Mariners Spring Training Recap: Day 11

It’s only two more sleeps until Mariners baseball is back!

Another day of workouts in the desert has come and gone for the Seattle Mariners. Spring training games are tantalizingly close for the M’s, as their Cactus League schedule begins on Wednesday. Seattle is not quite ready for opening day just yet, but I’m sure it will be nice for the players to square off against other teams this week.

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It’s hard to argue with the fact that the Mariners have been one of the worst clubs in the league in recent seasons at situational hitting. In an effort to curb this, the M’s have been playing an interesting game the past couple days that rewards batters for hitting to the proper field and advancing runners. The two teams were picked by captains Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano. Below are some of the videos from Monday’s workout. All three videos were provided by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.

This is arguably the most encouraging footage Mariners’ fans have seen all spring. Mike Zunino took a powerful cut at a pitch in the lower half of the zone and drove it into the gap in right-center field, resulting in a standup double. Zunino has been working extremely hard this spring at refining his approach at the plate, and his hard work appears to be paying off. If Z can keep hitting the ball like this when the Cactus League kicks off this week, he will find himself behind the plate with the M’s once again in 2016.

Kyle Seager may have lost points for his side by connecting on a pull side homer this morning, but it’s impossible not to be impressed with his raw power. It’s worth watching the clip just to see Seags angrily flip his bat before beginning his trot around the bases. Seager had yet another productive campaign for the Mariners in 2015, and they will rely heavily on his bat again this year. The 28-year-old Hawt Corner resident will likely hit fifth in the M’s rebuild lineup in 2016.

Boog Powell placed sixth in SoDo Mojo’s list of the top 20 Mariners’ prospects, and the young center fielder lived up to his billing on Monday. Powell ripped a ground ball past first base and down into the right field corner. He showed off his exciting speed, and slid feet first into third base for a triple. The 23-year-old has the look of an ideal leadoff hitter, and he has more than enough range to patrol center field. Powell is the most pro-ready prospect Seattle has, and he should make his debut at Safeco Field sometime during the 2016 season.

Fernando Alcala also shared some footage of the Mariners participating in fielding drills on Monday morning at the Peoria Sports Complex. Winning in baseball is pretty simple, at least it is in theory. If you have quality pitching and play consistent defense, more times than not you should come out on top. Jerry Dipoto has devoted a lot of his resources this offseason to improving team defense, particularly in the outfield. The M’s are hoping to play to Safeco Field’s strengths in 2016, so pitching and defense will be featured prominently.

Speaking of pitching, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune posted a couple of videos of hurlers participating in live batting practice. Among the pitchers to take the mound was 23-year-old right-hander Taijuan Walker. Prince Tai showed flashes of brilliance in 2015, but he struggled with consistency. Walker is expected to function as the Mariners’ number four pitcher in 2016, and Seattle is hoping to get 200 innings out of him. The Yucaipa, CA product will get his first taste of Cactus League action this Friday when the M’s travel to Maryvale to take on the Milwaukee Brewers.

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The Mariners were amongst the busiest teams in baseball this winter, making numerous trades and striking deals with free agents. One of the fresh faces in Seattle is Steve Cishek. The 29-year-old is coming off his worst season as a pro, but is expected to serve at the M’s 9th inning man in 2016. He has been in the big leagues for six years, but this season will be his first time pitching in the American League. Cishek has a wacky delivery, and hopefully that will cause problems for many AL hitters.

Next: Mariners Top 20 Prospects: #6 CF Boog Powell

Make sure you check back tomorrow evening for another edition of SoDo Mojo’s Spring Training Recap. Go Mariners!