Kramer Newsletter: The Mariners' catching situation

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SEATTLE — The Mariners’ plans on carrying three catchers went from remote possibility to potentially likely to certain intent, and now, 10 games into the season, it sure seems like a full rotation.

Cal Raleigh has made four starts while Tom Murphy and Luis Torrens have started three apiece, with manager Scott Servais essentially spreading playing time evenly. The first time through, it was Raleigh-Murphy-Torrens, then Raleigh-Torrens-Murphy, then Raleigh-Murphy-Raleigh-Torrens, though the intent was to have Torrens start the day game on Sunday to get the other guys off their feet. Torrens also DH’d on Wednesday, so he’s made four starts overall.

It’s a quirky conundrum given that Torrens’ bat is by far the best but his defense is notably behind the others. Last year, he became the everyday DH from mid-summer on, but the Mariners are also rotating that position this year with roughly 7-8 players to build in regular rest for everyday guys. Torrens is among that group, but Raleigh and Murphy aren’t.

“They all understand where we’re at, the fact that we are carrying three catchers and we’re trying to play them,” Servais said. “We’re getting really positive production out of all of them.”

Here’s a look at how they’re hitting:

Murphy: 3 G, 4-for-8, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 6 R, 2 K, 3 BB
Raleigh: 4 G, 2-for-11, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 3 K, 3 BB
Torrens: 4 G, 3-for-13, 2 R, 4 K, 1 BB

Also of note, Chris Flexen is Seattle’s only starting pitcher that has worked with the same backstop twice, with Raleigh behind the dish in both of his outings. That will likely change, though the pitcher-catcher rapport is taken into consideration, as is the opposition. 

“We have not seen a ton of left-handed pitching. It’ll come,” Servais said. “That allows us to do a few other things with the two right-handed hitters and certainly Cal is a switch-hitter, so he can go no matter who’s out there. A lot of it plays into who’s on the mound with us as well and kind of relationship there and how I think it’s going to work out going into the game.”

It might not look this way all season, but the three-catcher rotation is here for now.

IN THE NEWS

• Jarred Kelenic opened up on the Kevin Mather situation, his trying rookie season and his newfound mental approach in 2022. He’s an emotional guy in the good times and bad, and it all ties back to his roots. I went to Wisconsin, visited his childhood home and met those closest to him to learn about his upbringing.

• Mitch Haniger tested positive for COVID over the weekend and will be out indefinitely. Here’s how the Mariners will fill his void.

• Andrés Muñoz owns the fastest pitch thrown in MLB this year, and his slider has been even better than that heater thus far. He will increasingly get leverage opportunities, and he’s a big part of Seattle’s long-term plans.

• It had been 194 long days since last year’s epic final weekend. Yet after another electric home opener on Friday, it felt like yesterday.

• Matt Brash had the quirkiest start of the young season for Seattle on Sunday — a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but with six walks.

ON THE FARM

•  Last week, we told you about Noelvi Marte’s first homer of the year, a towering, no-doubt shot. This week, he upped it by legging out an inside-the-parker — and he scored standing, to boot. Seattle’s No. 2 prospect (MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 overall) is off to a strong start at High-A Everett, hitting .308/.455/.539 (.993 OPS) through his first seven games.

• Levi Stoudt was a longshot to win a roster spot in Spring Training, but the Mariners still view him as an MLB-caliber starter. In his second start for Double-A Arkansas on Thursday, Seattle’s No. 7 prospect racked up eight strikeouts in six innings, giving up just one run on three hits and zero walks. Equally impressive was that he was hitting 98 mph. There’s a decent chance he contributes in the Majors this season. 

CATCHING UP WITH JESSE WINKER 

MLB.com: It’s been a month since the trade, and you’d never been to Seattle before Thursday. Thoughts?

Winker: I feel like now I can officially start settling in. Up until then, there’s just anticipation of what to expect. It’s a new city. It’s on a side of a country that I can learn the city and figure out all my coffee shops and places I like to eat.

MLB.com: What are your early impressions of playing here?

Winker: Just everybody that’s a part of this organization has made me feel like I’ve been here my whole baseball career, and that just shows the kind of people here and they’ve welcomed me. And that’s what’s really helped me and my family the most, I think, is just how easy the transition has been.

MLB.com: Any must-try Seattle foods?

Winker: Salmon is huge here, so that, and some sushi for sure. I’m going to lean on some of the guys who’ve been here for good recs.

MLB.com: Takes on T-Mobile Park?

Winker: I love it. I think it plays great. It’s a fun field. It’s a beautiful field.

TRIVIA

Though he’s off to a slow start, Vegas thinks Julio Rodríguez has strong odds to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Who was the first in Mariners history to take home the hardware?

• A. Ichiro Suzuki
• B. Ken Griffey Jr. 
• C. Félix Hernández
• D. Alvin Davis

WHOLESOME CONTENT

Winker arrived at Thursday’s home opener with a hand-written note from his biggest fan, and instead of a signature, it was etched with a small handprint because, well, the sender can’t quite write just yet. That’s because she’s one month away from her second birthday. Winker’s daughter, Wren, was behind the cute keepsake. 

RECOMMENDED READING

• Anthony Castrovince useda Freak Out Factor to look at early season trends across baseball — including one for the Mariners.

• The Giants’ Alyssa Nakken recently became the first woman to serve as a coach in an on-field role in a regular-season game, prompting Andrew Simon and David Adler to look at other trailblazing women in baseball.

• Within the AL West, Mike Petriello looked at one more skill that Shohei Ohtani has become elite at. 

THIS WEEK IN MARINERS HISTORY

In light of Friday’s electric home opener, let’s go back to the first game at the Kingdome in 1996, when Randy Johnson struck out 14 while making his fifth of 14 career Opening Day starts, leading Seattle to a 3-2 win over the White Sox.

BALLPARK EXPERIENCES

•  The Mariners will also have an Edgar Martinez Replica Statue giveaway for their April 23 game against the Royals. The first 20,000 fans into the 6:10 p.m. PT contest will receive the giveaway. 

•  New in ‘22 at T-Mobile Park: The Mariners announced a variety of value deals at T-Mobile Park, including $3 hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, nachos, Red Vines licorice, bottled water and Coca-Cola fountain drinks. Additionally, all sodas will come with free refills. For the over-21 crowd, 13 adult beverages will be available at various locations around the ballpark priced at $5 and $6 for 12oz cans.

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