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Welcome to the show Ryan Bliss. The Troup alum got the call to the major leagues on Monday, being called up to the Seattle Mariners active roster and making his MLB debut.

“We had a day game in Tacoma yesterday, and John Russell, our manager, called me and said, ‘You won’t be making the flight to Sacramento because you’d be staying here with the big league team,’ so it was a pretty cool moment. It was awesome,” Bliss said. “It was actually a great experience because my (family) was here in Tacoma for the holiday weekend and that’s about to take them to the airport to head back to Atlanta and I called them, they canceled everything and now we’re here.

“I had a few tears coming down myself.”

Bliss made his MLB debut in a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros. Bliss was 0-2 with a walk and multiple outs on defense as he locked down second base.

“It’s still a game of baseball, still gotta go out here and help this team win. I have the same goal as them we’re all trying to win a pennant and go to the World Series,” he said.

In 50 games with Triple-A Tacoma this season, Bliss hit .247 with seven home runs and 35 RBI. Bliss is first in all of Triple-A with 28 steals. 

Since May 1, Bliss is batting .289 with 18 runs, 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 15 RBI, 17 walks, 17 strikeouts and 14 stolen bases, getting on base at a .412 clip and slugging .482 (.894 OPS). Over his last 15 games since May 9, he is batting .304 (17×56) with 3 doubles, 4 home runs, 14 RBI and a .992 OPS.

He started for the National League in the 2023 MLB All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park, going 0-for-1 with 1 walk.

Bliss is ranked as the no. 11 overall prospect for the Mariners by MLB Pipeline.

Before being taken in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks Bliss was a star for Auburn for three seasons and spent four outstanding seasons as a Troup Tiger. 

Bliss was a member of the Diamondbacks organization before being traded to the Mariners late last year. 

Bliss has appeared in parts of 4 minor league seasons in the Arizona (2021–23) and Seattle (2023-c) systems. He is a career .262 (344×1313) hitter, with 239 runs, 72 doubles, 15 triples, 46 home runs, 182 RBI and 127 stolen bases, getting on base at a .347 clip and slugging .445 (.791 OPS). The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the 2nd round of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft. He was acquired by the Mariners along with OF Dominic Canzone and INF Josh Rojas in exchange for RHP Paul Sewald on July 31, 2023.

“I want to make sure that I’m helping his team out in defense and these pitchers out and then in the box just be myself and really understand the type of player that I am and not trying to do too much,” Bliss said. “Just being the player that I know that these guys want me to be and to help this team.”