Look At The Tacoma Rainiers

Since the Seattle Mariners are not playing today Aug 22 I decided to look at what maybe the team that will be the Tacoma Rainiers. I live in Gig Harbor so I am ten minutes away from Cheney Stadium the home of the Rainiers so likely I will go to several games this season. Since they are close and less expensive to see than the Mariners I will go to more of their games.

My advice is that Roots Sports show handful games of the Rainer each year so fans can see and look at players that someday may play for the Mariners. The games shown would be when the Rainiers are at home and the Mariners have an off day so likely it would be a Monday or Thursday game. The thing is that they carry sports on those days that no one really watches anyway. So if someone from the Mariners or Roots Sports is reading thing please do it. Also I may contact Root Sports as well. Since the Mariners have ownership in cable company why not.

The Rainiers will have several players that are still in the camp of the Mariners and won’t make the club. They will have a veteran club mostly however it will be good to see some young players as well especially Boog Powell who likely will be playing in center field. There is a good chance that he will be called up sometime during the season if there is an injury to any of the outfielders. Depending how this season goes he will probably be starting for the Mariners next season. A veteran player who will start most likely in Tacoma is Daniel Robertson. He has had a good camp with the Mariners however there is really no spot for him on the roster. He can play any of the three outfield spots and may have a call up if the Mariners have an injury. Stefan Romero maybe another playing in the outfield and some at first base if he doesn’t start the season with the Mariners.

Efren Navarro is veteran triple A player who will play some at first base and in the outfield. He is a left handed hitter so he hasn’t been in the mix to make the Mariners roster however if something happens with Adam Lind he likely will be called up to the Mariners. He is another one that general manager Jerry Dipoto calls having depth at every position on the Mariners.

Luis Sardinas will likely win the job as the utility player for the Mariners so Chris Taylor and Shawn O’Malley will start the season with the Rainiers. Both of these guys will play all over the infield for the Rainiers. Probably see Taylor more at short than O’Malley however he will see some action there too. Both of them will see action at third base because the Mariners will need insurance if an injury happens to Kyle Seager. They could be called up to the Mariners if either Sardinas or Marte struggle hitting for the Mariners or either is injured. We hope both these guys do well with the Rainiers because the Mariners need their depth. Another veteran of triple A is Ed Lucas who recently was sent to minor league camp. He is another who adds depth to the Mariners and will play a lot of third base. He could be sent up as well if someone happens with Kyle Seager.

Mike Zunino who we all know was the starting catcher last year for the Seattle Mariners however struggled at the plate all last season and then was sent down to Tacoma at the end of August will start with the Rainiers this season. He likely shares the catching duty with Steve Baron who has been in the Mariner minor league system for several years. Baron played about half of the season last year with the Rainiers and was called up to Mariners in September however saw little action. He has been better known for his catching than his hitting but has progressed the last couple years. The Rainiers often share the catching duty so we will probably see Zunino at designated hitter when he isn’t catching. His primary duty with the Rainiers is to cut down on strike outs and hit for a higher average. The Mariners have not given up on Zunino at this point however this season is important for him to make it back to the majors. He could be back up with the Mariners some point in the season if he progresses really well and any of the catchers struggle or get hurt especially Chris Iannetta.

The Rainiers likely will be going with a veteran staff this season. The most well-known name to Rainier fans is Forrest Snow who has been with the Rainiers all or part of the last five years. He could be starting or relieving for the Rainiers since he has done both. If he is pitching well could be brought up to the Mariners and be part of the bullpen however that could be a long shot.

Adrian Sampson who has local ties to the Seattle area will likely start for the Rainiers; they signed him during the off-season to add depth to the pitching staff. Justin De Fratus who recently was cut by the Mariners and resigned by them on a minor league contract will start in the Mariner bullpen. He could be either the setup or closer for the Rainiers. There are several other names that we are not too familiar with the Rainiers starting or relieving. David Rollins will be the lefty specialty coming out of the bullpen for the Rainiers. Looking over their roster I don’t see many prospects that will be playing this season for the Rainiers. D.J. Peterson a previous number one pick of the Mariners could start in Tacoma after struggling last year. If he does most likely play first and third base; he could start the season in double A and move up to Rainiers during the season.

The next two weeks will show who stays with the Mariners and who will be sent down to the Rainiers. We hope that the new regime will help the minor leaguers move up the system in a good timely manner. Anyway this is it for now. I am sure more news about transactions coming up this week.