THE BASICS
Home stadium: Peoria Sports Complex, 16101 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria, AZ 85382
Directions: From I-17 North: Exit at Bell Road; proceed west to intersection of Bell Road and 83rd Avenue; left to stadium and complex.
Information: 623-773-8720; Mariners.com/spring
Prospect to watch: Jarred Kelenic,
OF: Kelenic, 20, is a potential superstar with a polished approach and plus hitting tools. He has a compact line-drive swing with above-average power potential and stolen-base ability. He hit 12 home runs and stole 13 bases in 2019 and should return to AA to start next season but the Mariners’ muddled outfield picture gives him a chance in the majors.
Do the Mariners have a successor to King Felix?
Felix Hernandez had been the standard-bearer for Mariners pitching almost from the moment he debuted in 2005, but after an injury-plagued 2019 in which the six-time All-Star won just one of his 15 starts, Hernandez’s reign in Seattle came to an end at age 33.
Left-hander Marco Gonzales has emerged as the staff ace, going 16-13 with a sub-4.00 ERA for a team that finished 26 games under .500. He was rewarded this offseason with a four-year, $30 million extension. However, he doesn’t overpower hitters, averaging just 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings last season.
An even younger left-hander may be the best bet as the M’s future ace. Justus Sheffield, 23, came to Seattle from the New York Yankees in the James Paxton trade last winter. The 2014 first-round pick features a plus fastball and slider.
Why give $24M to a minor leaguer?
The Mariners are banking on Evan White being their first baseman of the future – and probably the present. A firstround draft pick (17th overall) in 2017 from the University of Kentucky, White signed a six-year, $24 million major league contract this offseason, despite having only 18 plate appearances above the Class AA level.
The Mariners love his plate discipline
CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES and his .361 on-base percentage in the minors. He also has the requisite power for a corner infielder.
Without anyone in the organization blocking him and a contract that overrides service time concerns, White, 23, could win the opening-day job at first.
– Steve Gardner