Monday, February 4, 2013 @ 3:40pm

Truck day and notes

By Shannon Drayer

It's moving day for the Mariners. The truck has been loaded up and is on its way to Peoria as the Mariners move their operations south for the next two months. Bat bags, uniforms, training equipment, office equipment, suitcases and tubs of things needed to set up temporary households were all stacked up in the clubhouse over the weekend and carted out this morning. Pitchers and catchers report in eight days and the spring training facility will be ready.

Of course, many of the players are already down there. Some spend their winters near the spring training complex; others report a few weeks early to start working out. For a good number of them it is back to work weeks before the reporting date.

Not a ton to talk about with the Mariners beyond the trunks and tricycles. No, that is not training equipment. It is not unusual to see outdoor toys or cribs or strollers or car seats in the pile of things that are to be transported. All necessary if you are making the move with kids as many do.

What we don't see in the pictures is the equipment bag of a fifth starter. With eight days to go until pitchers and catchers report we still have not seen an established pitcher added to the roster. That is not to say that something still couldn't happen. Earlier today we saw a major trade with Jed Lowrie heading to the A's.

Not an option, not that I suspected it ever was, is Kevin Millwood, who announced his retirement to the Shelby Star of Cleveland County N.C. over the weekend. At the end of last season Millwood seemed to be saying his goodbyes to baseball. A 16-year career came to an end in a Mariners uniform, which for him was probably not a bad deal as he was able to be a part of a no-hitter as well as throw a good number of quality innings for the team. He will be missed, probably most by Eric Wedge, who he helped greatly, and Blake Beavan, who he mentored.

One last note I am happy to pass on: I received word that the Hutch Lunch raised a record $485,000 for early cancer detection research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. I wrote about the event last week and noted that Hutch Award winner Barry Zito seemed genuinely moved by the experience of touring the research labs and that he vowed that the Hutch would be a cause that he would be involved with from that day forward.

Well, he lived up to his words as I am told that he and his wife Amber donated $50,000 shortly after the event. Always good to see athletes doing good and great to see the Hutch inspire this.

Friday, February 1, 2013 @ 2:22pm

Mariners sign 10 players

The Mariners have taken care of a little business today, announcing that they have agreed to 2013 contracts with 10 players. This is little more than housekeeping but something that needs to be done despite the fact that all of the players are under club control.

Blake Beavan, Lucas Luetge, Chance Ruffin, Francisco Martinez, Kyle Seager, Justin Smoak, Julio Morban, Carlos Peguero, Eric Thames and Casper Wells all are in agreement with the team, bringing the number of signed players on the 40-man roster to 24.

All 40-man players will be signed or renewed (which happens automatically if they do not sign) by March 11.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 @ 4:43pm

The reward of the Hutch Award

By Shannon Drayer

Photo courtesy of Phototainment

The Hutch Award was presented to Giants pitcher Barry Zito Wednesday at a luncheon on the field at Safeco Field that was attended by over 1,000 fans and supporters. The award is given annually to "the MLB player who best exemplifies the fighting spirit and competitive desire of the legendary leader, Fred Hutchinson."

This is not an award where the winner just shows up to accept the hardware, which in this case is actually fine Chihuly glassware or more specifically, art. The winner and the keynote speaker, who this year was Lou Piniella, are actually taken for visits to both the Hutch School, which is a school for family members of patients at FHCRC, and to a research lab. Both visits tend to have a profound effect on the winners.

On Wednesday morning Zito and Piniella visited the laboratories of Dr. Beverly Torok Storb of the clinical research division. The two donned white lab coats and were given the opportunity to try their hand at pipetting in a stem cell lab. They were also shown a flow cytometer and a $700,000 electron microscope.

They were most impressed by the story Dr. Storb told of some of the cells in her lab which were found by chance to have the ability to help prevent and reverse organ transplant rejection and to cure fibrotic lungs in animal test subjects. There is hope that the same cells will be able to regenerate kidney cells as well.

"In other words, you may save our lives one day," Zito said, shaking his head after the presentation.

What shocked Zito was finding out that unlike baseball, the best of the best in the research field do not have guaranteed jobs. Much of the work at FHCRC is government-funded and researchers must come up with their own grants. Dr. Storb explained to her visitors that even the most famous, senior researchers have little job stability.

"You are only as good as your last piece of work. If don't get your grant, you are gone," she said.

Money doesn't grow on trees even for the most brilliant minds looking to find cures for the most hideous diseases. That is why the fund raising efforts are so important and apparently Zito took that to heart.

When he stepped to podium to accept his award he took a single sheet of paper no doubt with a speech or talking points written on it. He didn't look down at it, however, during his speech. His words seemed to come from the top of his head, and bottom of his heart.

"This is kind of the cap of it all after the great offseason," he said. "It is just so humbling."

He then told the crowd that he lost his mother to cancer in 2008. If there was a script, he was clearly off it at that point.

"To have that experience of seeing her fight and then to take the tour today, it was just so impactful to actually be shaking hands with these people who are coming up with cures," he said. "It's just surreal. To be in the lab where these cures are devised, it is just something that is so beyond anything we could ever do in our little sports world. It's been so inspiring to see it first hand. I'm on board.

"This is a cause I am involved in from here on out."

On board to help raise awareness and donate, he said, after checking with his wife, who was unable to make the trip.

It was gratifying to see, start to finish. Every year the winner flies out to Seattle, most not completely understanding what the award is all about. They are impressed when they hear the names who have won the award in the past: Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, Willie McCovey, Johnny Bench, the list goes on and on. When they make the school and lab visits, however, sometimes you start to see the wheels turning. The hope is they go on to inspire others in the game to give back and do good as well.

In the meantime, the work goes on at FHCRC.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013 @ 10:14am

'Hot Stove League Show' podcast and highlights

If you missed the "Hot Stove League Show" Tuesday night on 710 ESPN Seattle, you missed some interesting analysis, a couple of good football stories from a baseball writer, a revelation from Raul Ibanez and one of the best Louisms I have ever heard. Fear not, the podcasts are up. Hour 1 can be heard above and hour 2 can be found here.

ESPN's Tim Kurkjian talked about the news of the day and what he believes baseball must do to to strengthen its PED policy. He also gave a rundown of where he sees the Mariners after their offseason moves and made a bold prediction about the American League East.

Kurkjian was followed by Raul Ibanez, who is clearly excited to be returning to the Mariners. Raul told a great story about pinch-hitting for A-Rod in the playoffs and also shared some insight on what he believes new hitting coach Dave Hansen can bring to the club.

Former MLB.com writer and current author Jim Street shared stories from his new book, including one about a train trip with John Madden. Former Mariner and new Angels broadcaster Mark Langston gave us a look at the Angels. And finally, Rick Rizzs interviewed Lou Piniella, who is in town for the Hutch Award lunch.

Monday, January 28, 2013 @ 1:43pm

Mariners enjoy a record turnout for Fanfest

By Shannon Drayer

Seattlites had baseball on their minds this weekend. A record 17,952 fans came through the turnstiles Saturday and Sunday at Safeco Field as the Mariners almost doubled their Fanfest numbers from the previous year. The previous high for a Fanfest came in 2010 when 17,299 turned out.

I think it is safe to say that those who attended this year did not leave disappointed. The Mariners put on a good show.

It was impressive to see the number of players that participated this year and also great to see the Mariners get creative in getting them out with the fans. In addition to the traditional autograph and dugout dialogue sessions there were also opportunities to meet the players on the main concourse at social media and photo booths as well as on the field.

If you missed the Dugout Dialogues they can be seen on Mariners.com. The highlight for me was hearing Tom Wilhelmsen and Casper Wells sing "Build Me Up Buttercup." The guys were clearly having fun.

I was there both days and had duties that kept me away from the media sessions, but between the show and seeking out guys between events I was able to touch base with just about everyone who made the trip to Seattle for Fanfest.

It was interesting to watch the interactions between the players. This is the first time this year's team had a chance to kind of come together. There was a lot of genuine excitement and enthusiasm to be in Seattle and be together. Michael Morse brought the energy, confidence and optimism that we saw from him in his first go round here. The only difference is he is much bigger, something that several players and media commented on. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, he's kind of hard to miss. Michael Saunders probably summed it up best.

"The guy is an animal. He's Beast Mode for a reason, right?" Saunders said, referring to the nickname Morse picked up with the Nationals.

I had a chance to chat briefly with the two players I was most interested to see coming out of the offseason. We have all heard about the running and fitness program that Eric Wedge put Jesus Montero on and he did look a bit trimmer than he did this time last year. As for the speed, Montero is making no promises. He said that he focused on making his running "a little more beautiful," but conceded that he would never be a speedster.

He also said that his focus would be to stay in good enough condition both mentally and physically to stay on the field.

"Everybody knows sometimes I get tired," he said. "Everybody gets tired. But you just try to do your best all the time. I'm going to try to be behind home plate every single time."

A lot will be put on Montero's shoulders this season but the help is there. Another catcher will most likely be signed soon and he will get extra attention from Wedge and the coaches. His development behind the scenes will be almost as important as his development on the field as they look to start to move him out of young-player mode. I get the feeling that some kid gloves will be taken off in the handling of Montero this year despite the fact that he is just 23.

The other player I was curious to see was Franklin Gutierrez. Guti looked happy and healthy and sounded like someone who had something to prove. Staying on the field obviously is the first step he must take. I have written in the past that he could be a huge factor in this team moving forward in terms of wins and losses if he can stay healthy.

That goes beyond this year. The club has an option on Gutierrez for just $7.5 million in 2014 with a $500,000 buyout. A ridiculous bargain considering what Michael Bourn is said to be asking for and what B.J. Upton received. Heck, the qualifying offer this year was $13.3 million. A healthy Gutierrez would be a very, very good thing for the Mariners.

I had suspected – and Gutierrez confirmed – that he left his family at home when he played in Venezuela this winter. Gutierrez and his wife live in Florida and had their first child in October. Gutierrez said it was very hard to leave them but he knew he had to do it. This speaks to his commitment level and is consistent with what I saw from him at the end of last year. As much as we want to see him healthy, he wants it even more.

As for the other players, Blake Beavan looked like a mountain man, Carter Capps seemed a little more mature, Kyle Seager was Kyle Seager – as steady and confident as ever. It was fun to watch Hisashi Iwakuma both on the dugout for the talk with the fans and up in the concourse checking out the construction in the outfield. He even joked a bit with Brendan Ryan during the Dugout Dialogue. He was definitely more comfortable in his surroundings and hopefully more comfortable knowing the demands of a Major League season.

Several of the prospects were there and they appeared to thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to be seen by the Seattle fans. James Paxton and Nick Franklin joined us on the "Hot Stove League Show" and both seemed more comfortable and confident in the interview situation than they did a year ago.

To hear more from the players, the "Hot Stove League Show" podcast can be found here.

Friday, January 25, 2013 @ 1:39pm

Brendan Ryan: 'I know I can be a complete player'

Brendan Ryan feels better prepared both physically and mentally to contribute to the Mariners this season – and he isn't just talking about his Gold Glove-worthy defense.

"The defense is there and I love what people have to say about that, but I know I can be a complete player," he told "Bob and Groz" Friday afternoon. "I want to bring that spark back to the lineup wherever that might be. I want to be a distraction to the pitchers and help the ballclub win games."

After hitting .194 last season, Brendan Ryan hopes a steadier approach and better health leads to more offense. (AP)

As for the mental side, that rehab will be an ongoing process, with his biggest battles to come when he faces the struggles that all ballplayers have.

"My thing was, I have got to try harder. Get in the cage and spend more time there," he said. "What I think happens most of the time is the harder you try, the harder it gets and things start to snowball. Maybe the biggest thing is confidence, going up there and believing something good was going to happen.

"It just felt all year I would get the count to that pitch, I would get the pitch and just miss it. It might even turn into a walk but you don't even feel good about that because you knew you should have hit that pitch and you should have been standing on second. The frustration just kept building."

What Ryan was describing was exactly what we saw both in the clubhouse and on the field. It is a struggle for him to leave failure out on the field. It was not an uncommon sight to see him come back to the dugout yelling at himself for having a poor batting practice. He knows he has to let that go.

He also knows that he can't panic and change his approach or stance just because it isn't working for a week or a game or even an at-bat. The awareness to his bad habits is there but maintaining the good habits in tough times – and for Ryan, tough times at times could equal one at-bat – is easier said than done. The good news is he will have help.

"I had a chance to work with Dave Hansen, the new hitting coach, a week ago. It felt like we got off on the right foot," he said. "He has seen me play over the last few years and as a Cardinal. He has seen me play in some of my better moments and some of my lesser but I think part of it is not changing my stance every day.

"Playing small ball, being scrappy. I was over there with [David] Eckstein for a little bit and you saw how scrappy he was and he stuck his nose in there and competed every at-bat and that's who I need to be. I need to be a guy that isn't trying to get greedy with doubles and extra-base hits; those will come if I stay within my plan and get those line drives and hard ground balls."

Again, getting greedy with the extra-base hits is something we saw last year. For a guy who has hit 15 home runs in six years there is no question we saw some ridiculous swings at times. The first step to consistent performance is knowing what you are. The second step for Ryan is remembering that. The reward for him will be that if he can find any kind of success he can step up in the dugout and clubhouse as a leader. It is something he wants and something that Eric Wedge asked him to do before the start of last season.

"Being part of a young team, being one of the saltier guys, you want to be vocal but it is tough when things aren't going your way," he said. "I'm glad I got a whole offseason to unlearn things. I am coming into camp much more fit, much more strong and feeling good about where I need to be."

Thursday, January 24, 2013 @ 2:44pm

Top pick Zunino ready for first spring training with M's

All eyes will be on Mariners catching prospect Mike Zunino this spring as expectations of many are that he will find his way on to the big-league team at some point this season.

Despite having just 241 professional at-bats, he is believed to be on the fast track to the majors. He told "Bob and Groz" Thursday afternoon, however, he is not concerned where he starts the season.

Mike Zunino, the Mariners' first-round pick, is expected to crack the big-league roster at some point this season. (AP)

A lot of the pieces seem to be in place already. The Mariners are excited about the bat he brings and many both inside and outside the organization say that he is advanced on the defensive side as well.

Leadership and the handling of pitchers were things that separated him from other top-ranked college catchers. Pedigree most likely had something to do with that. Zunino's father is a baseball lifer. Currently a scout with the Reds, Greg Zunino played two years of minor-league baseball and in Europe before taking his first scouting job.

"I have definitely been able to see the game in a different way growing up around baseball a lot," Mike Zunino said. "It sort of gave me a different outlook on it and I was able to pick his brain for knowledge as much as I could."

His hitting took off when he started to understand the importance of approach at the plate his sophomore year at the University of Florida.

It is his approach as a catcher that he says is his number one focus now.

"Having a relationship with the pitchers, just trying to catch them well. If I can get to learn them and give them a good easy setup target, if they feel comfortable throwing to me I think that is the most important thing," he said.

In his short time in the organization Zunino has already caught some of the Mariners' top arms, including Taijuan Walker in Double-A and James Paxton in Double-A and the Arizona Fall League. He liked what he saw from both.

"I think they are going to be something else," he answered when asked to give a scouting report on the two. "Paxton, with the depth that he has, he throws straight downhill, runs it up low to mid 90s with a great power curveball and moves the ball in and out really well.

"Taijuan it is unbelievable. To see him just throw, the ball explodes out of his hand. He goes into games throwing mid-to-high-90s and doesn't fall below it. He is something else and I think both guys are something to be excited about."

While it is a longshot we will see Zunino at Safeco Field on opening da