On Sunday, the Mariners announced their roster of 60 men for the upcoming season. These 60 players are eligible to play in Seattle at any time during the 2020 season, although a large proportion of them are unlikely to suit the major league club.
2020, the 60 games, will be a learning season. Of the team’s 60 players, the club hopes to keep about 25 percent of them off the big stage entirely.
“Several of the guys we don’t expect to see at the ML level this year unless it’s an emergency situation,” said a source inside the main office.
He added that the team hopes to keep “about 17 of those guys” off the major league roster in 2020.
That leaves the organization with approximately 43 names to play over the course of the summer. In 2019, the Mariners threw 67 different players onto the field. This does not mean that everything does not go as planned for the team, but it could be absolutely interesting if there is an eruption of injuries.
The list as a whole consists of 32 pitchers and 28 player positions. 5 receivers are included. Without further ado, The List ™
* denotes players expected to start the year on the active roster of 30 players.
Jugs:
Marco Gonzales*, Taijuan walker*, Yusei Kikuchi*, Kendall Graveman *, Justus Sheffield*, Justin Dunn*, Austin Adams*, Yoshihisa Hirano*, Matt Magill*, Brandon Brennan*, Nestor Cortés*, Dan Altavilla*, Carl Edwards Jr.*, Yohan Ramirez*, Nick Margevicius, Zac Grotz, Taylor Williams, Gerson Bautista, Erik Swanson, Taylor Guilbeau, Art Warren, Joey Gerber, Juan Then, Aaron Fletcher, Ljay Newsome, Sam Delaplane, Logan Gilbert, Emerson Hancock, George Kirby, Isaiah Campbell, Brandon Williamson Anthony Misiewicz
Seattle is choosing to bring almost any arm you can imagine with them to the roster this season. The only noticeably absent pitchers are Sam Carlson, Wyatt Mills and to a lesser degree Brayan Perez.
Misiewicz and Then are a bit surprising, but both have been characterized by the team as part of a “hybrid” squad. The hybrid squad is a group of boys among the list of 40 men and boys specifically brought in for development. Essentially, the hybrid squad is the emergency kit. Gerber, Delaplane, Fletcher, and Newsome are part of this body.
The likes of Gilbert, Hancock, Kirby, Williamson, and Campbell are further down the hierarchical order and are not expected to play for the Mariners in 2020.
Collectors
Tom murphy*, Austin Nola* *, Joe Hudson *, Cal Raleigh, Brian O’Keefe
Hunters are pretty chalk. The only surprise here is Joe Odom’s retention. Hudson will likely travel with the major league team as the bullpen catcher and emergency option in the game. He is part of the 3-man “taxi squad”. O’Keefe is part of the hybrid team, while Raleigh is not expected to have time at the major league level in 2020.
In the countryside:
Evan White*, Daniel Vogelbach*, Tim Lopes*, Dee Gordon*, Long shed*, Dylan Moore*, JP Crawford *, Kyle seager*, Patrick Wisdom*, Donovan Walton*, Noelvi Marte, José Marmolejos, Sam Haggerty, Austin Shenton, Tyler Keenan, Kaden Polcovich
The biggest surprise among the inner box group is the absence of Joe Rizzo. Supposedly, Rizzo was one of the last boys to turn down the team, and was simply the victim of a reduction in numbers. The addition of Austin Shenton, who recently broke his nose, is the biggest addition to the group. It talks a lot about how the organization feels about their 2019 fifth round pick.
It should also be noted, although this drill has Wisdom and Walton on the initial list of 30 men, it is unlikely to remain so. The Mariners will likely choose to bring in another pitcher when they camp out. Baptist has been mentioned as a leading candidate. He would take the place of one of the utility box players.
Open field:
Bishop of Braden*, Jake Fraley*, Kyle lewis*, Mallex Smith*, Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodríguez, Zach DeLoach
This is a fairly light group. Only seven names, and Seattle expects the last three boys on the list to remain at the alternate training site throughout 2020. The biggest question, clearly, is where’s Mitch Haniger? The season will begin in 45-day IL. At this stage, it is unknown if Haniger will be able to play throughout this season.
With such a small group of outfielders, fans are likely to expect another big dose of Moore and Lopes in the outfield in 2020. Marmolejos can also play a corner kick if necessary.
Final thoughts
This is a clearly constructed list towards player development. While Seattle is unlikely to have to summon one of its top prospects to play this season, there certainly is a chance that things could go wrong. The Mariners have 21 pitchers in the 40 players to play, with Misiewicz and Gerber likely like next.
The season is scheduled to start on July 23 or 24. Schedules are expected to be announced this week.
