The Mariners have released right-hander Asher Wojciechowski and left-hander Ian McKinney from their minor league contracts, according to Triple-A Tacoma director of media relations Paul Braverman (Twitter link). Both Wojciechowski and McKinney initially re-signed with Seattle in February.
Wojciechowski has pitched in parts of five MLB seasons since 2015, including a single game with the Yankees during the 2021 campaign. After being released by New York last summer, Wojciechowski signed on with the Mariners on a minors contract but didn’t receive a call to the big leagues, and he elected free agency once the offseason began.
The righty has a 5.93 ERA over 202 career innings, in large part due to a whopping 45 home runs allowed. A first-round pick for the Blue Jays back in 2010, the 33-year-old Wojciechowski has become a journeyman, pitching with nine different organizations at the major and minor league levels across 13 pro seasons.
McKinney is only 27 years old, but has nine seasons in the minors on his resume, pitching in the Cardinals system from 2013-18 and then joining the Mariners in 2019 following a brief stint in independent ball. The southpaw didn’t reach the Triple-A level until 2021 but the results haven’t been good — McKinney has a 7.22 ERA, 15.86% strikeout rate, and 12.75% walk rate over 76 innings in Tacoma in 2021-22.
While neither pitcher was performing well for the Rainiers, the releases do remove two swingman/long relief options from the Mariners’ depth chart. The M’s have gotten a lot of stability out of their rotation this year, with Marco Gonzalez, Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, and Chris Flexen all making their starts, and star prospect George Kirby stepping with some quality work after Matt Brash struggled over five outings.
They released him because the announcers had too much trouble pronouncing his name.
They had trouble saying Ski?
lol As in “Ski-daddle”
The person sewing names on the jerseys threatened to quit.
Billy Hamilton was released by them as well
Who wants a Kelenic? Anybody? Hitting over .300 in AAA!
Far too early to give up on Kelenic.
I think Kelenic will be back as soon as they can get him to relax up there a little bit.
You can’t hit when you’re straining too hard and angry at yourself every at bat.
He’s a talented kid. All of his issues at the plate; it’s all between the ears. That’s what scares me.
However, the next time he gets called up hopefully before September, he’ll have the perfect opportunity to overcome adversity. Up to this point, that hasn’t been the case, and in fact his response to adversity has been visually troublesome, to say the least. Arguing with umps, whining, always having that frustrated look on his face. It’s not ideal, man. The potential that he ends up a bust seems just as likely that he figures it out.
Boy, trust me, I hope I’m wrong. I’m rooting for him. I know he busts his ass.
We’re all armchair psychologists and better GM’s than the pros aren’t we!? Here’s my 2c – at least, here’s what I have seen during his time in Seattle: Kelenic’s frustrations have mostly been directed at himself- he internalizes all the frustration. Last yr he certainly exhibited his frustrations with himself and his perceived injustices/bad calls more outwardly but this year he kept that in check. He knew that his failings were “on him.” Here’s why….>
Over this past offseason he changed his swing and his stance AGAIN! Remember the success he had in the last 5 weeks of 2021? Over the offseason he went away from that swing. He was on record saying he’d give it a month to see if his new stance and swing would help him. It didn’t – and he changed it again in Tacoma where he’s hitting .320 w an OPS of .967 5HRs and 13 RBIs in 17 games.
You can’t blame him for trying something new- a lot of young hitters do that. A lot of veteran hitters do that! Remember how much Kyle Seager tinkered with his swing? Professional golfers do the same- look at Tiger Woods: he had one of the best seasons a golfer has ever had in 2000 (blitzing the field in the US Open at PB) then deconstructed that golf swing! Nick Faldo and Padraig Harrington famously changed their swings immediately following British Open victories. Both of those sports are incredibly difficult. We make it sound easy, but it’s not.
It’s also not all on him. The Mariners as an organization have not been very successful at developing home grown stars since the turn of the century. We’ve had a few, but rarely a few on the same team the same year. Jer Bear has all the physical tools necessary to be an above average everyday major leaguer and the responsibility for his development is shared between the team and the player.
You’re another fan who is lumping this M’s FO in with all the bad ones of the last 20 years. All because of one player- Kelenic, and that sentiment couldnt be farther from the truth.
You bring up past failed M’s projects but this one is not even a full 3 years into a rebuild (2 full seasons and 114 games officially.)
This current Mariners regime CAN spot and develop talent.
Look at the young (star) talent developed over the past 2-3 seasons under Jerry’s tutelage-
Logan Gilbert, G Kirby, K Lewis, and the games next superstar Julio Rodriguez. Just those 4 players alone say Dipoto is not only good at spotting talent- but he’s good at developing it.
After 11 starts Logan Gilbert is officially in the race for this years AL Cy Young. He has a lower ERA than Verlander!!
Look how JP Crawford turned out- a GG All-Star caliber SS at a premium position.
Eric Swanson and Penn Murfee have been developed into really effective RPers.
I can list another half a dozen of our young players who would get snatched up right away if Jerry DFA’d them tonight.
This regime is lightyears ahead of any FO in this Century.
I am really surprised that you took my comment as any sort of lamenting of Jerry or the current regime. Not the case whatsoever. Nothing I said was even remotely controversial or critical. Simply that we haven’t been very good at developing talent since the turn of the century.
Until we make the playoffs…Jerry and his crew don’t get a pass. I am optimistic too, but you’re another fan who’s ready to crown this team before it actually happens. As a 33 year old lifelong mariners fan, you learn to not throw around adulation to front office regimes. You learn to not celebrate prematurely.
You seem sure, I’m cautiously optimistic. Also…all the guys you just named. I love them. They are promising. But have they developed to the point where you can stamp Jerry a genius? Absolutely not, man. We’ve got a 90 win season under our belts that was lucky as hell at that. I love the direction of the team but we still have a ways to go.
A few things I see wrong with your comment.
1. Logan Gilbert hasn’t gotten figured out by other teams yet similar to the way Framber Valdez and Luis Garcia were so successful until there was enough tape on them. He will recede as they do and will have to make adjustments so to compare him to an absolute first ballot HOFer like Verlander is like comparing a Mustang to a Lamborghini.
2. Until they make the playoffs and actually WIN something, then you can call Dipito’s FO a success.
3. FO doesn’t actually develop talent, coaches do. Scouts spot it, FO drafts it, coaches develop it. They have done a better job lately of doing all 3 but again, see above #2.
As a baseball fan, I hope Seattle all the luck in the world. Young talent across the game is getting better and with the new CBA teams are alot more willing to call up or let the young guys play.
1. Logan Gilbert has better raw stuff than Framber Valdez and Luis Garcia. His FB is truly elite, one of the best in the game. He has 3 other pitches to work off his FB. Feel free to research that FB at Baseball Savant, Fangraphs etc.
2. Logan pitched for 5 months in the 2021 season. I would think those 5 months of “tape” would provide the League w plenty of research before Logans 2022 season.
3. Logan has also made adjustments after his 2021 season- look how his FB usage is down. Off speed pitches usage is up. He reshaped his “plus slider” which is now a harder 89-90mph slider. His slider is nasty. Logan Gilbert will have to make adjustments after the League adjusts to his 2022 adjustments but he wont automatically be “found out” by the League just because Framber and Luis have. LG’s raw stuff gives him a slight edge on both your Stros Pitchers
4. I like your car analogy but it doesn’t apply here- I wouldn’t be careless or stupid enough to compare Gilbert to Verlander. Where did I say that? I simply said Logan Gilbert should be in the discussion for THIS YR’s AL Cy Young because he has a lower ERA (2.22) than JV’s 2.23. If Logan Gilbert has the 6th best ERA in the AL (JV is 7th) this includes him in the early season Cy Young favorites. Its just a fact.
Kelenic will get a chance to earn a roster spot in spring training 2023. He has 3 more months in 2022 to mature, get his emotions in check …….. and try just a tiny bit to be humble…..
Hitting 300 in triple A =150 avg in mlb
The Clubhouse Manager refused to even try to put Asher’s Last Name on the back of his uniform, choosing instead to just put on “ASHER W” !!
Speaking of pitching, M’s need to do something about relief pitcher Romo? Unless he improves or is shipped out, he will bust many more games.
Romo does seem to struggle. I flinch now when he comes in the game.
But who knows? Maybe they’ve got one more rabbit up their sleeve.
By the way, it is refreshing to find an actual baseball fan among these comments.
Swanson back within the next day or two, maybe even Giles in the next week or two. He wont last long
Romo is at the end of his career I think. It feels he was signed for what he could be and what he did except for what he is. I think he’ll get released but another team will pick him up. It’s common with relief pitchers-remember Joe Nathan pitched for the cubs for a week or so in 2016.
Romo came into the bullpen ice cold. He did not have a normal off-season. I know vets can construe that as a good thing due to less strain on the arm, but as a location dependent junk thrower, I think the quick turnaround from signing to pitching in game may have affected his stats negatively thus far. Not ready to bail on him yet, but we can’t have anymore 3 run outbursts from him, for sure
Whoooooo Romo came up big tonight!
Did he ever! He looked lazer focused- and Murfee looked great AGAIN, his slider is absolutely fantastic, he’s one of the leaders in all of baseball in stuff+ category. Murfee!! This M’s FO loves their RPers with sweeping frisbee sliders
The Mariners are trending up. They have won three series in a row. Kelenic is mashing at AAA, Kyle Lewis will be back in a few days and Haniger by the 1st of July to bolster the lineup. Don’t lose hope boys!!!
I really think this weekends series against the Rangers will end up being a big turning point. The M’s are still not a full strength and found a way to scrape out two wins in the top of the 9th against good pitching. They knew they needed to win this series and they willed their way to it. I’m very impressed. We need to get Hani back
Hawk, I may well be going out on a limb, but I think this present series against the Astros will be the season turning point for the Mariners.
I think today is when the true character of the team shows itself.
They’ve won 3 series in a row, and it was all on the character of the players.. One of those series was against the Astros Now I feel they will win or maybe even sweep this series in the Astros’ own turf.
We’ve all seen this kind of thing happen before.
Later on:
Robbie Ray is sure trying to ruin my prediction.
He’s giving up too many home runs, and this is not the first time that has happened either.
The middle middle sliders are not gonna fly, man. He needs another pitch like asap or this contract is an absolute albatross.
If Angel Hernandez is an umpire, I can’t take MLB seriously