New Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto provides thoughts on Lloyd McClendon, roster depth

New Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto was not at a loss for thoughts on the state of the organization at his introductory press conference Tuesday morning. Here are some highlights:

• McClendon will get a chance to keep his job. It’s customary for a new general manager to bring in a manager of his own choosing. The good news for current Mariners skipper Lloyd McClendon is that his first meeting with Dipoto went well, and the two will spend the final week of the regular season getting to know each other. “This week will be a very important one for Lloyd and I to spend time together. We decided that we will spend time together each day, sit down and talk, mostly get to know one another’s baseball, for lack of a better way of putting it,” Dipoto said. “Personality-wise, I think as you all found out yesterday, we’re not going to have a problem getting along.” Even though that sounds pretty promising for McClendon’s chances, Dipoto had an analogy that was painted a little less rosy picture of the situation. “Lloyd’s a good person. I think he’s had a challenging career to get here and deserves consideration for anything moving forward. But the best marriages are those in which you fall in love and get married rather than someone arranging it from 1,000 miles away, so we will take the time to get to know each other and I look forward to that.”

Video from Jerry Diputo’s introductory press conference | Photo gallery

• Depth in all forms will be the focus. Dipoto believes the Mariners have plenty of strong pieces in the organization, and he name-dropped a lot of them to get the point across that he thinks Seattle can contend soon. “You’ve got too many good players to believe that you’re far away,” he said. “The foundation here is fantastic. The elite-level players like Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Kyle Seager, to say the least. Young guys like Brad Miller, Mike Zunino, Chris Taylor and Ketel Marte, who I do think are really solid pieces to future building. And a guy that I think has a chance to shoot to the moon, Taijuan Walker.” That being said, he recognizes a lack of depth in all parts of the roster that needs to be addressed. “I think the one (element) that we are missing right now is just the general roster depth. The lineup needs to be a little bit longer. The rotation needs to be a little bit deeper. The bullpen needs to have more leg,” he said. “That’s something that through hard work, good scouting, the use of proper analytics, you can turn over a couple rocks, find a guy here and there and you can create a depth in a roster that allows you to be competitive quickly.”

• More athleticism needed for Safeco. One thing that has plagued the Mariners in recent years is trouble winning at home. They entered Tuesday with a 34-43 home record compared to 40-41 on the road, and only 41 of their 87 wins last season came at Safeco Field. In regards to that, Dipoto will aim to make the lineup more athletic to cover ground in the spacious confines. “Get a feel for how the ballpark plays – I think that’s a real important aspect, particularly here. Safeco Field, it is a pitcher-friendly environment, it does require a degree of athleticism to cover the ground,” he said. “We gotta be more athletic, and that starts at the grassroots of the organization. That is not a quick fix.” As for the offense, he’ll get to work identifying hitters who can excel what he called a “unique environment,” which has proven to be easier said than done since the park opened in 1999. “I think the narrative is that you can’t hit in Safeco Field – I don’t believe that’s the truth,” he said. “They’re hitting right now. It’s a matter of finding the right hitter who fits this ballpark well.”

• The minor-leaguers aren’t making contact. With the exception of Seager, the Mariners have struggled to develop homegrown hitters for at least a decade. Looking over the organization, Dipoto saw something that could point to why that’s been the problem, at least recently. “I was a little disheartened by the overall strikeout rate in the minor leagues,” he said. “You got a lot of guys striking out. Very talented players with a lot of upside potential to tap into – that’s only going to happen if we can somehow develop more contact. I think that’s important, that’s going to be step No. 1.”