Mariner Cole Wilcox’s Unexpected Strategy Could Change His Career Trajectory Forever

Another thing that’s made the transition easier for Wilcox is that the Mariners run their operations very similar to the Rays. Wilcox said the Mariners haven’t asked him to do anything differently, pitching-wise, despite the common perception that the Mariners “overhaul” pitchers when they acquire them.

“It’s the same thing with the Rays,” he said. “Everybody’s like, oh, there’s a ‘magic formula’ or something. But really they just encourage you to compete, which is nice. It makes it simple, and the more you can simplify the game of baseball, just let talent take over and the work take over, it’s a lot easier to play well.”

One of the adjustments Wilcox has had to make is in transitioning to a reliever role, something he started with the Rays, who were hoping to see the stuff tick up after his recovery from TJ surgery in 2021-2022. It was a challenging recovery for Wilcox, whose calling card as a prospect had always been elite velocity.

“I threw pretty hard in college, but ever since the injury, getting that velocity back has been kind of tough. So last year was the first year it kind of came back.”