Lookout Landing

The day has come! Two of our supposed saviors are finally in Seattle, and they’re playing on Thursday night at T-Mobile. It’s been a season of deflation in a lot of ways, so does this news put the air back in our bouncy house? That’s really for Jarred Kelenic to decide. Matthew reminds everyone that Brodie van Wagenen is the driving force that made this happen, while also revealing that he tried to record this song only to realize that his voice was trash. Do we have any concerns about Kelenic’s game? While we were having a nice, relaxing talk, the news that Logan Gilbert was also coming up came across the wire. We react calmly and normally. Is it a little messed up that Gilbert’s first start will naturally get overshadowed by his left fielder? Kate warns us not to sleep on Gilbert’s competitiveness, even if it’s less outward than his blonde-haired teammate. More questions about Kelenic include: Is it possible to be...too strong? Where does he hit in the lineup? Could he be the best left fielder in team hi

Welcome to the first episode of They Might Be Mariners, Lookout Landing's prospects-focused podcast, to be recorded during a minor league baseball season. We're flabbergasted yet again at the time surpassed since affiliate clubs have stepped on the field, and eagerly cover all four levels in a weekly review. We briefly discuss Jarred Kelenic, the man of the next 48 hours, and what his call-up means and how he may compare to other call-ups of yesteryear. We each award our Gold, Silver, and Bronze performances, non-Jarred edition, including most of the Everett AquaSox rotation, a pint-sized power UTIL, and somehow Kate picked seven people. We also take a swing at your questions, including timelines for other top prospects, matching the 2021 AquaSox against the 2019 Travelers, and culinary pairings for each top prospect. Music: "Chances" by KAYTRANADA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's been what felt like a decade, and in actuality was a year and a half on the Gregorian Calendar, but official, affiliated Minor League Baseball has returned at last. Our prospect team of Kate, Joe, and John are over the moon, and absolutely elated at the chance to see old friends and (functionally) new faces playing on a near-nightly basis yet again. The reoriented minor league schedule has no shortage of new tricks up its sleeves, including a schedule that leaves Monday as an off day every week, at every level except AAA. Nonetheless, from the intriguing arms and Latin lineup of Modesto to the prospect-drenched Everett pitching staff AND position player group, to the few hungry youngsters and longtime farm hands in Arkansas, to the three guys most likely to play in Seattle in the next few months licking their chops in Tacoma, we've got you covered on everything you need to know for a summer of minor league baseball. Music: "Chances" by KAYTRANADA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com

It’s a banner episode for the show, as Seattle hip-hop legend Jake One aka Flamie Moyer blesses the mic. Jake usually makes his bones on the production side, which means he can still do his job from home. Which old white man sport (other than baseball) has he leaned into during the pandemic? When it comes time to talk about the Mariners, Jake takes us back to his favorite Kingdome memories from his summers in the ‘80s. Mike Schooler and Phil Bradley, stand up. When his career started to take off in the early 2000s, how did Jake’s baseball fandom evolve? One thing that took his career to a new level was making John Cena’s entrance music. Has he ever thought about making a walkup song for a ball player? Baseball and hip-hop aren’t exactly a natural marriage. How do we get baseball on the same level of mainstream coolness as basketball or football? Is it even possible? Which rapper that Jake has worked with is the biggest baseball fan? Which one faked it all the way to an MLB Network appearance? Jake shouts out

With the long awaited beginning of the minor league baseball season right around the corner, Joe, John, and Kate convene once again to kick off a more regular schedule of They Might Be Mariners. This week's episode takes on three major topics: the current progression of the prospects at the big league level and down at minor league spring training, the developments of possible selections in the 2021 amateur draft, where Seattle picks 12th overall, and the upcoming assignments of minor leaguers to their affiliates, which should be revealed in full by this weekend. Much of our discussion centers around Seattle's drafting proclivities in past, and how their comfort in developing a certain type of player (read: college pitcher) can be a positive or a negative. We also look more specifically at some of the recent mock drafts put out by national sites, who have paired Seattle with a few players we have wide ranging opinions on, including University of Miami C Adrian Del Castillo. Music: "Chances" by KAYTRANADA Lear

Wazzzuhhh?!?!?! Matthew, Kate, and Mikey huddle around the glowing orb of winning baseball and try not to damage their eyes. The premise of this episode is simple: the Mariners’ record is good, but are the Mariners actually a good team? As many of us laid out in our recent “How much do you believe?” roundtable, the answer is probably no. The Mariners are not a good team. But right now, and maybe even for the rest of the season, they are a fun team! Let’s play a game of Is This Real? Topics include: Taylor Trammell’s strikeout rate This high-wire bullpen act Chaos as a market inefficiency Matthew coins a new term to describe the Mariners’ top three hitters, drawing inspiration from the highest-grossing American film of 1987. The Marmo-Marco early season polarity is discussed, and the gang re-analyzes their preseason predictions. NOTE: Someone in the group had laggy internet at some point, which leads to a couple moments of us talking over each other. Such is life. A sparkling waterfall of listener questio

Good morning to your first place Seattle Mariners, frustrating and fascinating in, well, not equal measure, but hefty sums. With Matthew traipsing along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, John and Kate commandeer the helm and break down their pleasant surprises and early disappointments, digging beyond the still-stinging loss of James Paxton and looking at a few starters who had more encouraging outings on Thursday. We talk Taylor Trammell, both in context of the present and future, with an eye on the 'ol service time manipulation requirement counter for Mr. Jarred Kelenic, which has ticked down to zero and is now smoking and threatening to burst. Also highlighted: the bullpen! Is this just what it's going to be with John Stanton pulling out the empty pockets of his casual fit Fendi slacks and making a frowny face at M's fans? As exciting as this club has shown it has the capacity to be, their penny pinching has already cost them a few games and should likely have cost them more with a bullpen of question ma

Matthew and Kate put their heads together and try to figure out how to save the Mariners’ season, which is only a week old and not even that bad record-wise. It was pretty evident that the White Sox were going to samurai sword the Mariners, but will that happen every time the M’s face an above-average team? The 13-2 Mariners from 2019 are not walking through that door. A few minutes of relitigating the San Francisco and Chicago series gives way to the topic of the day: James Paxton’s no good, dirty rotten luck. Listeners ask if we should already give up on the whole season, seemingly forgetting about on-base GAWDS like Jake Fraley and José Marmolejos. There’s also a conversation about pace of play that needs to be had, and the Lookout Landing podcast will surely solve it before the commissioner’s office. Now that we’ve seen every starting pitcher go at least once, let’s make some wild overreactions. Speaking of which, will this offense be unwatchable all summer, or just for right now? If you’re looking to rel

0:00 - 6:30: As we get settled in for the podcast and also the outset of the MLB season, we note a few fun facts that home in front of Matthew, Kate, and John. New Red Sox UTIL man Enrique Hernández is a surprisingly popular jersey, Matthew loves a flowy baseball pant for the summer season, and John manages to successfully quiet and calm a woebegone Corgi before diving into the questions. 6:30 - 31:00: Questions!!! Some of the topics include... what's the outfield going to look like in the early days with Kyle Lewis OFFICIALLY on the 10-day IL to start the year? We remain mildly flabbergasted by José Marmolejos sidling his way onto the roster once more. John considers getting his Jeff Feagles on for Matthew's cheerful suggestion of a Mitch Haniger trade return, and Kate and John spar over Haniger's relative value to the Mariners versus another club. Where might Haniger be shopped to if Seattle is in fact in such a flush position midseason when their young outfield is potentially runneth over? Also, Kate uncor

0:00-21:15: Before anything even remotely resembling a baseball conversation, Matthew learns about some new snacks. Kate directs her anger toward the concept of electricity, particularly the part how it can just stop. The team bravely decides that they’re going to drink beer this summer but debates where that will be. The noise you hear around the 16th minute is the presses stopping for vital Matt Magill and Gerson Bautista news. 21:20-45:05: How does one effectively follow Spring Training when the games are nowhere near a working television camera? Listening to the opposing teams’ broadcast is always fun, but it’s also Spring Training and everyone’s phoning it in with basic information. Everyone, that is, but our boy John Trupin, who wrote the best headline of camp after the Mariners went off on Trevor Bauer. You know what will eventually be great entertainment? Bauer facing Jarred Kelenic. 46:05-1:17:00 The people who submit listener questions to the Lookout Landing podcast are the most intelligent, powerfu

0:00-15:20: Longtime beat reporter Shannon Drayer was kind enough to call in and give us the low down on Spring Training. What’s it like to be one of the few people who’s actually on the ground watching this stuff happen? How do the players seem to feel about it? Shannon tells us that with so few people in the stadium, managers on the field can hear writers in the press box talking about them. She also acknowledged that even though last season was only 60 games, there was an unquestioned element of fatigue when it was over. 15:25-35:55: A firsthand story of what it was like to be at Spring Training last year when the initial shutdown happened. Some gabbing about Kyle Seager’s pandemic looks open us up for a larger conversation. Shannon shares her thoughts on the Kevin Mather situation, and how much it’s still lingering over camp. Kate asks straight up if Marco Gonzales is boring. 36:55-51:15: Let’s talk about some of the personalities on the Mariners that we haven’t been able to see yet. There’s a relief pitc

Kate, Joe, and John are joined by Mariners 2019 3rd round pick, RHP Levi Stoudt out of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The one time 97th overall pick has shot up some scouting lists over the winter, including ranking 12th in the organization according to Baseball America. Stoudt has yet to pitch in an official professional game due to Tommy John surgery he underwent shortly after draft day in 2019 and the cancellation of the MiLB seasons in 2020, but he turned plenty of heads in the fall instructional league Seattle was able to put on with a few other clubs. We asked him about what it's like to be entering his third year as a pro, with plenty of momentum and enthusiasm, but not having technically debuted. His mid-90s heat and Vulcan changeup work alongside a sweeping slider, and we ask him about how he developed each pitch. The Eastern Pennsylvania native also shared his opinions on several of the state's finest fare, and potentially making a case for water ice to finally sweep the West Coast, w

0:00-24:25: Matthew praises the long sleeve T-shirt and introduces his new beef with a cookie company, as well as Brent Flyberg, a very funny comedian who is this week’s guest. Brent played some college baseball in the northwest, which is a natural jumping off point for our conversation. Several C and D-list MLB players get name dropped. 24:30-40:55: Why is the pivot from jock to artist so tough to nail? As we discuss, it’s a famously tricky leap accomplished by very few people. Brent then shares a story about doing comedy for Randy Johnson. Once the Mariner juices start flowing, memories of the early days inevitably come flooding back. If you, like us, have been watching old Mariner games and Premier League highlights, drop some links to your favorites in the comments below. 41:00-50:00: Sadness, how’s that been for you? Excessive? Oddly charming? Self-affirming? You just might be a Mariners fan, my friend. Naturally, disgraced team president Kevin Mather catches a few strays. Listen in to this part for a ne

0:00-30:00: Dear Mariners, give us one reason to stay here, and we’ll turn right back around. To unpack all of the terrible, no good Mariner news of the past week, we got Ryan Divish. The Seattle Times’ beat reporter and self-admitted Lookout Landing reader takes us through his experience with the infamous Kevin Mather self-immolation and his disappointment to find out that Jarred Kelenic’s public comments went to USA Today. Within the first 20 minutes, Ryan drops his favorite Jarred story, which is from the same day as “Smell you later”. 30:05-58:35: The Mariners have a cataclysmic mess to clean up. Matthew wonders how that process will unfold and asks Ryan if the things he’s seen within the organization point to any particular crisis management strategies. Where do the players – who have taken an increased percentage of the team’s overall power – fit into this equation? Ryan also dives into the age-old question, “What does a manager actually…do?” 59:40-1:22:25: We can all admit that several parts of this de

We called an emergency podcast to discuss the breaking news of Sunday, disgraced Seattle Mariners Team President & CEO Kevin Mather's comments to the Bellevue Rotary Breakfast Club. John and Kate are joined by recently returned staff writer Isabelle Minasian to, honestly, rage. The well-publicized comments run the gamut of unforced errors by the highest ranking official in the organization below club Chairman John Stanton, and Mather is hardly without previous marks against him. Thank you to all who sent in questions, including on what the long term implications of Mather's statements might be on the Mariners, and if there is anything the club can do to begin getting back in the good graces of their fans, players, and player development group. No music today, let the frustration, disappointment, anger, and hopefully a few drops of catharsis flow through you. Intro, as always, by OF Julio Rodríguez himself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re back! Kate, Joe, and John emerge from a healthy winter break to take a look at the Lookout Landing 2021 Preseason Top Prospects List. Who just missed? Who were we relatively high or low on? And what does each prospect need in 2021 to take a big step? We also touch on the new minor league baseball alignment as it has become formalized and of course take listener questions throughout. We recognize this is a Big ‘Ol Pod, and future episodes should hew closer to an hour or so, but we... had a lot to talk about! Grab a few cups of coffee. 0:00 - 13:45 - We start things off with discussion of the minor league realignment’s certification. The Mariners come out with a good deal of convenience, large (geographical) regions of the country are left in the cold. It’s a sad day for the West Virginia Power and many other communities around the country. For baseball fans in the Pacific Northwest, however, there will be full season baseball all across the state of Washington, Western Oregon, and Vancouver B.C. 13:45 -

0:00-14:30: Matthew and Kate brave a John-less podcast. Things get simmering with a conversation about the Ooples and Boonoonoos song. This quickly leads to us wondering if we’re annoying.  14:35-33:50: What to make of Ken Giles and his Astro past. Even if it doesn’t work out, the Mariners really won’t be any worse for it. The reason for that? A good farm system, and depth! This is still kind of tough to get used to, but the Mariners do have a good farm system, and it is definitively better than any other team’s in the AL West. We also marvel at how thoroughly Giles dominated the M’s while playing for Houston. Matthew gets in a “Go Mets baby love da Mets” and remembers the time Chasen Bradford acknowledged us online. 33:55-49:30: Matthew gets surprised by the recent news linking Taijuan Walker to our best friends. Then, we talk about the big guy. If you missed it, the Mariners are bringing back James Paxton on a one-year deal. This is brain-tingly exciting. The only real, legitimate knock on Pax is injuries,

0:00-15:25: A top 100 prospect joins a top one podcast. Taylor Trammell calls in from Atlanta, meaning we had to record at nine in the morning on the west coast. What physical activity caused Taylor to wake up early and without warning? Taylor also recently got engaged, and he shares that story with us. When the conversation shifts to baseball, Taylor tells us about the things he’s been focusing on this offseason. 15:30-33:40: After getting traded to Seattle, which Mariner prospects impressed Taylor the most? Kate makes Taylor re-live his experiences facing the Arkansas Travelers and drops yet another new pronunciation of Margevicius. This is the part where we learn that Taylor has an incredible baseball memory, which helps him remember the rare occasions when he’s lost his cool on the field. 33:45-47:25: What’s it like to be traded, and how did getting traded from Cincinnati to San Diego prepare him for later being traded from San Diego to Seattle? How did Yasiel Puig complicate things? Taylor peels the curt

0:00-27:00: These intros get drier and drier as we sink deeper and deeper into the pandemic, but this week we have John extolling the virtues of Rat-a-Tat Cat. This week’s guest is Jordan Shusterman of Céspedes Family BBQ, who is holed up in Maryland with his family, buried under nine inches of snow. We get going with a discussion on emergency catchers, inspired by Shed Long Jr. and Carson Vitale. Speculation about Raúl Ibañez’s new job at the league office follows. So does an open conversation about how many vegan prospects there are across the baseball landscape. 27:05-42:25: The Mariners’ offseason...why? Matthew sees an opportunity to make this about Ginuwine and goes for it. A certain “superstar” is discussed, causing Kate to spiral toward misery, before reminding all of us that there are just some fans out there that will never be satisfied.  42:35-1:07:10: Has Jordan been vibin’ with J-Rod? There’s a pretty good conversation here about how to get the most out of baseball players, who often want to give

0:00-12:00: We’re back! Two episodes in two weeks, who knew that was even allowed? This week’s guest is Sam Delaplane, relief pitcher in the Mariners’ minor league system. Sam was with Arkansas in 2019 and took part in Spring Training, Summer Camp, and all the goings-on in Tacoma during the pandemic before recently being added to the 40-man roster. Sam is currently in Arizona, where he’s been bored enough to call in to our podcast! 12:05-35:00: How has being short influenced Sam’s baseball journey? Industry consensus tells us that the jump to Double-A is tricky, so let’s here what someone who’s done it in real life has to say. Which Twins legend with a .248 career batting average gave Sam a bunch of trouble in Arkansas, where he played with Kyle Lewis, Evan White, Justus Sheffield, and a truckload of current and future Mariners? 35:05-39:55: What’s the plan for 2021? What does a successful season look like for Sam Delaplane? He has something very specific and somewhat obvious in mind. 40:00-1:02:50: Let’s get