Mariners Won’t Have Traditional Instructional League

While instructional leagues in Florida and Arizona aren’t about games—official standings and statistics are not part of any record—teams do play games.

A lot of games. After playing about 140 games in the regular season, or more than 70 in short-season leagues.

For 2016, the Mariners have decided that’s enough games. They’ve decided not to field a team in the fall instructional league in Arizona and instead plan to replace the 25-30 day instructs with four week-long programs throughout the offseason.

The idea, farm director Andy McKay said Saturday, was to replicate the success of the January hitting summit the Mariners instituted, which they have considered a smashing success.

In fact, Mariners affiliates have had a very strong 2016 in McKay’s first year as farm director. Seattle’s domestic affiliates lead Organized Baseball with a .581 winning percentage.

“We spent a weeklong period of time trying to create as much clarity as possible in what we’re trying to do offensively in the batter’s box. with our staff and our players together, to create the Mariner Way,” McKay said. “It was wildly successful based on the results of this year. If the season ended today, every affiliate will play in postseason.

“So we wanted to mirror that three or four times through the offseason. We’re still not sure exactly how that will develop.”

McKay acknowledged that finances were part of the equation as well, saying in essence that the Mariners were trying to ascertain what the best way to get a return on their investment in prospects would be. They’ve decided to try not having a classic instructional league team.

One benefit he hopes to see from the offseason week-long programs would be keeping closer tabs on their farmhands in the offseason. For hitters who need more at-bats or pitchers who need innings for whatever reason after the regular season, the Mariners hope to be aggressive in getting their players winter-ball assignments, whether in the Arizona Fall League or in Latin American leagues.

In an era where scouts regularly blame the amateur showcase scene for producing players who don’t “know how to win,” the Mariners have made winning and teaching players and staff to value winning a focus in 2016, and it’s likely to be an offseason focus as well in the new week-long programs that will replace the traditional instructional league.

“Games are way down on my list of priorities in the offseason,” said McKay, a former head coach at Sacramento City CC who previously worked in the Rockies farm system. “Individual skill development and developing our culture are more significant goals. These windows will allow us to individualize training programs and address our culture. specifically on our timeframe.

“We don’t see the need right now to extend the season another 30 games. There’s value to that, but hopefully more value to the things that we want to do.”