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Brock Rodden Has Provided a Spark in Bottom of Seattle Mariners Lineup
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- Brock Rodden Has Provided a Spark in Bottom of Seattle Mariners Lineup
(Michael McLoone/Imagn Images)
SEATTLE — Despite the team's 61-68 record - and still being in third place in the American League West - the Seattle Mariners are still in the thick of the playoff hunt.
The Mariners are four games behind the Houston Astros for first place in the division and three games out of the final wild card spot in the American League.
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In an effort to provide a speak at the end of the regular season, the Mariners have made multiple roster moves, including calling up top pitching prospect Kade Anderson, who will make his major league debut Saturday against the Chicago Cubs .
And though it was for a different reason, another impactful move was when the M's called up infielder Brock Rodden last week.
The move was a corresponding one to Seattle's former top prospect Colt Emerson going on the injured list with a wrist issue, and while Emerson's part of the transaction was focused on, Rodden should not be overlooked.
In his brief time in the major leagues, he's shown flashes of being a legitimate spark plug for the offense in the bottom of the team's order.
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"(Rodden's) a gamer," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a pregame interview Friday at T-Mobile Park. "I think we all knew that. We saw it a lot in spring training, but that's how he plays. What he has done since he's gotten here has been very similar. (He's) come up with some big hits, got a huge hit for us and picked up a couple RBIs there in the Houston series, and then, in Milwaukee , continued to swing the bat well. What he's done defensively has been very good, as well. Losing Colt obviously at (shortstop) was a tough blow. But Brock, what he's done so far, has been really good for us."
In 28 plate appearances across seven major league games, Rodden has slashed .250/.321/.417 with a .738 OPS. He's hit two doubles and a triple with three RBIs.
Even games where Rodden hasn't recorded a base hit, he's still shown flashes.
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In Seattle's 6-5 win against Chicago on Friday, Rodden went 0-for-4 but reached once via a throwing error and scored a run. The switch-hitter narrowly missed left-field home runs twice Friday, which both died on the warning track. Both those flyouts were with him hitting right-handed.
In his last at-bat of the game, Rodden had another deep flyout (this time hitting left-handed) that traveled 323 feet into right field before falling a foot in front of the warning track. Either of the trio of flyouts would have doubled as his first major league home run and his first hit at T-Mobile Park.
The Mariners front office has reaffirmed that Emerson is the shortstop of the future. On the heels of his injury, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto's public comments leaned toward relief and reassurance that the former first-round draft pick's struggles came down to his wrist.
With Emerson penciled in as a starting shortstop for the foreseeable future (when he's healthy), it's difficult to know if there's room for consistent playing time for Rodden after this season.
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But if the former fifth-round pick continues his current form, Seattle might not have a choice but to keep Rodden in their major league roster plans going forward.
The Mariners and Cubs will play again on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. PT.
