Drayer: Donovan Solano arrives as veteran presence for Mariners
Feb 23, 2025, 6:45 PM | Updated: 6:48 pm
First days with a new club can be a whirlwind, but Donovan Solano has had experience in that department. So despite a visa-related delay to getting the Colombia native into his new clubhouse, the newest member of the Seattle Mariners seemed undaunted about acclimating.
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“Maybe a week,” Solano answered Sunday when asked how long he thought he would be up to camp speed and ready for games.
He should know. A veteran of 11 years in the big leagues and now on his seventh team, he has been around and done this before. It was a safe bet he would know people in his new clubhouse, and that he did having been a teammate of Luis Castillo while with the Reds, Jorge Polanco in Minnesota, and even Ichiro while he was with the Marlins.
Solano’s face lit up when he talked about reuniting with the soon to be inducted Hall of Famer.
“I said, ‘Wow, you don’t rest now?'” Solano said with a laugh.
Ichiro’s answer was no, which was not a surprise to Solano.
“It’s unbelievable how he played, how he loved the game and how he trained his body every single day. He was impressive,” Solano said. “If nobody showed up at the stadium and he’s the only one? He practiced like everybody’s there no matter what the weather, the situation around him was. He was going to be him so I love that.
“He was going to put his 100% in no matter where you go, with crowd, without crowd. With friends, without friends it was like, I’m going to be me.”
It wasn’t the familiarity, however, that caught Solano’s attention when his agent told him signing with the Mariners was a possibility.
“My first thought was yes, because I know it is a young group with a lot of talent,” he said. “And it’s a challenge to me too, to help the team to make the playoffs. They’ve tried (the last few years) to make the playoffs, but they didn’t make it. So it is something like that that pushes me to give everything I have right now.”
The Mariners are relying on every part of the everything Solano brings. From the flexibility and ability to play first base, to the steady presence at the plate, to leadership that has been touted by those in and out of the organization, he fills a number of roster needs. It is expected he will get most of his at-bats at first or designated hitter, but he will stay ready to fill in at second and third as needed.
“I don’t think short,” the 37 year old said about where he could play this season. “That’s a long time I haven’t played short, but you know the more I can prepare, the more I can help the team get better.”
At 5 foot 8, first base seems like an unlikely landing spot for the former middle infielder, but the opportunity presented itself in 2022 while with the Reds. With Joey Votto and Mike Moustakas out, manager David Bell called Solano into his office and told him he would have to play on the other corner. Little did he know at the time how fortuitous the request would turn out to be.
“He said, ‘Let me see it.’ And they liked it,” he remembered. “I think without that, I don’t know if I would still be playing because it’s an option. In that moment they gave me more options for being in the game.”
Having Perry Hill as his infield coach will help him continue. Hill coached Solano early in his big league career with the Marlins and he was grateful to see him still in the game.
“He was one of my best coaches ever,” Solano said. “I think he loved baseball like everybody here. I know all the players, if he’s in his house right now, everybody is going to miss him. And he knows. I think he is here for him and for the players. I’m happy to be part of the same team.”
Solano looks forward to meeting those he doesn’t know and hopes he can be of help by sharing his experience. Solano was influenced early in his career by clubhouse veterans including José Reyes, Omar Infante, Hanley Ramirez and Plácido Polanco, and he now comes to the Mariners with a reputation of being a leader and will make himself available to those around him – particularly the young players.
“I love that,” he said of assuming a leadership role. “I see young people with a lot of talents but they don’t know how to deal with a lot of things, so I love to be the example for everything because you see my numbers. ‘How did he turn into to these numbers?’ I think it’s part of me and I’m ready for it.”
There are still names, faces and schedules to be learned, and Solano admitted he can feel a little lost in the first week with a new club. But that adjustment will be quick. The toughest part – getting to camp – is behind him, and Solano is eager to get to work and help out wherever he can.
“I want to prove myself and try to get better and help the team win every single time,” he said. “I’m ready to do my best here.”
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