Mariners' Brian O'Keefe: Possible 2020 playing time
O'Keefe is benefiting from plenty of instructional time during summer camp, and the possibility exists he could see some action at the big-league level in 2020, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "He's super excited to be a part of the organization, and a lot of the things that we've thrown at him on the defensive side he's really taken to," manager Scott Servais said. "He's got things to work on, but he's got power and a lot of arm strength. We're trying to focus on his receiving and getting that up to speed."
O'Keefe has yet to play above Double-A despite the fact he's 26 years old, although he does have a trio of double-digit home-run tallies on his minors resume. The Rule 5 pick out of the Cardinals organization appeared in 10 Cactus League games but logged only nine at-bats, hitting .222 with two RBI, two walks and two runs. While Tom Murphy and Austin Nola are set to handle most of the catching reps this season, Johns points out both may need reinforcement at some point -- Murphy has already missed time during summer camp twice due to fouling a ball off his foot and has started a relatively modest 110 games across his first five big-league seasons, while Nola has only four games of experience behind the dish.
