Seattle, WA
Story of Seattle Mariners drafting Ben Williamson says a lot
Ben Williamson has only been on the Seattle Mariners’ roster for three weeks, but it seems like a lot longer than that.
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That’s owed to how well Williamson has done so far in at the big league level, belying his full pro experience of 166 games – including in the minors – that just recently passed what covers a full MLB season.
The 24-year-old third baseman has fit right in with the Mariners, hitting .242 with a home run and three doubles in 16 games – and that’s only after a few hitless games over the last week drove his average down from .310 through his first 11 contests.
Williamson is also a very capable third baseman defensively, to the point that it’s not rare to read his name and the words “Gold Glove potential” next to each other.
Mariners rookie Ben Williamson makes jaw-dropping catch
Maturity seems to an important element of Williamson’s personality, and his even-keel nature was on display right from the moment that the Mariners picked him in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Virginia’s College of William and Mary.
On an episode of The Wheelhouse podcast released on Saturday, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto detailed the humorous conversation that Mariners director of amateur scouting Scott Hunter had on a video call with Williamson to tell him he had been taken with one of the last picks on the first night of that draft.
Here’s a summation of how Dipoto said the conversation went, with Williamson speaking in a hushed tone while sitting in the dark while the Mariners’ draft room was abuzz following three first-round picks.
• Scott Hunter: “Ben, its Scott Hunter with the Seattle Mariners. Congratulations. Have you talked to your agent?”
• Ben Williamson: “No.”
• Hunter: “We just took you in the second round. Are you watching the draft?”
• Williamson: “No.”
• Hunter: “Are you sitting in the dark?”
• Williamson: “Yeah, yeah, I’m at my parents’ – they’re upstairs sleeping.”
• Hunter: “You might want to go wake them up.”
• Williamson: “No, they’ve got work in the morning.”
Well, they do say in sports to act live you’re been there before.
While the Mariners were the team to take Williamson with the 57th overall pick, his status as a college senior who could be signed “under slot” – less than the assigned bonus for their slot in the draft – apparently made him a popular name around the league.
“We got a lot of angry texts after we popped him in the second round,” Dipoto said, “because there were a number of teams that that had their sights set on him in order to do creative things in the draft. … We actually had him in a pretty prominent place on our board, and hopefully time tells us that we had him in the right place, but we had some people in the room arguing that they thought he was a first-round talent on his own (who) just so happened to be a senior.”
At home among the big leaguers
Dipoto pointed to a few other things that speak to why Williamson was able to hit the ground running with the Mariners after getting called up with just 14 games at Triple-A under his belt.
“Since the day he stepped out on a field (after signing with the Mariners)… he has been one of the most consistent people that we’ve had in our organization,” Dipoto said. “He’s thoughtful, he puts in the work. If he’s not out on the field or in the cages, he’s in the weight room. He’s an awesome teammate.
“We saw it in spring training – he had a really good spring, and he just absorbed as much as he could.”
What the Mariners saw from Williamson this spring included him running in a different kind of circle than most players with his level of experience tend to.
“Every minute that he could, he was always hovering around the veteran hitters, trying to pull whatever he could from them,” Dipoto continued. “And more often with guys who are in their first big league camp or they’re coming in (from the minors), they’ll pool up with the other guys who are in their circumstance. And Ben didn’t do that in the spring.
“He spent a lot of time around J.P. (Crawford), he spent a lot of time around the veteran hitters… And it gave him a level of comfort when he got his call up.”
Click here for the full episode of The Wheelhouse with Jerry Dipoto.
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Seattle, WA
Outreach groups respond to the reported relocation cycle of Ballard’s homeless population
SEATTLE — As people voice concerns about an encampment in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, outreach groups are detailing their efforts and fighting back against encampment removals.
The outreach group We Heart Seattle said it checks on the people in an encampment of at least 20 people weekly to offer water, snacks, personal hygiene items, and access to treatment.
RELATED | Ballard encampment grows after city removes nearby site along Burke-Gilman Trail
The group told KOMO it believes more can be done at the city level, from policy to housing, to get the homeless connected with shelter and services.
A woman working at the Fred Meyer off NW 45th Street and 9th Avenue captured video of a fire near tents at an encampment across the street. A day later, off camera, she told KOMO News she worries about the safety of the people living in the tents and Ballard neighbors, in addition to concerns about alleged open-air drug use at the encampment.
“We became homeless because of certain situations, and we turned to drugs, and unfortunately, addiction comes next, you know?” Crystal Rawlings told KOMO News. She has set up her tent on multiple streets in Ballard, and said she’s approaching one year of being opioid-free.
She believes there’s been more city outreach since the start of the new mayoral administration to connect people living on the streets with services, but knows there’s not enough transitional housing for everyone who needs or wants it.
She and the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger urge the city to stop encampment removals that push this group to another block.
RELATED | City removes Ballard encampment as neighboring businesses raise housing concerns
“We’re not abominations. We’re not obstructions, and we’re not trash, so stop sweeping us,” Rawlings stated.
The city is still aiming to reach Mayor Katie Wilson’s goal of adding 1,000 new units of shelter in 2026 and recently opened a tiny home village in nearby Interbay, but fell short of the goal of 500 new units by June.
Andrea Suarez with We Heart Seattle estimates at least 20 people living on the street keep getting moved around Ballard, from behind the Albert Lee store to Leary Avenue to NW 45th Street behind the Fred Meyer.
“This encampment has people that’ve been homeless for more than five years. We know their names and faces. They’re still here. They’re still stuck in late-phase addiction, frankly because it’s permitted,” Suarez explained.
RELATED | Viral makeshift homeless shelter with chimney dismantled by Seattle city crews
She believes a camping ban on city sidewalks would help encourage more people to accept shelter, and help stop the cycle of moving people without
“It is an underserved community. I think it is unfair,” Suarez added. “We’ve tried to balance between enablement and really giving people a hand up, but without the teeth and backup for the work of outreach workers, it starts to feel futile, and that’s why we get burned out.”
The mayor’s office was working to send data about its homeless response in Ballard as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger estimates there have been nine Ballard-area encampment removals so far this year.
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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