Mariners Spring Training Recap: Day 5

The Seattle Mariners were hard at work once again on Tuesday in Peoria, AZ.

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The most entertaining clip of the day came from Fernando Alcala. It shows Mariners’ catching coordinator Dan Wilson hitting pop flies to the catchers. The M’s currently have five backstops in camp, and they were forced to dance out of the way of their fellow players this morning. Perhaps it would be safer if the spectators were a little away from the catcher doing the drill next time. Just a thought.

Speaking of catchers, Mike Zunino has been a prominent figure during the first few days of spring training. The Mariners’ former everyday backstop has been working diligently with hitting instructor Edgar Martinez to refine his approach at the plate. Fernando Alcala posted some video of the 24-year-old taking batting practice on Tuesday morning. Zunino was touted as a future star this time last year, but a rough 2015 season has him headed to Tacoma at the end of the March. I am a big believer in Z, and I hope we get to see him back in Seattle this summer.

Position players are not officially required to report to Peoria until Wednesday, but many of the Mariners are already in Arizona preparing for the season. Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune posted a video this morning of Ketel Marte, Chris Taylor and Luis Sardinas taking ground balls at shortstop. Marte was brilliant in his debut campaign last year, and he enters this season as the M’s starting shortstop. Taylor and Sardinas are both competing to be the utility infielder for Seattle in 2016.

Another position player currently in Peoria is first baseman Dae Ho Lee. The 33-year-old was signed this offseason after spending the past 15 years in Korea and Japan. Lee is expected to battle Jesus Montero this spring for the right to platoon with Adam Lind at first base. Lee has tallied 323 home runs during his career, and he was spotted launching a few baseballs into the blue Arizona sky this morning in batting practice. Credit to the Mariners official twitter account for the video.

More from SoDo Mojo

• 2023 Steamer Projections: Teoscar Hernandez could see a drop in Seattle
• Could the Mariners Acquire AL Batting Champion, Luis Arraez?
• Steamer Projections: Julio Rodriguez to enter rarified air in 2023
• What if the Mariners traded FOR Tyler O’Neill this time?
• Mariners starting pitching is being overlooked by MLB

One of the more intriguing pitchers to toe the rubber at the Peoria Sports Complex on Tuesday was Paul Fry. The 23-year-old southpaw had been limited the first few days of camp, but he got some quality work in this morning. The Waterford, MI product was named the Mariners Minor-League Reliever of the Year in 2015 after posting a 2.02 ERA across 80 innings with the Bakersfield Blaze and Jackson Generals. Fry was also recently featured in SoDo Mojo’s list of the top 20 M’s prospects, and he could force his way onto the M’s roster at some point during the 2016 season. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times posted video of Fry’s bullpen on his twitter page.

For the first time since last October, every Seattle Mariners player under contract will be in action tomorrow in Peoria. Position players will officially report to camp on Wednesday, and some will even partake in drills. Jerry Dipoto has done a fantastic job assembling talent this winter, and that should make for a very competitive atmosphere this year in spring training.

Next: Seattle Mariners Season Preview: Leonys Martin

Make sure you check back with SoDo Mojo on Wednesday evening for a full recap of the workouts.