Zych, ranked No. 17 among Seattle's prospects by MLBPipeline.com, figures to be the most prominent rookie to break camp with the Mariners. The 25-year-old right-hander came out of nowhere last year and opened eyes as a surprising September callup.
Dipoto says he got as many trade inquiries about Zych as any player in the organization last offseason after the Chicago native displayed dominating stuff -- 24 strikeouts and just three walks in 18 1/3 innings while posting a 2.45 ERA in 13 games, 12 of which were relief outings.
This spring, Zych has become more than just the last name in Major League Baseball's all-time alphabetical list.