This rookie has helped inject life into Mariners

This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Cade Marlowe had as salivating of a taste as possible to the Majors. Last October, he traveled with the Mariners to Toronto and Houston for the postseason on their taxi squad. The club loved his tools and weighed the benefit of including him on its roster but ultimately chose not to, in large part for the stakes of making his MLB debut in a pressure-packed October.

Nearly nine months later, Marlowe is finally in the big leagues after being recalled from Triple-A Tacoma last week. The Mariners needed an outfield reinforcement in the wake of Jarred Kelenic’s fractured left foot, which was sustained when kicking a Gatorade cooler in frustration.

Marlowe's path to the Majors is as remarkable as the impression he’s made in short order. At 26 years old, he strongly considered giving up baseball and pursuing medical school before being selected in the 20th round in 2019 out of the University of West Georgia. Marlowe is the Mariners’ No. 14 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

Now, for a team looking for a second-half surge to get back into the American League Wild Card race, Mariners manager Scott Servais has made it no secret the club will ride the hot hand at all positions -- Marlowe included.

“Really a shot in the arm for us,” Servais said. “After losing some other guys to injury, sometimes you get an opportunity and you have to be prepared for it. He has been. He’s played great. Big hits.”

Here’s how Marlowe has already made a strong first impression:

The instincts
In Tuesday’s big comeback in Minnesota, Julio Rodríguez crushed two homers and Eugenio Suárez delivered the go-ahead, two-run dagger. But it was Marlowe who was at the center of the game’s decisive sequence.

Tied at 6, Marlowe strongly considered laying down a bunt based on the Twins’ infield alignment to lead off the ninth inning. But he drew a six-pitch walk, stole second base and left bunt duty to Kolten Wong, who executed flawlessly and allowed Marlowe to reach third base and score the go-ahead run on Suárez’s double.

“Just trusting the coaches,” Marlowe said of taking off on the bases. “Whenever they think it’s a good time to go, stay on the aggressive and keep getting to the next base. I had the sign, perfect bunt.”

It was far from a flashy moment, but it kept Twins reliever Oliver Ortega on the ropes and drew praise from Seattle’s coaching staff.

The sneaky power
It took Marlowe until his third game to record his first career hit -- a simple single up the middle on Monday that will find its way to his father back in South Georgia.

One day later, however, he had another emphatic first. He cleared the left-center-field wall for a 406-foot, opposite-field homer on a changeup that dipped low and away at the last second from Twins All-Star pitcher Pablo López. The 101.2 mph blast came on a 2-2 count when Marlowe was simply trying to drive the ball based on its location and let his power take over.

“I was like, ‘It’s in the gap, so I’m going to go for two, maybe three,’” Marlowe said. “And then it was over.”

Marlowe crushed 11 homers in Triple-A before being recalled after hitting 23 last year. He hit 26 home runs in 2021 and was named the Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr. Minor League Hitter of the Year.

The determination
Marlowe was probably always going to get an opportunity in 2023, given how much the Mariners coveted his skills. He was on his way to leading the club in plate appearances in Spring Training -- a sign that Seattle wanted to give him as many reps as possible to determine his ability. Then he suffered an oblique injury on March 9 that sidelined him for five weeks and put an end to his bid to break camp.

“Everything, really,” Marlowe said of what’s kept him motivated. “Just to play at the highest level. ... I’m just taking it day by day, just kind of soaking it all in, enjoying the moment and trying to help the team win.”

Yet, the recovery -- which included a heavy dose of mental coaching while his body was limited -- was the latest microcosm of his will to reach this level. Prospects his age are few and far between, having either tapered out due to a lack of talent or opportunity.

But if this small sample in the Majors has shown anything, Marlowe intends to make the most of his chance.