NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. _ What came first, the winning or the team chemistry? In the stories romanticizing a winning team's camaraderie in the clubhouse, that debate is rarely mentioned.
Do teams win because they have great chemistry? Or is chemistry a product of winning? Are they mutually necessary?
Since general manager Jerry Dipoto was hired, the Mariners have pushed more to the analytical side. They don't sentimentalize long-standing narratives or "this is how it's always been" thinking. They've tried to think creatively about building from within, whether it's biomechanics, mental skills training, leadership techniques or technological advancement. And they aren't afraid to tell you about it.
Yet, in the sauna that is Dickey-Stephens Park in the summer, the Mariners' Class AA affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers, find themselves part of a hopeful experiment for future success. The experiment is an amalgam of the new concepts the Mariners want to become the norm and an emphasis that building team chemistry isn't some antiquated premise but is vital to eventually ending the longest current postseason drought in sports. And maybe, just maybe, winning a World Series title.
"I've always believed in this," Dipoto said as he watched the Travelers work out before Wednesday's Texas League opening playoff game. "It is the idea that we want to take a core group of players _ and it's a new group every year _ and start them together.
"To the extent that you can, keep a group of them moving as a mass, because they learn to trust each other, they play as a team, they really care about other human beings. Most rosters that come to fruition, at the center of it are homegrown players that came through your system and understand the way Mariners do it.
"That's what we see this group being."
