently elaborated on his new approach after crushing two homers on Sunday. Again, it¡¯s just spring, and again, results won¡¯t matter for the former top prospect until the games count. But these have been promising signs.
¡°It doesn't look like he's getting ticked off every time he gets his pitch and fouls it back or maybe he gets a bad call against him or things like that,¡± Mariners manager Scott Servais said. ¡°He just doesn't let it get in the way of finishing off the at-bat or turning the next step into a positive.¡±
Pitcher: LHP Robbie Ray
The veteran lefty struck out five Cubs in a row Wednesday while flashing his trademark slider in midseason form. Yet, he feels that the pitch -- which he used for 102 strikeouts, second most in MLB -- has only gotten better. Ray is also toying with a new splitter, but only using it in leverage counts when circumstances dictate, rather than throwing it just to throw it. And he has a slightly revamped delivery, another adjustment in a career full of them.
¡°It's a little quicker, where I'm not standing straight on to the batter a little bit,¡± Ray said. ¡°So when I turn, I can get into my hip a little quicker and for me, it's just another way to mess with timing.¡±
Ray is determined to not let the sting simmer from how his 2022 ended, and '23 is off to a solid start.
Prospect: RHP Emerson Hancock
Hancock dialed his fastball up to 96 mph on Wednesday when pitching in a big league environment for the first time. He also dropped a few impressive changeups and sliders and gave up just one hit over 1 2/3 innings. The former Georgia Bulldog is healthy and entering his first ¡°normal¡± pro season since being taken in the first round of the 2020 Draft.
¡°I'm excited and looking forward to it, for sure, to be in this position,¡± Hancock said. ¡°I feel the best that I ever have. I definitely feel like I have a really good mindset going into [the season].¡±
Unexpected: RHP Prelander Berroa
There¡¯d been murmurs this offseason of Berroa¡¯s potential, athleticism, acumen and raw stuff -- all of which were on display in his Cactus debut on Feb. 24, when he struck out three, including Nelson Cruz and Xander Bogaerts. Berroa has a fastball that touches 99 mph, but his better pitch is the slider, which catcher Tom Murphy called ¡°a really funky pitch.¡±
Position battle: Fifth starter
A very determined Marco Gonzales is the incumbent, but Servais has hinted that it¡¯s not written in pen. Chris Flexen is also being stretched out to start, but that¡¯s possibly to maintain his trade value. Last summer, the Mariners opted to move Flexen to the bullpen instead of Gonzales after acquiring Luis Castillo.
Quote: CF Julio Rodríguez
After his run into the outfield wall this week, which prompted everyone to hold their breath, Rodr¨ªguez opened up on his style of play: ¡°I feel like I totally use my abilities whenever I have the opportunity of doing so. I'm not always going out there reckless.
¡°I just feel like if a play comes to me, I'm ready for it, instead of always going out of control and reckless in a way. I feel I prepare myself so every time that I ask my body to do something, it's going to go out there and do it. That's kind of what I manage, just being smart but at the same time knowing that whenever a play is going to come like that, I'm ready to go.¡±