5 things to watch as Seattle's Cactus League games begin

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It’s been 146 long days since the Mariners last played a baseball game, but that winter drought will come to an end when they open Cactus League play on Saturday against the White Sox at Camelback Ranch.

Here are five things to watch for throughout Seattle's early slate of games:

France’s new swing

The well-chronicled work that Ty France did this offseason at Driveline has been evident from his leaner look -- France has focused on conditioning more than ever -- but it’s his revamped mechanics that are of far more intrigue.

France has a new setup in the box; in addition to being more stationary, his hands are higher and closer to his right shoulder. The difference is noticeable compared to his previous stance, where his hands were further out and he used a small twirl of the bat to establish rhythm before getting into the hitting position.

“That's not something I necessarily tried to do,” France said. “I think just kind of cleaning up everything else, that just kind of happened.”

France, who’d never sought outside counsel for his swing before, estimates that he added 3.5 mph of bat speed. He’s always been able to make contact, but these efforts have been to better optimize the quality of contact after a disappointing 2023.

Cole Young is going to play -- a lot

Young is expected to be on the lineup card as a reserve on Saturday, which means he’ll be installed later in the game. With veterans being eased into action, Young will have the opportunity to make an impression.

“You're going to see him play a lot this Spring Training,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “The guys that can play multiple positions in the infield. I know he's been predominantly a shortstop, but you'll see him some at second base.”

The Mariners’ No. 1 prospect has the wide eyes expected for a youngster in his first big league camp, but veteran teammates say that he hasn’t been overwhelmed.

“He’s not afraid to ask questions, which I like,” J.P. Crawford said. “Stuff on the defensive side of the ball, what to do on certain plays, or that type of stuff. But he’s always asking something.”

The lineup’s new look

The Mariners know Mitch Haniger well, but it’ll be curious to see how he looks on the heels of his one-year stint with San Francisco, particularly after three very different injuries last season. He’s reported at full strength.

The other three additions -- Mitch Garver, Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley -- are new to the organization, and each is expected to be a run producer. Servais jokes that Cactus lineup orders are moot -- probably because he doesn’t like lineup questions -- but how he stacks the starting nine could be a hint at what’s to come on Opening Day.

How they handle their pitching

None of the Mariners’ five rotation stalwarts will be used during the first weekend, an effort to line up everyone while accounting for easier workloads for Bryce Miller, and more so, Bryan Woo.

Woo’s Cactus workload will mirror that of George Kirby’s last year, who didn’t debut until March 4, then pitched 11 2/3 innings across four starts. The Mariners will also configure their rotation by going all the way out to May and working back, circling the four regular-season off-days in that stretch to build in extra rest for Woo, who threw 131 2/3 innings in 2023 (including Minors) after 57 innings in '22.

That calendar mapping will also affect their Cactus rotation, and Miller has a longer leash after reaching 151 innings in 2023 (including Minors).

“We do term it as the ‘George Plan,’” Servais said. “The problem is, during the season, you can do it with one guy. You can't really with two guys.”

And their catching

This group quietly got a significant facelift this offseason as longtime leader Tom Murphy and depth piece Brian O’Keefe departed. The new additions to the catching group are Seby Zavala, Blake Hunt and, to a lesser extent, Garver, who isn’t expected to regularly catch in the regular season.

Zavala will get quite a few starts in spring, largely to bring him up to speed with the pitching staff. The same goes for Hunt, on the outside looking in. Harry Ford, Seattle's No. 2 prospect and baseball's No. 38 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will also be in the mix during the early slate. But Cal Raleigh will probably get two or three off-days between starts until later.

“I think he wants to take a little bit different approach to make sure he's ready offensively when the bell rings on March 28,” Servais said. “So we'll try a few different things there.”