M’s Notebook: Hancock showing new weapon during strong spring

In the next few days, the determination will be made on who fills Bryce Miller’s spot in the Seattle Mariners’ starting rotation while he is out.

Emerson Hancock is a strong candidate for it having filled the sixth spot the past two seasons. Nothing in the sixth or next-up spot is ever guaranteed, but Hancock has been in this position before. He has had a good spring and obviously would like to see it carry over into his final starts. If there is pressure that comes with these starts, he is keeping it at bay.

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“When you think about it, it doesn’t really change what you have to do about it on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “Like I’m focused on the process of just like getting better. That’s what I want to do day in, day out. And it’s like whether that’s up, whether that’s down, you still got to execute, you still got to make good pitches, you still got to get ahead, limit free bases. So just for me, that’s just what you focus on. And if you can do that week by week, it’s like you just kind of keep going at that.”

Wednesday morning ahead of what likely was his second-to-last start of the spring, Hancock appeared to lock in more than most before a spring start as teammates went on with their work around him. On the field in sweltering 98-degree temperatures with no shade, he put up another strong outing throwing 74 pitches as the Mariners beat the Brewers 7-3.

“I forgot you threw 97,” said Julio Rodríguez as he walked by Hancock’s media session in the clubhouse.

“Ninety-eight,” he corrected referring to the final pitch he threw.

Hancock is clearly in a good spot having made five starts, striking out a team-high 21 batters and walking just one in 15 innings pitched this spring.

“He continues to do a really nice job of attacking the zone, using all his stuff, and it was impressive again today,” said manager Dan Wilson after the game.

His stuff is different. Hancock, who has featured a sinker, four-seamer, changeup, slider mix the past two seasons went to work on a sweeper this offseason and it has played well in Arizona. It is a pitch that coming in at 78 mph had hitters off balance Wednesday.

“I think that sweeper really does give him a different look with the right-handers and the left-handers,” said Wilson. “And the slider too has been very, very good. I think (catcher) Jhonny Pereda today (was) doing a nice job with him, mixing it up. And then he’s got that heater up at the top of the zone that’ll really surprise you.”

“I love where the breaking balls are at,” said Hancock. “I love where both of the heaters are at. For me, last piece is just probably the changeup and seeing how it blends in and then just keep working from there.”

The changeup, which was arguably Hancock’s best pitch in 2024, has all but disappeared in games. It has made appearances in bullpens, however, in the form of a kick changeup.

“Just messing around with a couple of grips,” said Hancock. “That’s it. That’s all it is. It’s just kind of seeing what different grips will do with it. And then obviously being able to throw it in zone and then maybe expand with it with two strikes. (It) just might be one of those pitches you mix in a ton throughout the game. You just never know.”

Where that pitch goes remains to be seen, but for now, the sweeper may prove to be the weapon Hancock has been looking for.

Notes

– Luke Raley had a day – or three days, to be exact – at the plate going 6 for 10 with two home runs, two doubles, a walk and a strikeout. Raley told the media group Edgar Martinez helped him make an adjustment at the plate this offseason to help him have more flow with his swing after observing him get stuck in his stance at times last year. Raley has made some small changes with it since the start of camp, spreading out a bit more, and likes where he is with it right now. He credits the entire hitting group of Martinez, Kevin Seitzer and Bobby Magallanes for helping get him to a good place.

“They’re unbelievable,” he said. “Yeah, I feel really comfortable talking to any of them. It doesn’t have to be just because Edgar brought it up. They all had, I’m sure, a discussion and agreed on it and that kind of thing. So yeah, it’s just easy to talk to all of them and think they’re all very knowledgeable. They’re very positive and I think that that’s the most important thing. It’s always nice talking to those guys because they boost your confidence and feed you good information. So yeah, it’s nice to have those those kind of guys.”

– Edgar Martinez arrived back in camp late last week after serving as hitting coach for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He did not come back a blonde, however, as nearly every member of the team dyed their hair that hue in the last classic.

“It takes two hours!” Martinez exclaimed when asked why he didn’t go along with the crowd.

Fair enough.

– The Mariners had a team meeting Wednesday that included a talk on pitch tipping and a lighter moment, with the awarding of the worst ABS challenge that went to George Kirby.

– Matt Brash, who has pitched in just two Cactus League games, threw a bullpen Wednesday and remains on track to make two more spring appearances before camp breaks. The Mariners will likely set up a sim game type bullpen as well to get him extra work before opening day.

– Also in the bullpen, sound effects.

Mariners bullpen catcher Justin Novak getting after it in Kirby’s bullpen session. Brings the energy -and now sound effects for bullpens- in everything he does. pic.twitter.com/q9aDzfxius

— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) March 18, 2026

– Cal Raleigh, Gabe Speier, Eduard Bazardo and Jhonathan Díaz are the only players who have yet to report back to Peoria, Ariz., from the WBC.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Seattle Mariners’ Brendan Donovan adds to red-hot spring with 1st HR
• Nationals option former Seattle Mariners prospect Harry Ford to minors
• Seattle Mariners Updates: Latest on J.P. Crawford’s shoulder; Julio, Naylor back
• Seattle Mariners’ Luke Raley showing he’s worth keeping an eye on
• How Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller’s latest bullpen went

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