Friday, February 19, 2016 / 45 Days ’til Opening Day (April 4 at Texas Rangers)

The Arrival:

If you’ve ever wondered what the first day of Spring Training is like, you already know…it’s just like the first day of school. Just like every spring, there are plenty of new faces and names to learn…especially this spring. Besides all the new faces, there are obviously familiar ones…sometimes with a new look. Speaking of new looks, Felix Hernandez did not disappoint, sporting what can only be described as an homage to Jerry Bernandez from a previous era of Mariners Commercials.

What do you think of his new look?

The Physicals:

Every player coming to camp has to take a physical before stepping on the field. The process takes just over an hour and includes checking out everything from top to bottom, including the dreaded stress tests which consists of a treadmill moving at a set speed but with an incline that steadily increases and raises heart rates. The physicals will continue for a few more hours and they will again take place when the position players arrive on the 24th.

In The Bullpen:

Several pitchers, including James Paxton and Danny Hultzen threw bullpens today with media and fans looking on. As you’ll see from the pictures and videos below, Paxton looks noticeably trimmer.

On The Field:

There were several position players who took the field today to work on their own, among those, was Korean first baseman Dae Ho Lee who took grounders at first base with the help of coach Manny Acta.

Turn The Radio On:

Speaking of Paxton, the left-hander joined Jason Puckett and Curtis Crabtree on KJR 950 on Friday afternoon to discuss reporting to Peoria for Spring Training, getting into great shape for the 2016 season, expectations for the year, and much more. LISTEN HERE.

Taijuan Walker checked in with KJR’s Dave Softy Mahler so be sure to check back for when the audio is posted.

For those looking to hear from new Mariners prospect Boog Powell, tune in to 710 ESPN Seattle at 5 pm Seattle time.

Jerry Dipoto Checks In With Media:

Jerry Dipoto spent a few minutes with the media group in Peoria today and answered a variety of questions. He was most animated when he was asked if he was looking forward to tomorrow (the first day of players on the field). “I’ve been anticipating tomorrow since the day I started.”

Full Audio:

[audio mp3=”https://marinersblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/jerry-dipoto.mp3"][/audio]

Special Guest — Wes Stock:

Former Mariners pitching coach Wes Stock was in camp today. Wes was the franchises original pitching coach, serving from the team’s inception in 1977 through the 1981 season. Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln showed Wes around the Peoria facility, including the practice fields and the stadium. Fair to say that Peoria is a far cry from what Stock had to work with in Tempe when he started. Wes, a native of Longview, WA, attended Washington State and pitched in the Majors from 1959 to 1967, with the Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Athletics. Stock’s coaching career included the A’s in both KC (1967) and Oakland (1973–76; 1984–86); Milwaukee (1970–72) and Seattle. He was one of the Mariners telecasts in 1982 and 1983.

New Spring Training Jerseys:

If you follow the blog, you already know that the club is sporting Northwest Green jerseys this spring. In the past, the club has used the Navy blue jerseys during spring training, so there will be a different look on the field this year.

Mariners Marketing Crew Arrives:

My Oh My! Productions arrived in Peoria this morning and they’re already hard at work. Ben Mertens, Olav Nossum, Chase Decker, Michael Ferguson and social media extraordinaire Nathan Rauschenberg will focus on bringing you some of the action that is going on during workouts as well as grabbing players for the videos that you will see on MarinersVision during the season.

Golf Carts:

Not much to write about here…we just thought this was interesting since it’s not every day you see golf carts being delivered the way cars are normally delivered. The carts will be used by staff to quickly move from one field to the next while checking out players.

Tweet of the Day: