One future face of the franchise is armed with an infectious smile and a jovial personality that makes it impossible to have a bad day when you’re around him. The other potential cornerstone wears a look of determination and self-confidence that illustrates his ultra-competitiveness. Even losing a game of checkers might rile him up.



Mariners prospects Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic don’t have much in common — except for being two of the top young outfielders in all of professional baseball. Rodriguez, 19, who comes from the Dominican Republic, ranked eighth in Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list. Kelenic, a 20-year-old Wisconsin native who honed his sweet left-handed swing indoors because Mother Nature wouldn’t allow for it any other way, is No. 11. The two players’ temperaments are as different as their points of origin, and as Mariners major league field coordinator Carson Vitale pointed out, “Wisconsin and the DR are about...