PEORIA, Ariz. – The phrase “pitchers and catchers report to spring training” evokes a bit of nostalgia, hope and anticipation that the baseball season has officially begun.
In truth, the report date for pitchers and catchers is anticlimactic. At the Mariners complex, most of the pitchers and catchers have been in Arizona for days, working out at the facility and on the field. The actual report day, which is Wednesday, features extensive physicals and nothing more.
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But for the Mariners, it’s not so much when the physicals happen, but who will be taking them, specifically in terms of starting pitchers.