The First Domino Falls in Peoria as Taylor Trammell is injured

The cliché "Hope Springs Eternal" comes to my mind when I think about the first few days of Spring Training. The Twitter timeline is baseball heavy this time of year, as the Mariners social team does its best hype man impersonation sending out videos and photos of our favorite players working out in Peoria. Fans' emotions and expectations are even more heightened because this 90-win team has a nice mix of youth and veterans in Peoria.

With all the good vibes swirling out the team, President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto provided the first injury report as Taylor Trammell fell victim to a broken hamate bone.

Trammell put a lot of work at Driveline this offseason to eliminate a couple of holes in his swing path. Likewise, jarred Kelenic received glowing reports of his offseason work from General Manager Justin Hollander and Dipoto. The battle between Jarred Kelenic and Trammell was one of the top storylines of the Spring, but it's not over yet.

Cade Marlowe is the beneficiary of Trammell's injury and is the next man up. The team thinks the 24-year-old outfielder has skills that translate at the MLB level. They wouldn't have called him up for the playoffs if they didn't. With the World Baseball Classic a mere week away and the injury bug, Marlowe will get plenty of opportunities to show off his unique power and speed combination in Peoria.

Position players reported today, and Manager Scott Servais' whiteboard now includes two names in left field, Kelenic, and Marlowe. It's a toss-up heading into Spring Training, but as we all know, Peoria is always ripe with ups and downs. Late bloomer Cade Marlowe is up in the battle with one-time super prospect Kelenic. However, both hope to lock down a break camp with the team. While fan-favorite Taylor Trammell is down and out for at least two months, hoping to get through surgery, rehab, and back to Seattle.

Hope does Springs eternal, at least on the back fields of Peoria, where the storylines are plenty.