Mariners Moose Tracks, 3/22/20: Donnie Walton, Richard Sunagawa, and one very hard guessing game

Hello! In exciting personal news, yesterday I left the house for the first time in over a week. Hot tip: if you are in West Seattle, Meeples game store is doing curbside pickup for the games they have in stock; there’s a list on their website. I also stopped off at West 5 for a carryout order and was pleasantly surprised to get a $10 gift card with my order. Keep on supporting those local businesses however possible!

In Mariners news:

• Mariners prospect Carlos Jimenez (a J2 signee this year) has, like his teammates, been sent home from the Mariners’ Dominican Academy, so he and some friends teamed up to deliver meals to the elderly and needy in his neighborhood.

• In addition to running a signed ball giveaway on Twitter, Art Warren gifted some signed balls to kids playing in a park near his house.

• It’s never too late for the Big Unit to get the Pitching Ninja treatment.

• Everett’s season doesn’t start until mid-June anyway, but AquaSox GM Danny Tetzlaff is prepared for the season to be delayed.
• Donnie Walton caught up with his hometown ABC affiliate to tell a local sports reporter about what it’s like being on pause as a pro athlete:

• In Mariners-adjacent news: Mariners prospect Joey O’Brien’s brother Richard Sunagawa, who has been playing for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ development team (analogous to being in the farm system), was offered a contract by the Hawks, who added him to their protected players list. In addition to being bilingual and friends with fellow Hawk and expat Carter Stewart, the 20-year-old Sunagawa has a big personality and a big bat. It will be fun to watch his career unfold in NPB.

Around the league:

• If you’re looking for some pleasant background noise while you work from home or just some other things to watch, MLB has unlocked the 2018 and 2019 seasons for free on MLB TV. Earlier seasons are available on YouTube. What game are you most excited to go back and watch?
• And if you’re near a TV and, like me, love you some WBC, MLB Network is replaying some of the 2017 games today starting at 8 AM PT.
• If you’ve been poo-pooing Matthew’s Sporcles as too easy (make sure to play the longest-tenured player for each team one if you haven’t), this Baseball Savant guessing game that has you guess the pitcher based solely on pitch location and percentage might be the quiz for you.

Kate’s pick:

I was surprised to find how passionately I feel about New Wave music based on the draft results here. This is obviously one of those silly things that we’re doing to while away the time in our shared coronavirus nightmare and does not matter at all, and yet also anyone who rates “I Ran” above “Space Age Love Song” as the best Flock of Seagulls song belongs in the Hague.

Also although I was happy to see XTC even get a draft spot, the far superior XTC song is “Senses Working Overtime.” If you haven’t heard it, enjoy. (And if you have heard it, here’s a deeper cut that’s one of my favorites.)