The Seattle Mariners’ plan for George Kirby and Logan Gilbert

SEATTLE — A year ago, Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert hit 98 mph in his first bullpen session of spring training at the team’s Arizona complex.

Manager Scott Servais said Wednesday he doesn’t want to see that this time around, at least so early in the spring. And he’s got his reasons.

The Mariners will “slow play” Gilbert and pitcher George Kirby at the outset of spring training, said president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, gradually building up their innings and endurance after each established a career-high in innings pitched in 2022.

“When everyone else is ramping up to their two- and three-inning outings, we are going to have Logan and George moving a little slow, and hold the innings back in spring to preserve them on the back end,” Dipoto said Wednesday at the team’s spring training luncheon.

“We’re going to be cautious, but not restrictive.”

Last season, Kirby logged 164 2/3 innings between Double-A Arkansas and the big leagues. That includes 130 innings in the regular season and also eight more in the postseason. His previous high for innings in the minors was 67 2/3 in 2021.

Gilbert pitched 191 innings between the regular season and the postseason. His previous high for innings was 124 1/3 in 2021.

Crazy. Logan Gilbert threw a different curveball today than he had all year. I guess maybe he debuted it late in September. Two ticks slower, six inches more drop. Had five of his best six starts with it by Stuff+ in late August and September. I think he's got another level. pic.twitter.com/V3RbxczSfX

— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) October 11, 2022

But Dipoto made it clear that both will be ready to start the regular season. Opening Day is set for March 30 against Cleveland at T-Mobile Park.

“The goal is to make sure that their five-inning outing (in spring) happens just before the season gets ready to start,” Dipoto said. “We’re not going to manage their innings in the same way we did manage George’s innings last year or Logan’s innings the year before.

“We feel pretty comfortable that they each finished the season very healthy. They were as fresh at the end as they were at any point.”

The Mariners had some uncanny good fortune keeping their starting pitchers healthy for the entire season. It was a big reason why they won 90 games and the Wild Card Series against the Jays.

“I think we’ve seen it before where some seasons can get away from you if you don’t stay healthy on the mound,” Servais said. “Starting pitching is so vital to having a chance to win that night.”

The Mariners still have six starters for five spots, though a lot can change during spring training. Robbie Ray, Luis Castillo, Marco Gonzales and Chris Flexen remain, but there’s a chance the team could still move a pitcher before the regular season.

Hope for Kelenic?

In a perfect world, 23-year-old Jarred Kelenic would settle into the Mariners’ lineup this spring and get a lot of at-bats as the strong side of a platoon with AJ Pollock in left field.

But in order to do that, Kelenic will need to improve on what he’s done in his first 500 big-league at-bats — a 68 wRC+ and a 30 percent strikeout rate.

The Mariners are hopeful the 2023 version of Kelenic will far exceed what he has done thus far at the big-league level, and what the team is hearing about Kelenic this offseason has been positive.

“The reports have been over-the-top awesome … both physically and mentally,” said Mariners general manager Justin Hollander on Wednesday. “Jarret DeHart, our hitting coach, was just down with him in Arizona. They did some motion-capture stuff on where he’s at mechanically — he tested through the roof.”

Kelenic, who won’t turn 24 until July, has produced in the minor leagues, hitting .295/.369/.540. But that success hasn’t translated to the major leagues, though he’s shown spurts of being a productive player.

“I think one of the things that has always given us belief that if there’s a corner to turn, he’ll turn it, is that his work ethic and desire to be great is second-to-none,” Hollander said. “We’re really seeing the fruition of that this offseason. We really feel like he’s in a good spot.”

Waiting on Perry

New Mariners second baseman Kolten Wong is already in Arizona and anxiously anticipating not only the start of spring training but also when the club’s infield coach, Perry Hill, gets to camp.

Hill has a strong reputation for helping infielders with their defense. Shortstop J.P. Crawford and first baseman Evan White have each won Gold Gloves under Hill and first baseman Ty France has made massive strides defensively since he joined the team in 2020.

Now Wong, coming off a difficult season defensively, is more or less counting the hours until Hill arrives in Arizona so the two can work together.

“I’ve been begging Perry to come down already,” Wong said Wednesday. “I’m excited to get with him. I didn’t want to wait until spring training.”

Wong, who won a Gold Glove in 2019 with the Cardinals, posted only his second season of negative defensive runs saved (minus-1) in his career. The season he won his Gold Glove, Wong had a plus-17 DRS. Wong said the elimination of the shift should help.

“I felt like defensively, it was a down year for me,” Wong said. “I feel like not having the shift is going to make it better for me. I felt I was put in some situations last year where I wasn’t comfortable and got some weird hops.”

The left-handed hitting Wong — obtained from the Brewers in December — will be the club’s everyday second baseman, though Dylan Moore will get his share of starts against left-handed pitching.

Some WBC clarity

In the spring of 2017, Mariners pitcher Drew Smyly suffered a flexor strain in his left elbow following a stint with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. He eventually needed Tommy John surgery and never pitched an inning for Seattle.

Yes, there’s a good reason why teams worry about their pitchers participating in the WBC. The Mariners won’t have to be concerned about Luis Castillo, who was originally pegged to pitch for the Dominican Republic.

Dipoto said Wednesday that Castillo will not pitch in the WBC. Seattle will have a number of players participating, though that list is still being finalized.

Here’s what we know: Outfielders Julio Rodríguez and Teoscar Hernández and reliever Diego Castillo will play for the Dominican Republic. Third baseman Eugenio Suárez (Venezuela) and relievers Matt Brash (Canada) and Matt Festa (Italy) will also take part in the WBC.

The organization’s top prospect, catcher Harry Ford, will play for Great Britain.

Getting healthy

There was plenty of good news Wednesday in terms of player health, including in regards to catcher Cal Raleigh, who had surgery on his left thumb after the season.

“I don’t know how he played down the stretch,” said Servais.

Catchers Raleigh and Tom Murphy (shoulder surgery), outfielder Sam Haggerty (left groin), and relievers Andrés Muñoz (right foot surgery) and Paul Sewald (heel and elbow clean-up) will be ready to go at the outset of camp.

Muñoz is two weeks removed from wearing a boot and Sewald has already started throwing. Another reliever, non-roster invitee Casey Sadler, is full-go as well. He missed all of 2022 after having shoulder surgery.

First baseman Evan White, limited to 84 games over the past two seasons, has also been cleared to begin workouts on time.

The walk-off

Just before Raleigh took to the podium Wednesday, the Mariners played a clip of his walk-off home run against the A’s in September that clinched a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2001.

Raleigh sat and smiled before he was asked how many times he’s watched that particular clip.

“It’d be embarrassing to say,” Raleigh said, smiling. “It’s kind of hard not to think about it.”

That home run off A’s reliever Domingo Acevedo with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning gave Mariners a victory and sent them into the Wild Card Series against the Blue Jays. Seattle won both of those games before falling to the Astros in the American League Division Series.

“It was amazing to share that (with the fans),” Raleigh said.

Raleigh said the line from broadcaster Dave Sims — “And the pitch from Acevedo” — more or less became a running joke around the Raleigh house this winter.

“THE DREAM LIVES! THEY’RE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS! THE DROUGHT IS OVER!” @TheDaveSimsShow just doesn’t miss. pic.twitter.com/DmbJRvsbJW

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 1, 2022

(Photo of Kirby: Stephen Brashear / USA Today)