PEORIA, Ariz. -- Braden Bishop made his initial mark at Mariners camp last year with his heartfelt and earnest efforts promoting his 4MOM Foundation, a charity to raise awareness of the early onset Alzheimer’s Disease that has hit home in his family.

But as much time and effort as Bishop puts into the foundation, he obviously wants to be known as a ballplayer as well. And he’s making a strong impact in that regard this spring, emerging as a surprise contender for an Opening Day roster spot despite never playing above Double-A.

Bishop’s rise has been fueled in part by his continued offensive improvement. He’s followed a path similar to Mariners teammate Mitch Haniger in focusing the past two years on driving the ball more in the air, transitioning from a speedy slap hitter and defensive wizard at the University of Washington to an intriguing prospect who now adds some pop to his resume.

At a still slender 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Bishop isn’t going to be confused with towering teammate Domingo Santana, the club’s new left fielder who produces elite power from a 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame. But Bishop has three homers in his last 13 Cactus League at-bats and has hit .438 (7-for-16) with nine RBIs in 10 games this spring.

“Braden is really in a good spot right now,” manager Scott Servais said. “He continues to get better. He’s seeing the ball. It looks like a beach ball coming in there to him right now and he’s not missing it.”

The 25-year-old seems destined to play for Triple-A Tacoma for most of this season, but a right elbow injury to center fielder Mallex Smith could open the door for an opportunity to at least begin the season as the club’s fourth outfielder when the Mariners travel to Japan for a pair of games against the A’s on March 20-21.

Bishop has gotten physically stronger the last two years while also taking advantage of baseball’s new analytical feedback and focus on launch angle and elevating the ball. Speed and defense will likely always be his calling cards, but if he can improve his hitting, he’ll greatly improve his chances at a Major League career.

Bishop’s change in his own approach coincides with a general trend in the game.

“There’s a constant evolution as players,” he said. ‘Obviously, the game is more driven toward driving the ball. I don’t think you need to be as big as Domingo to drive the ball. Obviously he’s going to hit homers. But if I were to match the same launch angle or exit velocity -- which is tough -- they might be doubles for somebody like me, where they’re homers for somebody like him. But just the premium of driving the ball is so prevalent in the game today, so to focus on that is huge.”

Servais encouraged Bishop to get up in front of the team last year to talk about his mom and his charitable efforts. This year the manager added his support to the Alzheimer’s golf event.

“Braden has had a ton going on in his life,” Servais said. “Granted, a lot of these players do. With what he went through and is going through with his mom and trying to give back and help out in a really tough situation, last year when I first heard about his story, it hit home.”

Bishop’s situation has resonated with the entire team, which helped raise more than $35,000 last Sunday at a 4MOM fundraiser at the Top Golf facility in nearby Glendale. That support has meant the world to Bishop, whose mom, Suzy, is now in an Alzheimer’s assisted living facility in California at age 57.

“Above all else, we play baseball, coaches coach baseball, the front office does what they do and at the end of the day it’s a business,” Bishop said. “But first and foremost, we’re all human beings and we all go through our own trials and tribulations. This whole organization has kind of stepped back and realized that and understood this cause is super personal to me.

“I’d say the majority of people in this building are affected by Alzheimer’s in some way," he said. "It shows what kind of people we have in this organization to want to help out and back me up and support me and my family. Last Sunday was the culmination of a lot of people’s hard work and a lot of people wanting to make a difference and help. It was a special night, and awesome to see so many teammates there.”