Mariners Podcast: Boy Howdy, Zach DeLoach and Kaden Polcovich
Jun 26, 2020, 4:39 PM | Updated: 10:14 pm
Zach DeLoach and Kaden Polcovich were two of the Mariners' six 2020 draft picks. AP)
Plenty to cover on the latest edition of the Mariners Insider Podcast and Boy Howdy stops by to help.
Drayer: How Mariners plan to develop top prospects with no MiLB season
Seventy minutes of baseball conversation kicks off with Howdy, aka James Osborn, and I addressing the 60-game season that baseball has settled on.
“I think this is going to be fun, it’s going to be interesting. I think we are going to see more young players in baseball than we have ever seen and I’m stoked,” said Osborn, who weeks ago had predicted a 50-game season. “I think this season has the potential to change more of baseball and how it’s played moving forward than any season we have seen in a long time.”
Osborn’s enthusiasm extended to the experience a number of young Mariners prospects should gain. While the majority of minor leaguers will be without a season, the Mariners will put as many of their top prospects on their taxi squad and Osborn goes not glass full, but overflowing on the potential impact that could have.
“It’s not like they are going to Single-A or Double-A,” he pointed out. “They’re going to the closest step to the majors they possibly can and they are going to be around more major league talent than they ever would have been this last season. If these guys take major steps forward because they are facing great competition (in intrasquad games), they are having great instruction from the best groups, I think that there’s going to be the potential that this short 60-game season can do more for these Mariners prospects than any normal full season can do and that’s a really exciting thing for at team that wants to start contending in 2021 and definitely be in the mix in 2022.”
Among that group could be a number of the newest Mariners who were drafted just two weeks ago. We take a look at that group and how their addition impact the farm system. We then hear from two of the members of the 2020 Mariners draft class in interviews with outfielder Zach DeLoach and infielder Kaden Polcovich, two players who interestingly enough grew up in Texas and Oklahoma playing against each other.
We will look to continue the podcast as Spring Training 2 or “Summer Camp” get underway. Our access as media members is going to be very different this year in light of the coronavirus pandemic, but if there is anything you have interest in or would like me to keep my eyes open for, let me know on Twitter @shannondrayer.
Listen to the full podcast at this link or in the player below.
