Over at Mariners Farm Review, Conor Dowley has been hard at work keeping track of the Seattle Mariners prospects while also putting a human face on many of them. It's difficult to track prospects, and many of them are simply names and box scores as they work their way through the system. After all, unless a player rises to AAA Tacoma, is a high draft pick or finally makes it to the big leagues, it's tough to keep track of them or even project where they might end up.
On Monday, Conor shared an interview he did with Kyle Seager, a second/third baseman/utility player currently with AA Jackson. His post comes at an excellent time: Seager had a hell of a weekend, going 5-7 with three doubles and a triple in a doubleheader on Saturday. Though he's not as heralded as his North Carolina teammate and 2009 MLB Draft-mate, Dustin Ackley, Seager is one to watch as he comes up through the system.
The Mariners workout program came up in the interview and it's a regime that received plenty of publicity when the team put it into practice. It's a break from the norm, and was the Mariners' way of trying something different, beginning at the minor league level. Seager had high-praise for the training program, and said it was unlike anything he'd ever done.
KS: The program that the Mariners have implemented is different than the other workouts I had previously done. Most of my other workouts consisted of lifting a lot of weights and just trying to get as strong as possible. The new program is based solely on baseball. Every movement you do is designed to help you in some part of the game. There are a lot of rotational movements along with lateral drives. Everything you do is designed to make you a more explosive baseball player. I really enjoy the workouts and I think they are beneficial.
Be sure to check out the rest of the interview over at MFR. He talks Ackley, of course, and his progression in the ranks. And be sure to browse the rest of MFR for more on the Mariners prospects.