Mallex mic'd up: 'It's a date' with Griffey Jr.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Mariners trimmed their Spring Training roster, gave a glimpse when their top pitching prospect may next take the hill, took an 8-4 loss against the A’s and had an otherwise busy day at Peoria Sports Complex.

Here are some observations from Seattle’s camp on Saturday.

Mallex on the mic
Continuing a popular trend this spring, Mallex Smith became the latest big leaguer to wear a microphone in the field while engaging the TV crew -- and Smith might have taken the gold in humor for his exchanges with Ken Griffey Jr., who was in the booth for the ROOT Sports telecast.

Smith began to jokingly jab the Hall of Famer and Mariners legend before even taking the field, then the two continued their back-and-forth throughout the first inning.

It began with Griffey asking when the two were going to get dinner -- a closed-off “candlelight” pow-wow -- to which Smith retorted, “I just got [arbitration] now, so I can spend a little money!”

After, Smith heckled the 50-year-old Griffey for looking “Dad-ish” in the Mariners’ clubhouse earlier that morning for his casual, khaki-sported outfit. And later, the Florida native Smith questioned whether Griffey, who lives in the Orlando area, could withstand the South’s humid heat.

“Ken probably has a machine that keeps him cool as he walks around through Florida, just in his back pocket, just lowering his body temperature” Smith said, to which Griffey retorted, “Nah, nah, I just drive faster in my golf cart.”

These were among many laughs that the Mariners center fielders of today and yesteryear shared, which underscored how huge of a hit the mic’d up interactions have been across the Majors this spring.

Gilbert will get another A start
Top Mariners pitching prospect Logan Gilbert (MLB Pipeline’s No. 38 overall) will make at least one more Cactus League start before camp concludes in a little over two weeks, but his next outing will likely be in a simulated game on a backfield. Gilbert threw a bullpen on Saturday and is line to throw again Tuesday.

“We still have a lot of pitchers in camp and as things get stretched out, we've got to keep those guys throwing,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “There is a chance that we could see Logan in another ‘A’ game or two. We'll see how it's going, but he's been pretty impressive in this camp. A lot of our young pitching has.”

Gilbert leaped two Minor League classifications in 2019 and could toe the T-Mobile Park rubber as soon as this season, depending on his development and the club’s need. Among pitching prospects on the outside looking in, right-hander Justin Dunn is most likely to reach the big league rotation soonest.

“I think once I got a few starts under my belt in pro ball, I realized it’s not too much different,” Gilbert said on Saturday. “The hitters are really good, obviously, and as you keep moving up, they get better, but I feel like I’m really good too and this is where I belong.”

Gilbert pitched a career-high 135 innings over 26 starts last season, with a 2.13 ERA, a 0.948 WHIP and 11 strikeouts per nine innings -- impressive regardless of his Minor League status.

Graveman scratched
The flu bug that has made a small swing through the Mariners’ clubhouse bit Kendall Graveman ahead of his scheduled start on Saturday. Graveman was scratched from Seattle’s matinee against Oakland in Peoria and instead pitched a side session to maintain his workload.

Graveman has been one of the more productive pitchers in Mariners’ camp and is one of just four locked into the starting rotation, with Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi and Justus Sheffield. Taijuan Walker will be the fifth starter if he’s healthy. The five-year veteran Graveman has been hitting 95-96 mph on his fastball.

Servais utilized Graveman’s absence to continue gauging Seattle’s relief talent. Much has justifiably been made about the club’s up-and-coming sluggers, but the mostly homegrown Minor League pitching staff is also looking to build off a strong 2019.

“There will be some players that don't make our team that are going to be disappointed because they will have performed very well if they continue along this path, but good for us organizationally,” Servais said. “We know how many relievers we've used the last few years. We'll be able to go down and bring those guys up. Guys who have real stuff, real strikeout-type ability. It's exciting.”

Short hops from Peoria
• After a productive “B” game on Friday, reliever Matt Magill will likely next see action in Cactus League play, as he works his way back from a minor shoulder issue. Magill has been vying for high-leverage innings within a Mariners bullpen that still has nearly all of its roles up for grabs.

• Sam Tuivailala, who followed Magill in the intrasquad game, is still a little further behind, per Servais. Tuivailala has been dealing with shoulder inflammation and was testing new mechanics in his lower half. He’ll pitch in another simulated game or throw live batting practice before seeing game action.

• Left-hander Ian McKinney (a non-roster invitee) was reassigned to Minor League camp, which trimmed the Mariners’ Major League roster to 58 players in camp.

• Right-handed reliever Matt Festa underwent successful Tommy John surgery, according to his Instagram.

Up next
Sheffield will continue his march to the Opening Day rotation when he makes his third Cactus League appearance on Sunday against the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. Sheffield has faced 17 batters this spring and give up just two hits, zero walks and one run, via a homer. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PT.