Mariners vs. Giants: Taylor Trammell’s MLB debut went well

Taylor Trammell made his MLB debut yesterday and showed Mariners fans why he is a top prospect. Although he didn’t record his first MLB hit, he showed a lot of maturity and flashed his arm in the outfield.

Taylor Trammell throws out Evan Longoria

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Mariners center fielder tracked down a ball in the gap and made an accurate throw to second base. Taylor’s arm is his weakest tool according to the scouting report, but it looked good enough for me. Also a cool side note, after the game, Taylor Trammell gave huge props to J.P. Crawford for the tag on Evan Longoria and said he’s a Gold Glove winner for a reason.

Taylor Trammell gave the Mariners a “team at-bat”

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Mariners were down 5-0 against the Giants and I was nearly falling asleep. Kevin Gausman was still dealing and it looked like we were going to get shut out by the Giants ace until Evan White hit a two-strike pitch down the line for a hustle double.

The 23-year-old outfielder stepped into the box and in the blink of an eye, he quickly fell into a 1-2 count… not exactly what you want to do against Gausman who had been lights out. But, Trammell is able to make use of his at-bat and grounds into the first baseman. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal, but as a former player who focused a lot on small ball, I immediately knew how important that pull-side ground ball was to move White to third base.

Next thing you know, Dylan Moore hits a broken-bat sacrifice fly ball to center field which scored Evan White (Yes, Evan White is fast). That knocked Kevin Gausman out of the ball game and put the Mariners on the scoreboard. If it weren’t for that professional at-bat by Taylor Trammell, I highly doubt that the BIG eighth-inning would have happened.

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Taylor Trammell drew two HUGE walks

The Giants had a nightmarish eighth-inning and let the Mariners put up a six-spot. With one out and the bases loaded, Taylor Trammell stepped into the batter’s box against a wild left-handed pitcher, Jarlin Garcia. The matchup wasn’t ideal for the rookie, but he made the most of it.

Trammell got into a favorable 2-1 count and just missed a fastball right down the middle. He then took a slider on the outside corner to make it a full count and fouled off two good sliders after that. Finally, Garcia threw a slider outside of the zone and Trammell was able to lay off of it to draw the walk. Mitch Haniger scored from third to bring the Mariners deficit to three. This was a huge at-bat for Trammell, and I am impressed, to say the least.

After the Giants forced extra innings, Taylor Trammell led off the 10th inning with Evan White starting on second base (the extra inning rule). Trammell took five straight pitches and drew the walk. Just another sign of his maturity, and knowing the situation.

I would’ve loved to see Taylor Trammell get his first MLB hit, walk-off hit, or home run, but yesterday’s win says a lot about how success comes in many different forms in baseball. It was a great performance by Trammell and I would give him an A for his first-ever Opening Day.

The Mariners play the Giants tonight at 7:10 PDT. Yusei Kikuchi starts on the bump for Seattle and will go up against Johnny Cueto. Should be another exciting matchup! We’re 1-0 baby!