Recap: MLB Now interview with Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais

A quick recap of the MLB Now interview with Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais

MLB Now on MLB Network just did a short interview with Scott Servais, Seattle Mariners manager. Many of the things he talked about might be old news for Mariners fans, but there were some important things he stated.

One of the first topics was whether the Mariners would operate a 6-man rotation again. The answer: yes. Servais has made it pretty clear this offseason that the team will use a 6-man rotation again. It helped take the workload off of the young staff and he reiterated how it can help Yusei Kikuchi because he is used to a 6-man rotation.

The MLB Now crew also asked Scott Servais about Jarred Kelenic’s timeline and the Seattle manager said he will most likely start in the minor leagues. He said this applies to most prospects for the Mariners because it is hard to assess how ready they are after missing an entire season in 2020.

An interesting topic brought up by Scott Braun was how the Seattle Mariners coaching staff simulated games online to prepare during the shutdown. It was not entirely clear what the activity was, but the MLB Now hosts seemed to be referring to video games.

Scott Servais said they met 3-4 times a week prior to the regular season to help prepare the coaching staff, who had a couple of young coaches. He said this activity over Zoom calls really helped the staff with communication and getting a feeling of the processes.

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The Mariners manager was also asked about Julio Rodriguez being the cover of Baseball America. Servais was able to watch Julio play in the instructional league and had only good things to say.

Last but not least, Joel Sherman asked Servais about the Seattle timeline. With the Astros and Athletics potentially losing some important pieces this upcoming season to free agency, is now the time to hit the gas pedal?

Scott Servais said most likely not. What is important is to stay disciplined. He said “when the time is right… [Jerry Dipoto] will step on the gas.”

I think this says a lot about the faith Scott Servais has in Jerry Dipoto and the need to trust the process. The Mariners have a lot of prospects lined up and Servais understands that. There is no need to rush things just because of the situation in the AL West.