After an exciting winter, the Seattle Mariners are nearly ready to begin the 2015 season.
Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 20 to officially start spring training. Coming off of an encouraging 87-75 season and bolstered by some key offseason acquisitions, Seattle appears to be in its best shape to compete for the postseason in a number of years.
The Mariners found out just how much of an impact spring training can make prior to last season. Both Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker went down with injuries, leaving Seattle’s projected rotation in a bit of disarray.
Fortunately, the Mariners got a great season out of Chris Young and were able to discover a diamond in the rough in Roenis Elias due to the injuries. With less apparent depth this year, Seattle’s No. 1 priority in the spring is to have everyone healthy for Opening Day.
Seattle won’t have many roster battles to decide, with the majority of the starting lineup and rotation set. Still, those two or three spots up for grabs will be critical for a team on the fringe of contention.
All stats via FanGraphs.com unless otherwise indicated.