SEATTLE -- Shortly after Tai Peete was selected by the Mariners with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, franchise icon Mike Cameron was intrigued for the obvious reason that both hail from the Peach State. “Connecting with him was important, because he’s also from Georgia,” Cameron said. But the 17-year big league outfielder, who is now a special assignment coach for Seattle in the Minors, has formed an even closer bond with the prospect that MLB Pipeline ranks No. 12 in the Mariners’ system. That was especially true this Spring Training, when Peete continued the transition that he began late in 2024 to playing the outfield full time. At 6-foot-2 and 193 pounds, with an elite power-and-speed toolset, the Mariners believe that Peete is well suited for center field after coming up as a shortstop and pitcher in high school. “He's always asking me questions all the time,” Cameron said. “So, I'm just trying to help him out with some of the little tidbits of playing the outfield, but not enough to cloud his mind about playing -- just let him be free and do what he does. But at the same time, just give him some tidbits to help him out, to persistently get better as a center fielder.” |
Peete, who began the regular season with a promotion to High-A Everett, has played all three of his games in center field after playing there in five Cactus League contests in his first big league camp. He first began the transition from shortstop last July when he was still at Low-A Modesto. “I feel like I can cover some ground, just being able to run,” Peete said. “I feel like I have a little bit of athleticism in me, so just being able to show it off and just run around is just what I'm doing.” Indeed, that’s where the Mariners think Peete’s athleticism can shine. “When you play shortstop and you’re running, you're always playing with your arm down,” Cameron said. “In the outfield, you don't have to do all that. You can actually run to go catch the ball and stuff. ... He's long. He's the longest. So he can run, and he is super confident.” Peete’s boisterous personality rubs off on teammates in a positive way. The catch that he made for Everett last Friday, running in and diving -- typically the most challenging to read in center -- underscored as much. |
Then there was the massive homer he hit in the MLB Spring Breakout game, a left-on-left matchup that despite chilly conditions saw the ball travel 422 feet and beyond the right-field concourse, thanks to a 110.6 mph exit velocity. Peete had a .694 OPS vs. lefties last year compared to a .771 OPS against righties. Asked specifically about that homer, the 19-year-old said: “Yeah, you like that?” As he rises through the ranks, the big things that the Mariners will want to see are his continued progression with the new position and a harnessed approach at the plate while driving the ball in the air more. He carried a 30.7% strikeout rate last year at Modesto and a 100 wRC+ (league average is 100). Overall, Peete slashed .269/.343/.408 (.751 OPS) with seven homers, nine triples, 26 doubles, 71 RBIs and 45 stolen bases in 50 attempts. |
“It's the classic speed and power,” Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said, “and when we talk to him about it, the guys who can do the types of things he can do in center field are the types of guys who hold big trophies out in front of them -- like MVPs and Silver Sluggers. It's a special tool set. He's a plus runner with plus power. He's a great athlete, and he can do a lot of different things on a baseball field.” Cameron, who in his role serves as a roving mentor to all the Mariners’ Minor League affiliates, anticipates that he’ll spend as much time with Peete this season as any prospect in Seattle’s system. “He's just always paying attention, man,” Cameron said. “That's probably the most impressive thing about this group that has continued to come over at such a young age. I don't know if I've ever seen so many guys -- you've got about four or five guys around the same age, like 18, 19 -- that are talented in that manner.” |
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Before Randy Arozarena’s heroics on Wednesday, the story of the day was shaping up to be that the Mariners were on their way to an 0-3 start in George Kirby’s rotation spot. It’s been filled by Emerson Hancock and Luis F. Castillo, who have a combined 14.09 ERA and have only accumulated 7 2/3 innings. That has put an onus on Seattle’s bullpen, which has racked up the league’s second-most innings. Kirby’s spot comes up again on Wednesday in Cincinnati, and Castillo won’t get the assignment after he was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma yesterday. Hancock could, as that’s the first day he’s eligible to return from Tacoma. At the outset of his throwing program, Kirby had expressed hope that he could return by the end of this month, though Hollander said this week that “late April seems optimistic to me, just given where we are on the calendar.” Kirby was scheduled to throw two more bullpens this week after a successful session last weekend, after which the Mariners would discuss a game-like environment towards a Minors rehab assignment. “I don’t think it’ll be like a full Spring Training ramp-up, because he was already kind of built to that point over the winter and in their early part of the spring,” Hollander said. “But he does need a real game progression. It’s not going to be, ‘throw two innings, then come to the big leagues.’” The roster was built on pitching, and as the rotation spot continues to come up for one of their most valuable players, the Mariners have been feeling his absence. |
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Special Events On Deck The Mariners schedule is stacked with great giveaways all month long. Buy Tickets » - Corduroy Hat Night presented by Alaska Airlines -- Tonight at 6:40 p.m.
- Salute to Armed Forces Night Camo Jersey Giveaway presented by Boeing -- Tomorrow at 6:40 p.m.
- Little League Day Andrés Muñoz Poster Giveaway -- Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
- City Connect Captain’s Hat Night -- April 25 at 6:40 p.m.
- Moose Shoulder Plush Night -- April 26 at 6:40 p.m.
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