Mariners Spring Training Recap: Day 2

Many of the newest Mariners took the field for the first time with Seattle on Saturday morning in Peoria.

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Saturday marked the first official workouts for the Seattle Mariners in spring training. Pitchers and catchers participated in various drills this morning, but all eyes were focused on the bullpens at the Peoria Sports Complex where Wade Miley, Taijuan Walker and Steve Cishek got their first workouts in of 2016.

The big news of the day was Scott Servais announcing Felix Hernandez will once again be the Mariners opening day starter in 2016. This year’s outing will be King Felix’s ninth career opening day start. Hernandez has been remarkably successful in this role, and he was the obvious choice for Servais. 2016 will be the 29-year-old right-hander’s eighth consecutive opening day start for Seattle, although it will be his first with blond hair.

Fans were treated to a number of notable appearances on Saturday, but there was distinctly retro feel to the day. Many former Mariner greats were on hand to teach the next generation of Seattle players. Edgar Martinez did a phenomenal job last season working as the M’s batting coach, and he was spotted today working with the rest of the coaching staff. Alvin Davis was known as “Mr. Mariner” when he played at the Kingdome, and he was helping out at first base in pitcher fielding practice on Saturday. Below is a video of Dan Wilson working with the Seattle backstops as they try and improve their pitch framing. Wilson is currently serving as the Mariners minor-league catching coordinator.

There are plenty of fresh faces in Peoria right now, and we got a chance to to see a few of them in action on Saturday. Steve Cishek split last season between the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals, and was signed this winter by the M’s to serve as their new closer. The 29-year-old right-hander has tallied 95 saves during his career, but he only registered 4 saves in 2015. Seattle is banking on Cishek rebounding this year, and Jerry Dipoto was watching intently during his bullpen session this morning. Credit Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times for the video.

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Another newcomer who got some work in this afternoon was Chris Iannetta. The veteran backstop had a miserable campaign with the Los Angeles Angels in 2015, but he is expected to function as the Mariners starting catcher this season. He was behind the plate catching for a number of the M’s starting pitchers this morning. It will take some time for Iannetta to learn how to handle his new pitching staff, but he seemed to be getting along well with Taijuan Walker on Saturday. Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune posted the video following Prince Tai’s bullpen session.

Next: Seattle Mariners Season Preview: Nori Aoki

The M’s were extremely busy adding talent his offseason, and it was interesting to see many of the new players in action today. Hopefully we will be treated to footage of King Felix and Hisashi Iwakuma toeing the rubber on Sunday. It has been a rainy winter in the Emerald City, but it sure is nice to see the bright Arizona sun shining down on our Mariners.