The 5 best highlights from Mariners’ first weekend of Cactus League play

The first weekend of 2025 Cactus League play is in the books for the Seattle Mariners.

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This is spring training, where the outcomes don’t really matter, so no reason to be too worried about the 1-2 start for the M’s. Nor is it that much of a concern that the highlights haven’t featured much from the bigger names on the roster thus far.

It’s still February, after all.

And that makes it a good time to bring back a spring training tradition of pointing out some of the things that were good while paying no mind to anything that wasn’t.

Here’s a look at the five best highlights from the first three Seattle Mariners games of spring ball in Arizona. We’ll also detail how Seattle’s top prospects did and a few more things that stood out.

Seattle Mariners Cactus League highlights

• Samad Taylor breaks the ice

The Mariners began play, like they do every year, facing off against their neighbors at the Peoria Sports Complex, the San Diego Padres.

The bats were unfortunately cold out of the gate, coming up with just two hits in Friday’s opener. But one of those was Seattle’s first homer of the spring, courtesy Samad Taylor.

A 26-year-old utility man, Taylor appeared in three games for the Mariners early in the 2024 season. He had a memorable MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals in 2023, hitting a walk-off single for his first career hit.

Taylor hit .262 with 11 homers and 50 stolen bases in 136 games with Triple-A Tacoma last year, and his speed and position flexibility could be something the Mariners turn to this year, especially with manager Dan Wilson’s emphasis on “small ball” elements.

• Hogan (almost) the hero

On to Saturday, where the Mariners entered the ninth inning trailing the Los Angeles Angels 9-8. That’s until Hogan Windish dropped the head of the bat on this 1-1 offering for a two-run shot.

That put the Mariners up 10-9, but it would not stand as the Angels came back with two runs of their own to walk if off in the bottom of the inning.

The 25-year-old Windish was a seventh-round pick by the Mariners in the 2022 MLB Draft out UNC-Greenboro, and he’s shown off his power at every stop in the minors. That includes 22 homers in 105 games with the Single-A Everett AquaSox in 2023, and 15 homers in 124 games in 2024 for the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, who play in the notoriously pitcher-friendly Dickey–Stephens Park in Little Rock.

• A little revenge

The Mariners had their first true home game on Sunday, and it came with the best individual offensive inning of the spring so far. The M’s put together seven hits in the frame, including six in a row at one point, to score six runs in their eventual 11-5 victory.

The first of the big hits in that second inning came from infielder Ryan Bliss, who drilled a Tommy Henry pitch to the wall in dead center for a two-run double that put Seattle ahead 3-1. The opponent here is notable, by the way. The road team was the Arizona Diamondbacks, who traded Bliss to the Mariners in the Paul Sewald trade in 2023.

I’m sure this one felt good for Bliss coming against the organization that dealt him away.

Bliss, 25, is in the mix at second base for the Mariners this season after playing 33 games for Seattle in 2024. He spent the majority of last season with the Triple-A Rainiers, hitting .269 with 12 homers, 25 doubles, three triples and 50 steals in 93 games.

• Raleigh helps the rally

You know if there’s a Mariners rally, chances are “The Big Dumper” played a role in it.

Raleigh put the finishing touches on Seattle’s big six-run second inning by hooking a two-run double down the line in right field off of Arizona’s Alec Baker.

The 28-year-old Raleigh, who was the Mariners’ designated hitter on Sunday, is coming off of a big 2024 season. He hit a career-high 34 homers to lead the Mariners, and he was recognized for his catching ability with not just his first Gold Glove Award, but also the American League’s Platinum Glove. The latter honor is given to the best defensive player regardless of position in both the AL and National League annually, and Raleigh is the first Mariners player to win one.

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• A little more revenge

We’re not done with Sunday. And we’re not done with players involved in the Paul Sewald trade, either.

Outfielder Dominic Canzone, who along with Bliss was part of the three-player return the Mariners received in that deal, already had a hand in the big second inning as his single was the second of the six straight hits.

He kept it going in the third inning, bringing home catcher Mitch Garver (who was 2 for 2 on the day) with a clean double into the corner in right field off of veteran reliever Scott McGough.

The 2025 season will be an interesting one for the 27-year-old Canzone. He was expected to be a contributor last season but dealt with injury and ultimately played just 67 games with the Mariners, appearing in another 29 at Triple-A. Seattle’s outfield is set with Randy Arozarena and Victor Robles in the corners around Julio Rodríguez, so Canzone’s fighting to secure a reserve spot on the roster as a power lefty bat.

Top Prospect Watch

• Catcher Harry Ford, Seattle’s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, went 1 for 2 on Saturday.

• Cole Young, the organization’s No. 3 prospect, made his spring debut Sunday, going 1 for 2.

• Seattle’s No. 1 prospect, Colt Emerson, had a pair of at-bats in each of Friday and Sunday’s games. He’s hitless thus far but put the ball in play three times.

• Pitcher Logan Evans started Saturday, allowing four runs on five hits over 1 1/3 innings.

• Michael Arroyo, the last of Seattle’s six prospects ranked in the top 100 by MLB Pipeline, went 0 for 3 with an HBP and a run scored after playing both Friday and Saturday. He also made a nice sliding play at second base.

Tidbits

• Emerson Hancock, who is essentially Seattle’s No. 6 starting pitcher, allowed a run on three hits and no walks with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings in the start on Sunday.

Mariners’ Emerson Hancock adds new pitches to his arsenal

• Veteran reliever Jesse Hahn, a 35-year-old right-hander who is in camp as a non-roster invite, had a pair of strikeouts in an inning of work Friday. Watch them here.

• Shintaro Fujinami, another non-roster invite, worked around a walk and struck out two in an inning Sunday. The tall 30-year-old righty has impressive stuff but has struggled to put it all together since coming to MLB in 2023.

The Mariners continue Cactus League play at 12:10 p.m. Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers, with All-Star right-hander Logan Gilbert set to be the first member of Seattle’s stellar five-man starting rotation to take the mound in a game this spring. Seattle Sports will have the game live with coverage starting at noon on 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app.

Mariners Cactus League radio schedule on Seattle Sports

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