PEORIA, Ariz. -- After an abbreviated four-week Spring Training, the Mariners are ready to march to Minnesota for Opening Day.

The club will open the regular season on Friday against the Twins, live on MLB.TV, with first pitch from reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray slated for 1:10 p.m. PT.

So what else is on the docket for the first of 162 games? Are any down-to-the-wire roster battles looming? And who might be some of the Mariners’ standouts over the sixth-month season? We tackle that here.

What needs to go right?
The Mariners have to play to their potential, and then some. FanGraphs projects that Seattle has a 21.9% chance to reach the postseason, and that same algorithm yielded an 80-82 record, which even with an expanded playoff field won’t be enough to play deep into October. A fan base starved of success and a clubhouse that for the first time in years faces winning expectations probably scoff at those projections. Yet it’s worth noting that the 90-win team from a year ago had glaring offensive flaws but still managed to ride a bullpen-driven formula to win games late, often by just one or two runs. As such, they exceeded their Pythagorean win total by 14, a whopping eight more than the next team.

All of this is to say that while the club did add four All-Stars this offseason, there are still uncertainties, which is why the projections are lower than fans might expect.

Julio Rodríguez and Matt Brash have made the team. They’re both unproven; can they continue to wow like they have in Spring Training? Will Jarred Kelenic play like he did last September (.854 OPS) compared to his first four months in The Show (.507 OPS)? Can Ray repeat another Cy Young-type season? With a new (and gnarly) slider, can Logan Gilbert avoid some of the stumbles he had as a rookie? And can Seattle stay healthy?

For the Mariners to achieve their goals of snapping a 20-year playoff drought, the answer to each of these -- and more -- must be “Yes.”

Great unknown
How they handle/maintain the fifth starter job. Barring a dramatic change in thinking, Brash will earn the final rotation spot. The Mariners’ No. 6 prospect is hungry, he’s shined and he’s been on the same schedule as the rest of Seattle’s starters all spring. But how they manage him -- and the other waiting-in-the-wings pitching prospects -- has been of much intrigue.

Brash threw 97 1/3 innings last year, putting him in line to jump into the 140-150 range in 2022. George Kirby, who has been piggybacking Brash, only threw 67 2/3 innings in ‘21, and he’ll open the season at Double-A Arkansas as the Mariners continue to monitor his workload. Levi Stoudt, coming off 81 2/3 innings pitched, is also expected to contribute this year.

The promising performances have prompted management to halt its pursuit of an impact starting pitcher. They could still look for pitching help at the Trade Deadline, but for now, they’re rolling with the prospects.

Team MVP will be
Left fielders/designated hitter Jesse Winker. This might be a little bold given that he’s only twice played more than 100 games, but if he stays healthy, Winker has breakout potential. Last year with Cincinnati, he hit .305/.394/.556 (.949 OPS) with 24 homers and 148 wRC+ (league average is 100), tied for sixth among 161 qualified hitters.

Winker's defensive numbers weren’t great -- he ranked in the fourth percentile in outs above average, per Statcast -- but with Kelenic likely moving to left field to account for Rodríguez in center, Winker might see more time at DH. Either way, if he stays healthy and plays 130-140 games, he could be poised for a huge season.

Team Cy Young will be
Gilbert. In late July, Gilbert looked like he was heading toward an AL Rookie of the Year Award bid, but some late-season struggles with his secondary pitches led to him becoming more predictable, and as such, more hittable. He spent the offseason adjusting his pitch shapes and grips to fix the issue -- including consultation with Jacob deGrom -- and the results have been a much tighter slider that has hit 90 mph, as well as more comfort with his curveball -- his bread and butter in the Minors -- and his changeup, which was sometimes exceptional but also inconsistent. Stuff-wise, if he puts everything together, Gilbert could have a monster year.

Bold prediction
J-Rod wins AL Rookie of the Year. This might not be super bold, given that he’s MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect and that Vegas has him with the fourth-best odds to take home the hardware. He’ll have to stay healthy and play at the elite level he has this spring, but the opportunity should be his for the taking.

With exit velocities tracking the 115-mph-plus range, homers that travel more than 430 feet, sprint speed at an elite level that could lead to stolen bases and an improving approach that could lead to a higher on-base percentage, Rodríguez will have the chance to put up the numbers needed for consideration. He already has the star power -- and the wow factor -- that’ll sell, too.