- Dec 14, 2003
- 8,078
- 3,509
Is Kyle still on NT?!
**Seattle Mariners 2024 Season Thread ** | ELIMINATED |
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by elpablo21,
- Start date
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
Haven't posted in a minute. He be in the twittersphere though
- Dec 14, 2003
- 8,078
- 3,509
I reached out. He’s pulling up.Haven't posted in a minute. He be in the twittersphere though
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
- Mar 22, 2003
- 28,990
- 17,661
We byke book da nt summit boys
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
Turned down the M's and Boston supposedly. Welp
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
- Oct 9, 2006
- 57,705
- 29,772
So... who did we get? I don't know anything about them. 
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
Winker looks to be a pretty elite left handed bat against righties.So... who did we get? I don't know anything about them.
Edit:
Don't know much about Suarez but his numbers looked beastly a couple years ago. I'm not expecting him to start at 3rd base I hope
Last edited:
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
- May 6, 2015
- 7,962
- 4,784
JRod with a blast today! Looking forward to seeing this kid develop, thinking they try not to rush him but will be hard to keep him at AAA for long (if he does indeed start the year there)
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
- Oct 25, 2006
- 12,129
- 13,266
Yo M's fans, if you copped the Flex Season tix it should've came with a year of AtBat too for mlb.tv.
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
washed but who knows
CrownRoyalDaddy
formerly tdoggy57
- Nov 12, 2015
- 4,729
- 2,985
We have no CF
- Oct 25, 2006
- 12,129
- 13,266
Yo I had no idea the M’s signed Billy Hamilton….
- Feb 12, 2005
- 58,832
- 30,227
Minor league contract, iirc.
- Jul 6, 2008
- 4,163
- 3,973
We’re flying out of Sea on our way to Korea in June. Team is in a road stand at the time but I feel I need to go to the stadium to get a picture at the Griffey statue outside the stadium
- Oct 25, 2006
- 12,129
- 13,266
Rosenthal: Simply playing catch helped Ichiro and Mariners top prospect Julio Rodríguez forge a meaningful bond
By Ken Rosenthal
When Jesse Winker asked Ichiro Suzuki to play catch Friday, he could not have known that he was disrupting a Seattle Mariners routine that has taken place every day the past two spring trainings: Ichiro, the team’s retired legend, playing catch with outfielder Julio Rodríguez, the team’s top prospect.
Winker, acquired from the Reds earlier this month, playfully feigned innocence, saying he asked permission from Rodríguez, albeit belatedly, and “got his grace.” Ichiro, speaking through his interpreter, Allen Turner, said Rodríguez properly deferred to the major leaguer. More importantly, Ichiro was encouraged by something Rodriguez told him later — that he followed the same throwing routine he does when the two are playing catch.
At first glance, the relationship between Ichiro and Rodríguez might appear odd. Ichiro is 48, Japanese, 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. Rodríguez is 21, Dominican, 6-3 and 180 pounds. Yet the two have formed a close bond since first meeting in the spring of 2019, when Rodríguez accidentally came upon Ichiro in the batting cage, stopped to watch him hit and then asked him to pose for a photo.
The bond stands as an example of one of baseball’s most appealing qualities, its ability to bring together people of all ages and cultures. And it stems from one of the game’s oldest and most cherished practices, the simple act of playing catch.
Rodríguez first asked Ichiro to be his throwing partner last spring, and Ichiro welcomed the request, saying, “I’m here willing to do whatever I can to help anybody.” The connection between the two, however, is not simply that of a future Hall of Famer trying to help develop a highly touted phenom who is closing in on his major-league debut.
Ichiro is now a special assistant and instructor for the Mariners. (Lindsey Wasson / Getty Images)
Ichiro, a special assistant and instructor for the Mariners, his first and last major-league club, sees more than just talent in Rodríguez, the No. 9 prospect in the sport according to The Athletic’s Keith Law. He sees a player who elevates teammates, works with the consistency of a veteran and remains serious about refining his craft even when others are taking a more casual approach.
Sounds familiar, no?
“When things like this develop, it comes from (someplace) deep, the values that we share,” Ichiro said. “Because if we didn’t share those values, I don’t think it would continue. And it has continued, which tells me that it’s because the values we have are the same.”
Which isn’t to say Ichiro and Rodríguez are all work and no play. Rodríguez recalls admiring a home run he hit off Ichiro in batting practice — yes, Ichiro throws BP, and participates in most of the Mariners’ pregame work as if he were still playing.
Ichiro responded by buzzing Rodríguez inside and telling him, “Oh, you don’t like the high heat, huh?” Next Ichiro started throwing curveballs, his competitive instincts awakened. “He shouldn’t be throwing those in BP,” Rodríguez lamented. “And he did.”
Not to worry. When Rodríguez hit off Ichiro in the cage on Friday, he nodded to himself repeatedly while handling pitches thrown with above-average velocity from a distance considerably shorter than the standard 60 feet, 6 inches.
“He used to fool me because he throws hard,” Rodríguez said, smiling as he left the cage. “But I’m on him now.”
Ichiro uses an interpreter when talking with reporters and occasionally with players, but, like Rodríguez, he speaks English quite well, and his joking and trash-talking is legendary within the sport. Yet, when informed of Rodríguez’s boast, he refused to take the bait, preferring instead to take it as a sign of the young player’s unwavering approach and growing confidence.
“A lot of guys come, they want to do something, and it kind of stays for maybe a week or two, then it fades away,” Ichiro said. “This guy has done it throughout. He’s consistently wanting to do better, wanting to work on his game. Especially this year, he has come in with this confidence. He has confidence within that he seems to see the future, that he’s going to be the main piece here, and (will) have this team built around him. He has this presence about him.”
So does Ichiro, who retired three years ago. He took the field Friday in full uniform before the Mariners emerged, running long sprints in the outfield with Turner. Once the workout began, he played catch with Winker, hit grounders and line drives to the team’s outfielders using his game bat rather than a fungo, and threw BP to Rodríguez and others. All this, on a day when the temperature in the Phoenix area reached 93 degrees.
“The only thing he doesn’t do now is play the game,” said Mike Cameron, a former Mariners outfielder and teammate of Ichiro’s who is a special assignment coach within the organization. “It’s never-ending for him. I don’t think it will ever end.”
Ichiro made headlines in December when he threw 147 pitches and topped out at 84 mph while striking out 17 against an elite team of high school girls in Japan. Cameron said the experience left Ichiro’s arm “a little bit short” at the start of the spring, forcing him to build back strength. Cutting back was not an option. Ichiro’s routine is as regimented as it was when he was a player.
Try naming another franchise icon who relishes participating in team workouts with such gusto, both during spring training and before regular-season home games. Winker said every one of Ichiro’s throws while they played catch hit him in the chest. When shagging fly balls with Mariners first base and infield coach Perry Hill, Ichiro will use Hill’s nickname, “Bone,” while delivering special instructions.
“Bone, you stay on the line,” Ichiro will say, “I’ve got everything else.”
Said Brad Lefton, a bilingual journalist who has covered Ichiro and Major League Baseball extensively for Japanese media, “The game is in Ichiro’s soul and he never wants to lose the feel for any activity that is natural for him. Swinging a lighter fungo bat or bouncing a throw to Julio is not how he wants to experience the game.”
Rodríguez, who has a strong arm, does not need much help with his throwing. But Ichiro has helped him refine his technique, offering insight on where to aim — to an infielder’s glove side, for example, making it easier for him to come up throwing — and how to understand the movement on his ball.
Hitting is another matter. Law praised Rodríguez’s advanced approach, writing, “The most impressive aspect of his pro career so far is how well he controls the strike zone, including making so much contact.” But the similarities between Ichiro and Rodríguez end there, and not simply because Rodríguez has more power.
“Offensively, he had that thought process where he always wanted to hit the pitcher’s best pitch,” Rodríguez said of Ichiro. “It’s not like what they teach us now: ‘Focus on your pitch.’ He always used to try to get into the pitcher’s head, hit his best pitch. That was kind of a surreal thing he did. I do something different. You know everyone is throwing 100 now. So you’ve got to try to hit your pitch.”
Still, the two talk about hitting, talk about everything. Rodríguez views Ichiro as a mentor on any number of topics, saying, “I feel like he’s a guy you can talk about anything with.” Ichiro, likewise, views Rodríguez as a willing pupil, the rare young player with the dedication to match his talent, someone very much like himself.
“I’m not in a position where I’m going to tell people what to do,” Ichiro said. “He came to me right away and wanted to play catch with me last year during spring training. That’s how it all began. He wanted to get better. He wanted to learn.”
Winker, acquired from the Reds earlier this month, playfully feigned innocence, saying he asked permission from Rodríguez, albeit belatedly, and “got his grace.” Ichiro, speaking through his interpreter, Allen Turner, said Rodríguez properly deferred to the major leaguer. More importantly, Ichiro was encouraged by something Rodriguez told him later — that he followed the same throwing routine he does when the two are playing catch.
At first glance, the relationship between Ichiro and Rodríguez might appear odd. Ichiro is 48, Japanese, 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. Rodríguez is 21, Dominican, 6-3 and 180 pounds. Yet the two have formed a close bond since first meeting in the spring of 2019, when Rodríguez accidentally came upon Ichiro in the batting cage, stopped to watch him hit and then asked him to pose for a photo.
The bond stands as an example of one of baseball’s most appealing qualities, its ability to bring together people of all ages and cultures. And it stems from one of the game’s oldest and most cherished practices, the simple act of playing catch.
Rodríguez first asked Ichiro to be his throwing partner last spring, and Ichiro welcomed the request, saying, “I’m here willing to do whatever I can to help anybody.” The connection between the two, however, is not simply that of a future Hall of Famer trying to help develop a highly touted phenom who is closing in on his major-league debut.
Ichiro is now a special assistant and instructor for the Mariners. (Lindsey Wasson / Getty Images)
Ichiro, a special assistant and instructor for the Mariners, his first and last major-league club, sees more than just talent in Rodríguez, the No. 9 prospect in the sport according to The Athletic’s Keith Law. He sees a player who elevates teammates, works with the consistency of a veteran and remains serious about refining his craft even when others are taking a more casual approach.
Sounds familiar, no?
“When things like this develop, it comes from (someplace) deep, the values that we share,” Ichiro said. “Because if we didn’t share those values, I don’t think it would continue. And it has continued, which tells me that it’s because the values we have are the same.”
Which isn’t to say Ichiro and Rodríguez are all work and no play. Rodríguez recalls admiring a home run he hit off Ichiro in batting practice — yes, Ichiro throws BP, and participates in most of the Mariners’ pregame work as if he were still playing.
Ichiro responded by buzzing Rodríguez inside and telling him, “Oh, you don’t like the high heat, huh?” Next Ichiro started throwing curveballs, his competitive instincts awakened. “He shouldn’t be throwing those in BP,” Rodríguez lamented. “And he did.”
Not to worry. When Rodríguez hit off Ichiro in the cage on Friday, he nodded to himself repeatedly while handling pitches thrown with above-average velocity from a distance considerably shorter than the standard 60 feet, 6 inches.
“He used to fool me because he throws hard,” Rodríguez said, smiling as he left the cage. “But I’m on him now.”
Ichiro uses an interpreter when talking with reporters and occasionally with players, but, like Rodríguez, he speaks English quite well, and his joking and trash-talking is legendary within the sport. Yet, when informed of Rodríguez’s boast, he refused to take the bait, preferring instead to take it as a sign of the young player’s unwavering approach and growing confidence.
“A lot of guys come, they want to do something, and it kind of stays for maybe a week or two, then it fades away,” Ichiro said. “This guy has done it throughout. He’s consistently wanting to do better, wanting to work on his game. Especially this year, he has come in with this confidence. He has confidence within that he seems to see the future, that he’s going to be the main piece here, and (will) have this team built around him. He has this presence about him.”
So does Ichiro, who retired three years ago. He took the field Friday in full uniform before the Mariners emerged, running long sprints in the outfield with Turner. Once the workout began, he played catch with Winker, hit grounders and line drives to the team’s outfielders using his game bat rather than a fungo, and threw BP to Rodríguez and others. All this, on a day when the temperature in the Phoenix area reached 93 degrees.
“The only thing he doesn’t do now is play the game,” said Mike Cameron, a former Mariners outfielder and teammate of Ichiro’s who is a special assignment coach within the organization. “It’s never-ending for him. I don’t think it will ever end.”
Ichiro made headlines in December when he threw 147 pitches and topped out at 84 mph while striking out 17 against an elite team of high school girls in Japan. Cameron said the experience left Ichiro’s arm “a little bit short” at the start of the spring, forcing him to build back strength. Cutting back was not an option. Ichiro’s routine is as regimented as it was when he was a player.
Try naming another franchise icon who relishes participating in team workouts with such gusto, both during spring training and before regular-season home games. Winker said every one of Ichiro’s throws while they played catch hit him in the chest. When shagging fly balls with Mariners first base and infield coach Perry Hill, Ichiro will use Hill’s nickname, “Bone,” while delivering special instructions.
“Bone, you stay on the line,” Ichiro will say, “I’ve got everything else.”
Said Brad Lefton, a bilingual journalist who has covered Ichiro and Major League Baseball extensively for Japanese media, “The game is in Ichiro’s soul and he never wants to lose the feel for any activity that is natural for him. Swinging a lighter fungo bat or bouncing a throw to Julio is not how he wants to experience the game.”
Rodríguez, who has a strong arm, does not need much help with his throwing. But Ichiro has helped him refine his technique, offering insight on where to aim — to an infielder’s glove side, for example, making it easier for him to come up throwing — and how to understand the movement on his ball.
Hitting is another matter. Law praised Rodríguez’s advanced approach, writing, “The most impressive aspect of his pro career so far is how well he controls the strike zone, including making so much contact.” But the similarities between Ichiro and Rodríguez end there, and not simply because Rodríguez has more power.
“Offensively, he had that thought process where he always wanted to hit the pitcher’s best pitch,” Rodríguez said of Ichiro. “It’s not like what they teach us now: ‘Focus on your pitch.’ He always used to try to get into the pitcher’s head, hit his best pitch. That was kind of a surreal thing he did. I do something different. You know everyone is throwing 100 now. So you’ve got to try to hit your pitch.”
Still, the two talk about hitting, talk about everything. Rodríguez views Ichiro as a mentor on any number of topics, saying, “I feel like he’s a guy you can talk about anything with.” Ichiro, likewise, views Rodríguez as a willing pupil, the rare young player with the dedication to match his talent, someone very much like himself.
“I’m not in a position where I’m going to tell people what to do,” Ichiro said. “He came to me right away and wanted to play catch with me last year during spring training. That’s how it all began. He wanted to get better. He wanted to learn.”
- Oct 25, 2006
- 12,129
- 13,266
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
Go Time
- May 6, 2015
- 7,962
- 4,784
I was listening to KJR on the way to grab coffee this morning and heard this isn't official quite yet. Julio could split time between CF/RF and DH along with Kelenic. Sounds like Lewis won't be ready when the season starts but should be back sometime in April or not much later hopefully.
- Oct 25, 2006
- 12,129
- 13,266
I think the big thing here isn't necessarily position but that he and that bat are on the roster to open the season.
elpablo21
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2008
- 106,528
- 196,192
