Mariners notes: Seattle could still add to roster, planning for on-time start to camp
With spring training drawing closer, Mariners manager Scott Servais noted his excitement about this group moving forward.
For the first time recently, many of the faces in the clubhouse will be familiar, as the young team that led Seattle to a third-place finish in the American League West last fall returns looking to make a push for the postseason in 2021.
“It’s really the first time coming to spring training as a group that it’s really nice to have the core of our group the same,” Servais said on a video call with reporters as part of the club’s Virtual Baseball Bash. “We’ve had a lot of turnover here as we’ve looked to get better in different areas.
“But, this group is a group that we’re really excited about. It’s a group we can grow with.”
Even with a bit more certainty about the club’s core heading into this season, there is still much to learn about this Mariners team as they gear up for what is expected to be a full 162-game season.
Servais spent 45 minutes Tuesday speaking about Seattle’s outlook in 2021. Here are five takeaways from his call with reporters ahead of spring camp:
1. A delayed start to camp?
Consistent with years past, the Mariners, and the 14 other teams that hold their spring camps in the Phoenix area, are scheduled to report to spring training midway through next month.
But, Monday, a letter signed by the Cactus League executive director, as well as the leaders of eight cities in Arizona that host teams, urged MLB to push the start back to mid-March due to the COVID-19 situation in Maricopa County.
“We understand that any decision to delay spring training cannot be made unilaterally by MLB,” the letter says in part. “As leaders charged with protecting public health, and as committed, longtime partners in the spring training industry, we want you to know that we stand united on this point.
“We appreciate the opportunity to offer input and thank MLB for its collaboration in assisting our facilities as they prepare for the 2021 spring training season. We welcome further discussions as needed.”
The MLB Players Association responded later in the day saying the league “has repeatedly assured us that it has instructed its teams to be prepared for an on time start” to both camp and the regular season.
Servais said Tuesday the scheduled start date is on track, but acknowledged the possibility of changes in the coming days.
“Later this week there’s a call with the major league managers with the commissioner’s office,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll find out more at that time.
“But, right now it’s all systems go. We’re lining up physicals and first day of pitchers and catchers like we normally would.”
2. Mariners still looking to add
Though the Mariners have spent much of the past two seasons developing and debuting the young prospects they’ve collected in their farm system, and will continue that trend in 2021, they have made moves this offseason to augment their big league roster.
They’ve added another starter in Chris Flexen, and experienced relievers like Rafael Montero and Keynan Middleton to boost their bullpen.
The roster tweaking is an ongoing process, and Servais doesn’t believe the Mariners are done adding yet.
“There’s no stone unturned when it comes to Jerry (Dipoto) and looking at ways to upgrade our ballclub,” he said. “I say all that knowing that we still want to give our young players every opportunity to grow. That is a focus for us. We’ve got a lot of good young players, and we’ve got more coming.
“But, there’s always ways to incrementally improve your club. We’ve added to our bullpen. We’ve added a starter. I don’t think we’re done. I think we’ll continue to work at it up until we get to spring training, and maybe even in spring training if some of these guys haven’t signed yet.”
Dipoto said last week, the Mariners are looking to possibly add more depth to the rotation and bullpen, as well as a left-handed bat.
3. The six-man rotation will be back
Much like he has in the past, Servais emphasized again Tuesday how effective he believes the move to the six-man rotation was for the Mariners in 2020.
Yes, they will go back to it in 2021.
“Guys perform better, their stuff is crisper, it’s sharper,” Servais said. “I think it’s absolutely the right way to go for us, based on how we’re built right now. So, that’s the plan going forward.
“Will that change down the road? It may. But, with what we head into spring training with, I’m excited about it. … I know it’s the right way to go. We saw it play out for us and work very effectively for us last year.”
Servais, noting that starters have to work to bulk up their innings again after a shortened season, highlighted the importance of having an extra day to regroup before their next turn.
Only 17 pitchers in the majors threw more than 70 innings in 2020. Marco Gonzales tossed a team-high 69 2/3 across 11 starts for Seattle.
“I don’t think we’ll be the only team that goes to a six-man rotation,” Servais said. “I’ve talked to people in other organizations. They are considering doing it, too, and they probably do do it at some point throughout the year to protect their guys.
“You’ve got to remember we came off 60 games. I think our guys threw 60-70 innings, and you’re trying to bump them up to — hopefully — in the 180 range. That’s a big jump.”
Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi, Justus Sheffield and newcomer Chris Flexen are expected to be part of Seattle’s rotation with the other two spots open for competition this spring.
4. Haniger, Murphy ready to return
The Mariners still expect to return two seasoned players to their lineup this spring in right fielder Mitch Haniger and catcher Tom Murphy.
Both were starters for the club in 2019, and are expected to be ready to resume their roles when the Mariners open 2021. But, the club will still be cautious with both players this spring.
Murphy, who was projected to be Seattle’s Opening Day catcher in 2020, but missed the entirety of the shortened 60-game season with a foot injury, has been working through his rigorous offseason routine and is a “full go” for spring training, Servais said. The Mariners will still be mindful of his workload in camp.
“Murph, being one of the more intense guys we have, he’s a guy I kind of have to keep an eye on in the spring,” Servais said. “He’s going to want to come in and just go 100 miles an hour right from the get go.
“We really need to be careful. It’s a build up. It’s a ramp up in spring training. You won’t see Murph go out there and catch back-to-back days. We will be very cautious in how we ramp him up.”
The same applies to Haniger, who was an All-Star for Seattle in 2018, but has missed more than 150 games since June of the following year recovering from a series of injuries.
“He’s super excited to get back and contribute and kind of pick right up where he left off, understanding that he has been out for a while,” Servais said. “So, we will be careful in how we ramp him up.”
5. What’s next for the reigning AL Rookie of the Year?
The Mariners first got a peek at what was to come from center fielder Kyle Lewis in 2019, when he became the first player in MLB history to hit six home runs in his first 10 career games.
They saw even more in the shortened 2020 season, when he hit .262/.364/.437 with 11 homers and 28 RBI in 58 games, and made some stunning plays in center field on his way to becoming the Mariners’ fourth American League Rookie of the Year winner, and first since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.
What are the next steps for Lewis as he begins his second full season with the club? Continuing to grow and finding consistency at the big league level.
“He wants to be able to be good every day,” Servais said. “If you’re good, and you’re good again the next day, and you’re good today after that, and you’re good the next week, you end up being a great player. It’s the consistency that really separates it.
“With Kyle, we’ve seen the highs, and it’s exciting how the ball jumps off his bat and how he played in center field. The ceiling is so, so high. But, along the way this game will humble you at times. There’ll be stretches where he strikes out or he misses his pitch. There’s still plenty of room for growth there, but I think the biggest thing for him is just the consistency.
“I will say that in most cases players kind of tell you who they are pretty quickly at the major league level. People will say, ‘Oh you need 1,500 at bats or you need a couple thousand until you can settle in.’ It really doesn’t happen that way. Over the course of time they kind of tell you who they are, and I like what Kyle Lewis is telling us (about) who he is. Certainly coming off a Rookie of the Year season, he has a chance to really be a catalyst for us going forward for a number of years here.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Mariners notes: Seattle could still add to roster, planning for on-time start to camp."
