Mariners' biggest spring standouts so far

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.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- We’re one week into Cactus League action, which seems like a solid time to take a look at the state of things with the Mariners. Here are the standout players and storylines so far in Spring Training.

Hitter: OF Jarred Kelenic

Kelenic went deep again on Wednesday in a road game against the Cubs, and again, it was his revamped process that stood out. Behind 0-2 and against a lefty, Kelenic didn't panic. He stood firm on his back side and had good balance to allow him to cover the entire plate and mash a heater middle-away.

Kelenic recently elaborated on his new approach after crushing two homers on Sunday. Again, it’s just spring, and again, results won’t matter for the former top prospect until the games count. But these have been promising signs.

“It doesn't look like he's getting ticked off every time he gets his pitch and fouls it back or maybe he gets a bad call against him or things like that,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He just doesn't let it get in the way of finishing off the at-bat or turning the next step into a positive.”

Pitcher: LHP Robbie Ray

The veteran lefty struck out five Cubs in a row Wednesday while flashing his trademark slider in midseason form. Yet, he feels that the pitch -- which he used for 102 strikeouts, second most in MLB -- has only gotten better. Ray is also toying with a new splitter, but only using it in leverage counts when circumstances dictate, rather than throwing it just to throw it. And he has a slightly revamped delivery, another adjustment in a career full of them.

“It's a little quicker, where I'm not standing straight on to the batter a little bit,” Ray said. “So when I turn, I can get into my hip a little quicker and for me, it's just another way to mess with timing.”

Ray is determined to not let the sting simmer from how his 2022 ended, and '23 is off to a solid start.

Prospect: RHP Emerson Hancock

Hancock dialed his fastball up to 96 mph on Wednesday when pitching in a big league environment for the first time. He also dropped a few impressive changeups and sliders and gave up just one hit over 1 2/3 innings. The former Georgia Bulldog is healthy and entering his first “normal” pro season since being taken in the first round of the 2020 Draft.

“I'm excited and looking forward to it, for sure, to be in this position,” Hancock said. “I feel the best that I ever have. I definitely feel like I have a really good mindset going into [the season].”

Unexpected: RHP Prelander Berroa

There’d been murmurs this offseason of Berroa’s potential, athleticism, acumen and raw stuff -- all of which were on display in his Cactus debut on Feb. 24, when he struck out three, including Nelson Cruz and Xander Bogaerts. Berroa has a fastball that touches 99 mph, but his better pitch is the slider, which catcher Tom Murphy called “a really funky pitch.”

Position battle: Fifth starter

A very determined Marco Gonzales is the incumbent, but Servais has hinted that it’s not written in pen. Chris Flexen is also being stretched out to start, but that’s possibly to maintain his trade value. Last summer, the Mariners opted to move Flexen to the bullpen instead of Gonzales after acquiring Luis Castillo.

Quote: CF Julio Rodríguez Julio Rodríguez&#16

After his run into the outfield wall this week, which prompted everyone to hold their breath, Rodríguez opened up on his style of play: “I feel like I totally use my abilities whenever I have the opportunity of doing so. I'm not always going out there reckless.

“I just feel like if a play comes to me, I'm ready for it, instead of always going out of control and reckless in a way. I feel I prepare myself so every time that I ask my body to do something, it's going to go out there and do it. That's kind of what I manage, just being smart but at the same time knowing that whenever a play is going to come like that, I'm ready to go.”