Spring Training for the Seattle Mariners rolls right along, as players adjust to new roles and prepare for a challenging rebuilding season.
Third baseman Chone Figgins is already getting in the mindset of being the new everyday leadoff hitter for the M's. Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune reports that Figgins claims he feels like a different hitter when he's batting leadoff. His 10-pitch at-bat to lead off Friday's intrasquad game already has his team and manager Eric Wedge feeling positively about his new role.
"That's more the player I remember seeing across the field when I was in Cleveland," Wedge said. "Tough at-bat, he gets on base and scored a run. That's a good start."
Larry Stone at the Seattle Times spoke to Carlos Guillen about his expectations for the season. For Guillen, it all comes down to staying healthy in 2012. A healthy Guillen can still be a welcome player on the Mariners roster and provide another quality bat, but there's no telling whether his body will be able to hold up throughout the season.
"I know what he's capable of doing," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said of Guillen. "I saw him too many times on the flip side of things when he was in Detroit and I was in Cleveland. We'll have to see how he holds up physically. We'll have to see how he moves around."
Guillen is already missing time at Spring Training with calf tightness, which seems like a bad omen. Wedge insists the team is just playing it safe and giving Guillen the opportunity to pace himself.
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