Former Seattle Mariners OF, Current Seattle Mariners Coach Talks About Reasons For Optimism in 2025
PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Seattle Mariners have had plenty of blasts from the past thus far at spring training in Peoria, Ariz.
Of course there's manager Dan Wilson, who is a member of the team's Hall of Fame. But there's also Edgar Martinez, who is the team's Director of Hitting. Ichiro is constantly milling around the complex too, and Alvin Davis has featured prominently in team workouts.
Don't forget about Jay Buhner, Franklin Gutierrez and Mike Cameron, all of who have had their turns working on the field. And former outfielder Michael Saunders is back in a paid capacity as a minor league baseball coordinator.
Speaking this week with the Mariners on SI team, Saunders discussed what it was like to be back with Seattle, how he's helping develop players, playing alongside Felix Hernandez and more, including why fans should be optimistic about the group heading into 2025.
I mean, so close the last couple years, and we truly believe, hence why, I don't want to speak on behalf of Jerry (Dipoto), but, you know, kind of kept the core group together because we truly believe in it. One year further along and being together. And, I think the biggest thing that I've noticed is the belief. The belief and the expectations. You've got a new skipper in Dan Wilson, who's been fantastic, excited for what he's bringing to the table. But you can really feel that, that oozing confidence among one another, and it's contagious.
Saunders, a 38-year-old native of Canada, spent nine years in the big leagues with the Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, and Philadelphia Phillies. He spent six years with Seattle after debuting in 2009. Lifetime, he was a .232 hitter with 81 homers and 55 stolen bases. He made the All-Star team with Toronto in 2016 and hit a career-high 24 homers that year.
He had previously served as a minor league coach with the Atlanta Braves.
You can hear the full interview on the Refuse to Lose podcast, which is below:
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