Mariners Notebook: Raley makes case for more ABs with bat, versatility

Luke Raley will get his first start at first base in 11 days for the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday afternoon against the Brewers in Peoria, Ariz.

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Scheduling for both the infielders and outfielders have played into this, as has needing to get a look at others at the position. Despite of the lack of reps at first, it is still the position that Raley is expected to occupy the majority of this season. And while his glove there hasn’t been seen much so far this spring, he has made a good impression with the bat regardless of where in the field he has been playing.

“His at-bats have been really good,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said of the lefty-swinging Raley. “His left-on-left at bats have been really good. ‘Rales’ is a grinder and you just love to see him out there. It’s been a good spring for him.”

A year ago, Raley was mired in a miserable spring at the plate that translated into a slow start to his season, resulting in fewer at-bats – mostly in a platoon role – for the first few months than most expected him to get. That changed in the second half as Raley found the answers he needed and became one of the Mariners’ most valuable bats in the second half. Will this coupled with a strong spring put the platoon role in his past?

“He has definitely proven his worth with our lineup,” Wilson said. “I think getting as many at-bats for him as we can is going to be a big goal for us.”

It does appear that Raley will receive more atbats against lefties out of the gate than he did last season. He could get them at first base, as the designated hitter or anywhere in the outfield, although if his bat carries over from the second half of 2024, the versatility will be a bonus as the bat will be prioritized.

For others in a lineup full of positional versatility, the decisions could be tougher. How Wilson juggles, and more importantly balances, the need for offense versus giving runway to hitters who might need it to get into their games could look a bit different from what has been seen in the recent past.

“I don’t know that there is an exact science to it,” Wilson said. “That’s where we as a staff, kind of lean on each other and see what we are seeing with (hitting instructors Edgar Martinez, Kevin Seitzer and Bobby Magallanes). We will be weighing the offensive part of things and talking about that and trying to get as good a feel for that as we can. That’s the balance and tension of coaching and putting guys in position to be successful, and that’s what we are hoping to do.”

Quite a bit of “feel” talk. The numbers of course will be part of the equation, but collaborative feel with a very different hitting group? It will be interesting to see if the decisions made and results that follow are different – and if so, where they lead to in terms of success with this largely unchanged group of hitters.

Lineup!

One day closer to #OpeningDay!

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— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 18, 2025

Notes

• Julio Rodríguez is out of the lineup for a second straight day with an illness that has been making its way through camp.

• No specifics have been offered from the player or manager, but George Kirby is believed to be close to picking up a baseball again. The 2023 All-Star starting pitcher has been shut down since early this month with shoulder inflammation.

• Emerson Hancock, who is in line to begin the season in place of Kirby in the rotation, is scheduled to start Wednesday’s game in Peoria against the Texas Rangers.

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