Kyle Lewis’ sailors were highlighted by manager Scott Servais on Saturday. (Getty)
Until recently, a Fourth of July without baseball games would seem almost unfathomable. But here we are, and while there was no bunting dangling from the deck linings, no military bands in the field, or fireworks afterward, the crunch of the bat was heard when the Sailors were able to get through the summer camp drills in a cold place. but sun-drenched field on Saturday at T-Mobile Park.
Mariners Classics: July Calendar – Night Games at 710 ESPN Seattle
One day, it seemed that the pace of getting back on track had accelerated, albeit cautious with what we’re used to seeing in spring training. After being able to see most of his players on Friday, Mariners manager Scott Servais was encouraged by what he saw.
“They’ve all looked good physically,” he said, noting that Kyle Lewis in particular stood out. “The boys are much more advanced than I expected.”
A concern early in the closing was what players would have available to them in terms of training. Depending on where they were, some had more at their disposal than others. In the case of Lewis, who spent most of the shutdown in Atlanta, he was able to maintain a complete routine until baseball returned.
“I was able to work with my speed coach and my weight coach in private sessions,” said Lewis. “So my hitting coach from my high school days, who has been my hitting coach the whole time, was able to go to high school and do private sessions as well and be able to keep a good distance with all of that and still get all my work. . “
On the pitching side, Justin Dunn, who lives in New York but spent the close sharing a home with Jake Fraley and his family near the Mariners’ spring training facility in Arizona, saw his training options expand as that the closing progressed. At first, work was limited to the backyard, but before long he and others in the area were able to use a covered baseball facility before it opened every day.
Dunn was one of the first to perform at the Mariners’ facility when it opened last month and was able to continue his work, which included live batting practice against Fraley and Evan White.
“I’m definitely ready to go,” Dunn said. “I understand that there is still room to build and really block the pitches and fine tune and put it in shape, but I definitely feel strong. I feel like I haven’t really regressed since spring training, which I’m really happy about. ”
Now that most of the Sailors are at camp, it’s a matter of preparing everyone in just 21 days. The morning session saw the arrival of two players who were not in camp on Friday with Dee Gordon and Daniel Vogelbach cleared to join training. Gordon jumped straight into the fire, intervening for a live batting practice against Dunn, whose breakout ball was particularly sharp during his 20-pitch session.
“It is a great year for Justin,” said Servais. “I like where he is, he knows what lies ahead. I think the fact that we’re going to go with a six-man rotation gives him a chance to make 10 starts, stay healthy and we find out more about him and he finds out more about him and the adjustments he has to make to get through a big league season. “
Gordon, covering his face, tracked down a few tones before swinging. By purchasing an inflatable batting cage, he was able to hit throughout the shutdown and looked comfortable in front of the live pitch.
The morning session included live BP exercises, regular BP, infield and position, and base run drills. In addition to Gordon, Lewis, and Vogelbach, the position group consisted of Kyle Seager, Evan White, Tom Murphy, Brian O’Keefe, Tim Lopes, Sam Haggerty, Braden Bishop, and Fraley.
The afternoon session, which includes the Mariners’ draft of the MLB 2020 Draft, was closed to the media. An interesting situation to have players who were recruited just a few weeks ago on the field with great league players.
“I saw a very fast heartbeat,” Servais said with a smile when asked about the new Mariners. “I saw a lot of big eyes and how fast things are happening. It’s good for them. I can’t imagine the first day you put on a university and you’re in a big league stadium with the rest of the team. Things will slow down as training passes and we start participating in some games within the squad and things like that. It is a great experience “.
Training will continue this week with the first intraframe game scheduled for Friday, July 10. Most of those contests will be fewer than nine innings with the goal being that the starters have two or three starts and the players in a regular position around 30 at-bats.
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More about Shannon Mariners Summer Camp
• Sailors adjust to ‘new normal’ as practices begin in Seattle
• Sailors’ notebook on Friday about the first practice of the “Summer Camp”
• Sailors will have some key coaches who work remotely until 2020
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