Seattle Mariners Rookie Infielder Talks About Pressure of Joining New Club
The Seattle Mariners have a glaring hole at second base that will need to be addressed in the offseason. Something that's been a norm in the six years since the Mariners traded Robinson Cano to the New York Mets.
Seattle is expected to decline second baseman Jorge Polanco's option after an injury-plagued 2024 season. He underwent surgery to repair a damaged patellar tendon after the season.
The Mariners have a couple of options to replace Polanco. One of them is former Auburn infielder Ryan Bliss.
Seattle acquired Bliss in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 31, 2023 that sent beloved reliever Paul Sewald to Arizona. Bliss made his major league debut in 2024 and posted a .222 batting average with two home runs, three doubles, a triple and nine RBIs in 33 games played.
Ryan Bliss' first homerun at T Mobile Park pic.twitter.com/b5W6mGq5Tb
— Steve (@MarinersSteve) August 10, 2024
Bliss in an interview with MLBN Radio talked about his first stint in the major and his mindset going forward.
He also appeared on the Foul Territory podcast on Wednesday to talk about the pressure of joining a new organization and making his major league debut.
"It's definitely crazy because you're the new kid on the block," Bliss said on the podcast. "You're the new kid. Especially in my situation, I got traded for a guy that was really loved in the clubhouse. At first I fell like I had to almost prove myself. It took me a while. But a lot of guys over there helped me. ... JP Crawford helped me out a lot. Ty France over there, Dylan Moore, they all helped me out. And they just told me 'hey, this is just baseball man. You got traded over here for a reason. The team likes you.'
"I think once I understood that part I kind of just went out there and played baseball. It's still baseball player, we're just all wearing different jerseys. I think once you get over that part, especially as a young player — especially me. I've never been on a new team. Same high school, same travel ball team, in college I didn't transfer. I had the same coaches throughout all three years (of college). I got comfortable at each place I went to. So this was definitely different and it was a great learning experience."
"At first I felt like I had to ... prove myself"@Mariners rookie infieldr @ribliss2 describes the pressure after being traded, and the players that helped him adjust and relax. pic.twitter.com/HUqQm3CouZ
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 23, 2024
Bliss has the potential to open 2025 as the team's starting second baseman, but he'll likely have to earn it in spring training. And he'll have one of the organization's top two prospects Cole Young to compete with. Plus whoever else the Mariners bring in or try out at the position.
It will be an interesting battle to watch in spring training.
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