Top prospect Taijuan Walker, along with lefties Danny Hultzen and James Paxton, made up what Mariners fans often referred to as "The Big Three," representing the core of the rotation that would lead Seattle into the next generation.
Before Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz were signed to mega-deals in an effort to bulk up the Mariners’ offense, the fortunes of Seattle’s future seemed to be hinged to a trio of young arms.
Top prospect Taijuan Walker, along with lefties Danny Hultzen and James Paxton, made up what Mariners fans often referred to as “The Big Three,” representing the core of the rotation that would lead Seattle into the next generation.
Injuries have kept all three starters from being major contributors thus far, but this spring has provided signs that the future may be getting closer.
Hultzen made his first appearance in more than a year on March 11, when he returned from major shoulder reconstruction surgery to throw a scoreless inning of relief.
“I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time,” he told reporters after the session.
Hultzen’s outing was the only one in the Mariners’ major league camp, as he was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma a few days later.
“I thought it was important that we got him out there” for the spring outing, manager Lloyd McClendon said after Hultzen was sent back to Tacoma. “He worked hard for that moment. And I didn’t want to deny him that.”
The 25-year-old Hultzen, who was the second overall pick in the 2011 draft, still has a long way to go to prove himself as a legitimate long-term option, but his return was a positive step in the right direction.
Fellow southpaw Paxton has had the most success of the three at the big-league level (9-4, 2.66 ERA over 17 career starts), but nagging injuries have prevented him from playing a full season.
Paxton’s spring started in familiar fashion, with health concerns — this time, a freak accident during a pre-spring workout — delaying his debut, but the 26-year-old Paxton returned to the mound last week and is being counted upon to be a big part of the Mariners’ rotation this season.
“I feel really good, healthy,” Paxton said after facing live batters for the first time during a 30-pitch session on March 10. “There’s nothing wrong with my arm. It felt good to get back on the mound and have some hitters in the box.”
Walker, 22, has had a few opportunities over the past two Septembers but has yet to establish himself as the top-of-the-rotation starter the Mariners see him being in the future.
The organization feels strongly enough about Walker to have balked at including him in any trade offers, and his spring has already included three strong outings as the big right-hander has all but nailed down a spot in the Opening Day rotation.
“I think he’s come a long way from September of last year,” McClendon told reporters after his latest scoreless outing of the spring. “He’s grown quite a bit.”
The best days of the so-called “Big Three” are probably still a ways away, but the Mariners might be counting on two of them to make significant impacts this season.
The good news is that Seattle has enough offense and pitching depth to take some of the pressure off Walker and Paxton and give Hultzen time to get fully healthy.
