Rainiers roll over Triple-A Round Rock for Opening Day win, Locklear eyes MLB return

Yahoo

29-03-2025

Could Tyler Locklear's first swing of the season get any sweeter?
Triple-A Tacoma's first baseman crushed the very first pitch he saw in 2025 — a sweeper on the lower outside corner that barely grazed the strike zone. A perfect pitch, by all standards.
No problem for Locklear: Seattle's No. 11 prospect started the 2025 campaign with a bang, a two-run blast golfed into the left field bullpens at Cheney Stadium. Rainiers starter Logan Evans navigated six hits (one earned run) across 3 ⅔ frames, and Tacoma cruised over Triple-A Round Rock, 6-1, for an Opening Day win on Friday night.
'I'm just trying to be as consistent as I can be,' Locklear said, who went 2-for-2 with a home run, walk, and two RBI. 'I'm putting the work in and seeing what happens.'
Rainiers shortstop Leo Rivas launched a three-run home run to right field in the fifth, part of a nine-batter frame, and third baseman Ben Williamson rifled an RBI single up the middle four batters later.
Mariners No. 3 prospect Cole Young (1-for-4) and No. 4 prospect Harry Ford (1-for-3, BB) collected hits in their Triple-A debuts, and Tacoma's bullpen shut down the visiting Express — shifting Friday night's opener into cruise control.
Express shortstop Jonathan Ornelas plated Round Rock's only run with an RBI single to center field in the fourth.
'At the end of (last) season, it's nice to get home and just relax a little bit, get away from it. But as the winter goes along, you start getting that itch to go back,' Rainiers manager John Russell said. 'Then you get to spring training, and it's hard to keep the thought of Opening Day out of your mind. It's something you look forward to.
'It's a holiday for us.'
Tyler Locklear remembers the magic of his MLB debut — the impromptu flight to Kansas City, family members supporting from Kauffman Stadium's seats, and the first baseman's go-ahead, seventh-inning RBI double rifled to right center in an eventual Mariners win on June 9, 2024.
Now, he's on a mission to find his way back.
'All of the work you put in to get to that day… it was really surreal,' Locklear told The News Tribune outside the Triple-A Tacoma clubhouse Friday afternoon. 'My family was able to get there. Having them in the stands… It was just a great day.
'Not everybody gets to (play in the big leagues). It's one of those things where you're just thankful you were able to get the call and go up there.'
When the club optioned him back to the Rainiers after just 45 major-league plate appearances last July 30, Locklear crushed Triple-A pitchers in September (.302/.413/.413). He'll receive everyday reps in Tacoma again this spring, still on Seattle's 40-man roster with a chance to rejoin a relatively-thin Mariners infield. If those numbers continue, it's a matter of waiting for the phone to ring.
'Me and JR (manager John Russell) talked about it when I got here,' Locklear said. 'He was just like, 'Be where your feet are. Do what you can down here, and go take it up to (MLB) when the call comes.'
'He said to be ready for the phone call, and just keep going.'
Locklear, 24, is Seattle's No. 11 prospect, per MLB.com, a right-handed slugger with raw power to all fields. The Mariners selected him 58th overall (second round) in the 2022 MLB Draft, a former VCU star with a .402 batting average as a junior.
He's battled through obstacles before. With High-A Everett in 2023, a wayward pitch fractured Locklear's hand and sidelined him for more than two months. Last August, another pitch found his hand upon returning to Tacoma, and an 0-for-14 slump followed.
'It was the first time in my career I ever got hurt in the middle of the season,' Locklear said. 'It was something where… you have to learn about yourself a little bit. Just putting in the work every day to get back, and not taking any days off. Being really consistent, being smart about your work so you don't have any setbacks.'
Then, a revelation. Locklear worked with Tacoma hitting coach Shawn O'Malley and opted for a lighter, shorter, 33-inch bat. It's when the September slugfest began, including an eight-game hitting streak as the Rainiers raced to the PCL West title.
'I guess it ended up working,' Locklear smiled.
This year's Tacoma squad features another pair of Seattle's top prospects: INF Cole Young (No. 3), selected one round before Locklear in 2022, and C Harry Ford (No. 4). Both made their Triple-A debuts Friday night.
'We're young,' Locklear said. 'All of the guys in there seem to really like each other a lot. No matter what the age difference, you've got guys in there who're 21 and guys who are 28, 30.
'Just the camaraderie. Everybody's pulling for each other, giving each other insights whether you're young or old.'
— The Rainiers tapped Rylee Pay to serve as the team's new play-by-play radio voice, becoming Triple-A baseball's first female lead broadcaster. Longtime Rainiers voice Mike Curto retired last November after 31 years on the air.
'(Making history) has definitely never been the reason that I've gotten into this job,' Pay said last month. 'I've just always loved baseball. Growing up, I just really felt the magic of it.
'I've been a part of some other firsts before, and for me, it's never the reason that you do it. But it is so exciting knowing that once there is a first, it won't be the last.'
— The Rainiers stole 286 bases last season, a new modern Pacific Coast League record previously held by the 1981 Albuquerque Dukes (281). Tacoma infielders Ryan Bliss (now with the Mariners) and Samad Taylor co-led the PCL with 50 stolen bases; OF Cade Marlowe added 43.
'We want them to be aggressive,' Russell said. 'It was our identity heading into (last) season. We wanted to put pressure on opposing teams, the pitcher, the defense. It played well, and we had the personnel to do it.
'Any time you can put pressure on the opposing team on the bases, it's a plus.'
— When John Russell dwells on the milestone, it makes him feel 'a little old' — but Tacoma's manager joined an exclusive club last Aug. 20, notching his 1,000th career managerial win. Rainiers first baseman Tyler Locklear sealed a 2-0 shutout over Triple-A Sacramento with an unassisted putout, and Samad Taylor unloaded a Gatorade bucket full of water onto the unsuspecting skipper at Cheney Stadium.
'I enjoy it. I love what I do,' Russell told The News Tribune on Friday. 'I equate it to a toolbox. Fortunately for me, I've been doing it a long time. I've got a lot of tools in the box and I try to use as many as I can.
'It's all about the players, especially at this level. It's making sure they're prepared if Seattle needs them, or if another major league club does… whatever it is.'
Before joining the Rainiers in 2023, Russell directed MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates for three seasons (2008-10) and managed in 10 minor league seasons for the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies organizations dating back to 1995. In 2002, Russell guided the Edmonton Trappers (81-59) to a Pacific Coast League championship.
Tacoma's Casey Lawrence takes the mound for Saturday night's middle game with Triple-A Round Rock, a 6:05 p.m. first pitch at Cheney Stadium.