Mariners Notebook: Justus Sheffield’s 1st start comes vs brother’s Rockies
Mar 4, 2021, 9:49 AM | Updated: 10:49 am
Mariners LHP Justus Sheffield will play against a friendly face in his 2021 debut. (Getty)
(Getty)
As Justus Sheffield makes his first Cactus League start of the spring for the Mariners, there will be a friendly face on the other side as his older brother, Jordan, a reliever, is making the trip with the Rockies.
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The two took different paths to professional baseball with Jordan being a standout at Vanderbilt and Justus making the jump from high school. Both were first-round picks with Justus the 31st pick in 2014 and Jordan being taken 36th by the Dodgers in 2016. In 2019, their paths crossed.
They didn’t pitch in the same game in 2019 when Justus was with Arkansas and Jordan with Tulsa but I think it’s safe to say they were happy to be playing on the same field. pic.twitter.com/ruI5JkUaWs
— Steven Davis (@StevenDavispxp) March 4, 2021
Jordan, who was ranked as high as the No. 12 prospect in the Dodgers organization, was a Rule 5 pick of the Rockies in December.
Lineup!
J.P. Crawford, SS
Mitch Haniger, RF
Kyle Seager, 3B
Ty France, 2B
Tom Murphy, C
Evan White, 1B
Taylor Trammell, LF
Sam Travis, DH
Braden Bishop, CF
Justus Sheffield, SP
The Mariners are scheduled to pitch all nine innings of the game with the Rockies planning on pitching just eight.
Mariners notes
• Second baseman Shed Long has yet to make his Cactus League debut as he is being held back a bit because his shin is still not quite 100 percent after offseason surgery. Long did take at-bats against James Paxton in a sim game on Wednesday.
• Catcher Luis Torrens, who has been dealing with a cut on a finger on his throwing hand, has been participating in drills and taking batting practice. The hope is to get him into a game this weekend.
• Marco Gonzales’ next start comes on Sunday, but it sounds like rather than facing the Angels, the Mariners will throw him in a B game or sim game instead. The Mariners, who are pitching-heavy in camp, are hoping to be able to schedule a number of B games with other teams but may not be able to get as many as they would like.
Follow Mariners insider Shannon Drayer on Twitter.
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