Seattle Mariners Rookie Comments on First Stint in Major Leagues
The Seattle Mariners will have an interesting offseason ahead of them.
The Mariners are coming off an incredibly disappointing season that ended with them missing the playoffs for the 22nd time in 23 years.
There's no shortage of options available for Seattle to improve. There's several free agents to go after and potential trade targets.
There's also the option to improve positions of need in-house. The Mariners are predicted to decline second baseman Jorge Polanco's option, leaving an opening at second base. A position that's been frequently in need of improvement since the team traded Robinson Cano in 2018.
If Seattle does opt to look within its own organization to find their starter at second base, they have two realistic options to choose from.
The first option is the Mariners' No. 2 prospect and the No. 38 prospect in all of baseball (according to MLB Pipeline) Cole Young. The other is Ryan Bliss.
The Auburn product made his debut for Seattle in 2024. He played just 33 games and struggled to get on the field consistently.
Bliss hit .222 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and nine RBIs in his limited time with the Mariners.
Ryan Bliss just hit his first MLB home run! https://t.co/wCoP740k1N pic.twitter.com/1jmprHWZSc
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 8, 2024
In an interview with MLBN Radio on Thursday, Bliss talked about making his debut and his mindset moving forward.
"It was amazing," Bliss said. "Being in the bigs is something you dreamed of as a kid. Being on the same field as Francisco Lindor, somebody you looked up to, and you look left and you're seeing Jose Altuve right across from you and you're right there playing against him, it's just something that was so amazing that I will never forget. It was a good learning experience the time I was up there. I learned a lot. Watched a lot of guys on our team. JP Crawford was a big help in my development. He still is to this day. I pick him, I watch him every single day. I mean, that guy's amazing. ... I'm excited to see what next season entails."
Bliss showed off a combination of solid contact (46.5% Hard-Hit Rate according to Baseball Savant) and speed (28.5 MPH). Despite his poor arm strength (77.2 MPH), he was a solid enough defender at second base and registered two outs above average.
Bliss went on to talk in his MLBN Radio interview about his focus going into 2025.
"One thing I do want to do this offseason is I want to be as consistent as possible," Bliss said. "That's one thing, I see those guys up there, they have the same routine. They are consistent each and every day in everything they do. Their at-bats are consistent, their swings are consistent, their pace of defense in consistent. So that is the main focus this offseason — is how can I be a consistent ball player each and every day. Because I think that's what it boils down to. That's what makes those guys so good."
Bliss flashed potential in 2024. And his mindset and approach despite being used sparingly is something that's encouraging for his big-league aspirations. Seattle's front-office has made a habit in recent years of rewarding hard work and decent performances. Two recent examples are Victor Robles' two-year extension signed during the season and Leo Rivas finishing out the year with the big-league roster despite Crawford returning from his injury.
If Bliss can meet his potential, then there's a chance the Mariners won't have to worry about second base. At least for 2024.
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