By Ryan Divish
The Seattle Times
For the 13th time this season, most of them coming in the last few weeks, Shed Long got the start in left field for the Mariners on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park. Drafted as a catcher by the Cincinnati Reds in 2013 and converted to a second baseman to take advantage of his athleticism, the Mariners acquired him this offseason to be a potential second baseman of the future.
But since spring training, the Mariners have asked Long to be more of a utility player, in hopes of finding ways to get his bat in the lineup and speed up his path to the big leagues. Besides second base, he also has played third base and left field with Class AAA Tacoma. Since being called up in September, he has played in 17 games and started 14 — just four at second base.
So is he starting to think of himself as an outfielder yet?
“Every day I still think of myself as an infielder playing outfield,” Long said. “But at the same time, I have to think of myself as an outfielder, too, because I’m out there and I’m trying to get the job done as best I can.”
Manager Scott Servais knows Long will have some awkward-looking plays in left field. But he has seen improvement.
“I think he’s been fine,” Servais said. “He looks comfortable out there. Shed brings a lot of versatility. What position is he ultimately going to settle into? I don’t know. He may not settle into any position. He might be that guy that moves around from second to left and plays third base. If he can play left field, he could probably run into right field if you needed him there. But the thing that is intriguing is the bat.”
In essence, Long’s best position is hitter. Putting him in left field is a way to get him at-bats on days when the Mariners want to play Dee Gordon at second base. Since being called up in September, Long is slashing .367/.406/.667 with four doubles, a triple, four homers and nine RBI in 17 games.
“He’s swung the bat very well since he’s been back with us in September,” Servais said. “We’ll keep giving him opportunities and see where it leads. He’s got pop in the bat for a guy that’s not big in stature. He can whistle the bat through the zone. He’s got bat speed. The ball jumps and he knows the strike zone pretty well. He hits it where it’s pitched.”
Servais believes the recent surge is due to some changes in thinking and preparation.
“He’s taking his routine more serious,” Servais said. “His routine is better — understanding what is expected when he gets to the ballpark and how to get ready for a game, how to prepare and it’s helping out on the field.”
Notes
—In the midst of the already crowded Mariners clubhouse at T-Mobile Park, a few unexpected faces were wandering around before Tuesday’s game. First baseman Evan White, catcher Cal Raleigh and right-handed pitcher Logan Gilbert — all top prospects in the Mariners system — are in Seattle and will remain here all week.
“It’s an idea we had a little while ago to bring in a few guys and just get them exposure without having to play,” Servais said. “Just let them see what’s going on and what we are about. It’s good experience for those guys. Other teams have done this in the past. When I look back on when I first came to the big leagues and I talked to a few of our guys that have been and asked, ‘Would it have helped you at all if you came to the big leagues to see how it works without having to play?’ And they all said it would make a big difference.”
The three players can’t participate in pregame workouts with the team or sit in the dugout during games. They are restricted to individual workouts in the morning. But they can attend team meetings and be part of the other preparation that goes into each day’s game.
White, rated the No. 4 prospect in the organization per MLB pipeline, posted a .293/.350/.488 slash line with 13 doubles, two triples, 18 homers and 55 RBI in 92 games for Class AA Arkansas. He will compete for the starting first base job next spring. The Mariners wrestled with the idea of calling him up for September. But they didn’t want to start his option clock early and burn an option year.
Gilbert, the No. 2 prospect in the organization, advanced from Low-A Arkansas, to High-A Modesto and Class AA Arkansas in one season, posting a combined record of 10-5 with a 2.13 earned-run average in 26 starts. He struck out 165 batters and walked 33 in 135 innings pitched. While he likely won’t vie for a rotation spot in spring training, he’s expected to debut in the big leagues at some point next season.
In one season, Raleigh, a switch-hitting catcher, moved from No. 14 to No. 7 in the system and advanced from High-A to Class AA. He posted a combined .251/.323/.497 line with 25 doubles, 29 homers and 82 RBI in 121 games. For Raleigh, who already prepares at a high level for a player in his second season of professional baseball, seeing the daily process a catcher must go through for that night’s game should be highly instructive.
“I really like where our clubhouse is at right now,” Servais said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to bring back a couple of young guys and expose them to it. That’s what we’ll do this week. They aren’t big-league players yet. But they are here checking it out. It’s a good way to get them exposure without going over the top. Our players that are here are aware of it. I’ve talked to them ahead of time. It’s an organizational decision and I’m a big fan of it.
—Per the Mariners, they’ve sold more than 6,000 tickets for Thursday’s final King’s Court in Felix Hernandez’s final start as a Mariner. The only King’s Court tickets available are in the “High Court” (View Level sections 340-349). Tickets for the King’s Court are available at the T-Mobile Park ticket office, Team Stores and at Mariners.com/Felix.
