SEATTLE – Tyler Locklear spent 16 games last season living the life of a big-league ballplayer. Now, he’s patiently waiting for his chance to live that dream once again.
And with the way he is swinging the bat down in Triple-A Tacoma, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be long before he is back playing first base at T-Mobile Park.
Locklear, the Mariners’ No. 11 ranked prospect, got his first call to the big leagues last June. He started 2024 in Double-A Arkansas, where he hit .291 with eight homers and 26 RBI in 41 games before being promoted to Tacoma.
Ten games later, Locklear got the call when former Mariners first baseman Ty France went on the Injured List, and he immediately flew to Kansas City, where he arrived at the team hotel after 1 a.m. to meet the Mariners for a day game against the Royals.
“It was one of those surreal moments,” Locklear said. “You never really, like, expect the call to happen until it happens, and it kind of takes your breath away.”
His family was able to be there for his debut at Kauffman Stadium on June 9, where he faced Royals starter Cole Ragans in his first big league at-bat. His first MLB hit was a double off reliever Will Klein in the seventh inning of a 10-inning 6-5 Mariners win.
A few days later, the Baltimore native hit his first big-league home run off then-White Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet at T-Mobile Park.
But Locklear’s initial stay with the Mariners was short-lived, as he was sent back to Triple-A on June 25 after 11 games. He was called back up when France was designated for assignment on July 23, but was optioned back a week a later.
All told, Locklear’s first taste of the big leagues produced a .156 batting average with a .536 OPS, with two homers, three RBI and 20 strikeouts in 49 plate appearances. While those were disappointing numbers, the small sample size still left the Mariners high on Locklear’s potential.
When he was sent down, Locklear said the Mariners’ main request was for him to keep getting better at defense, stay consistent at the plate, and “attack” his strengths.
“That’s really all that they have to tell you, honestly, is just continue to be yourself,” Locklear said. “There’s a reason you got called up, so just continue to pound on it in Triple-A and then you’ll probably be the first call that they make.”
Locklear’s bat has exploded at the plate early this season for Tacoma, with a .330 batting average, a .414 on-base percentage and a .505 slugging mark, with two homers, 11 doubles and 16 RBI in 25 games through Tuesday.
With Mariners first basemen Rowdy Tellez and Donovan Solano both currently hitting below .200 up in Seattle, Locklear seems to be a likely candidate for another call-up sometime this season.
Rainiers manager John Russell has been impressed with the way Locklear has produced this year and excelled at his main job, getting good pitches and driving them a long way.
“Sometimes guys get here and they know they’re really close to Seattle, and they feel like they have to do more to get there,” Russell said. “For him and everybody else that’s here, it’s just go out and be you, and he’s done a really good job with that.”
Before his brief stint with Seattle last season, Locklear shot quickly through the Mariners’ minor league system.
He was picked in the second round by Seattle in the 2022 MLB draft after hitting .402 with a 1.342 OPS, 20 homers and 78 RBI in 62 games as a junior at Virginia Commonwealth. He then managed to hit seven homers and drive in 29 runs later that summer in Single-A Modesto.
Locklear made it to Double-A in 2023 after a hot start to his first full profession season in Single-A Everett, where he had 44 RBI in 61 games. Less than a year later, he was suiting up for his big-league debut.
“It obviously gets super fast, like moving teams and getting new teammates every couple weeks or whatever, when you get called up,” Locklear said. “But you get to know all these guys, like through the years and everything, so you’re familiar with the faces and everything. So it helps a lot.”
Those familiar faces have provided support to Locklear throughout his time in professional baseball, along with players like France and Cal Raleigh, who served as mentors to Locklear both during spring training and his time in the big leagues last season.
Even though he represented competition for France at first base, France took Locklear under his wing, talking through the 24-year old’s at-bats and helping him with defensive techniques that, along with his extensive work with Mariners infield guru Perry Hill, have helped make Locklear into a standout prospect at the position.
“(France) was just really good help, and honestly slowed everything down for me, even though it was really overwhelming,” Locklear said.
Raleigh was another big help during Locklear’s big league stint, and he believes that the young first baseman still has big things ahead of him.
“It’s tough when you’re kind of going up and down like that, and not getting a lot of playing time and getting thrown in some tough situations,” Raleigh said. “But he’s good player. I think he’s super strong, obviously, which helps and he’s got a good swing, plays a solid first base. So, you know, it’s really just about getting an opportunity.”
Much like Locklear, Raleigh struggled at the plate when he first got called up to the big leagues. But what made the difference for him was getting an extended opportunity to play at the major league level, something Locklear has yet to receive.
“I didn’t feel like he got a real, true opportunity,” Raleigh said. “But I think he’s a really good player, and it’s definitely in there. It’s just about opportunity, and I don’t think he’s done anything wrong in the sense of that. It’s just, you know, there’s just some guys here right now that have been there, done that. That’s just how it goes sometimes with the big leagues.”
In the meantime, Locklear is doing everything he can to prove to the Mariners he’s ready for another shot. But while he waits for that phone call to come, Locklear is making sure to keep his feet planted in Tacoma, and not think too hard about when his big league dreams may come again.
“You’ve just really got to stay to yourself and just be diligent about what’s going on down here,” Locklear said. “The best advice I ever got was: ‘You can’t call yourself up, so just be down here and do as good as you can.’”