PEORIA, Ariz. — In past years, the first day of full-squad workouts has often been greeted by cooler temperatures, cloudy skies and even rain. But Tuesday, as the Mariners held their first full-squad spring training workout of 2020, the Phoenix area offered the perfect cliché of what spring training weather is supposed to be: blue skies, warm-to-hot sun and temps nearing 80 degrees.
Even in a rebuilding year, when the team plans to play most of its young prospects to gain experience for seasons ahead — and 90-100 losses is a distinct possibility — there was still a level of optimism and energy as roughly 66 of the 70 players invited to camp took to the six different fields at the Mariners complex.