Tag Archives: Seattle Mariners

by | November 2, 2010 · 8:38 pm

Your 2011 Mariners- Outfield

With the World Series over, free agency is right around the corner.  It’s coming even earlier than usual this year, so I’ll try to get through these overviews of the team before much happens.  Up next:

Outfield

On the Roster

Ichiro– Ichiro had a slightly down year for him in 2010, but he was still the best offensive player on the team.  He’s one of the only players on the roster worth coming to the park to see, and there’s no reason to think he won’t be just as good and probably better next year.  Sure, he’s paid a lot, but nothing’s changing that now, so sit back and enjoy him.

Franklin Gutierrez– After a fast start, Guti joined the rest of the team in having an extremely disappointing year.  2009 Franklin is a guy to build a team around; 2010 Franklin is a borderline starter.  Now probably isn’t the time to trade him, but I’d be open to the possibility if the team has confidence in Michael Saunders and thinks he can play center.  In reality, I think he’ll be starting again in center in 2011, barring some mega-deal where he’s one of several pieces going out.  He still has a lot of potential, and the defense didn’t really dip, but the jury’s now out on Gutierrez. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Mariners

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

by | November 2, 2010 · 11:30 am

Hot Links

Read a few things that caught my eye today. 

  • With Jake Locker out, take a look at the possible future with UW QB commit Joseph Gray.  Not a ton of info here, but his team is 8-0 and he’s put up some massive numbers this year.  He was lightly recruited until he committed, but word is that lots of teams were/are starting to take an interest.  Maybe the biggest knock on Gray is lack of size, as he stands only about 6′.
  • I’ve always felt bad for Kevin Riley, who has been a good QB sometimes, and a horrendous one occasionally.  His season and career are now over after an injury last week at OSU, and Ted Miller has a really nice little article.  Best of luck to Riley in the future.  I wish he could have gone out better, like getting beat by the Huskies!
  • If you’re a Mariner fan and don’t already, you should just read Lookout Landing every day.  If you don’t yet, start with this.  It’s kind of hopeful.  I wouldn’t have any problem with the Mariners getting rid of Lincoln and Armstrong, but I fully disagree with anyone who says the Mariners can’t win as long as they’re here.  They might make it harder, but what wins games is talent on the field, not ownership.  If you haven’t noticed, the Mariners need better players.  Speaking of which…
  • Prospect Insider has a post about potential shortstop solutions.  I looked at the shortstops on the Mariners roster recently and proclaimed the situation pretty bleak.  Jason Churchill doesn’t make many predictions, but he brings up a few names I hadn’t thought about.  Jose Reyes, anyone?  Not likely, but what is the offseason for if not a chance to dream?

-Matthew

2 Comments

Filed under Huskies Football, Mariners

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | October 15, 2010 · 12:59 pm

Eric Wedge to be named Mariners manager

SI.com is reporting the Mariners will hire former Indians skipper Eric Wedge. I am not too excited about this move. Wedge is another “yes-man” able to do what the upper management says. The problem with this franchise is Lincoln and Armstrong. With those two dinosaurs running things, the M’s don’t have a chance. Yawn.

Have a nice weekend.

-Joe

3 Comments

Filed under Mariners

Tagged as ,

by | September 23, 2010 · 2:14 pm

Felix will win the Cy Young

So Felix Hernandez goes 8 innings, gives up 2 hits, one run, a HR to league leader Jose Bautista. No shame in that. Problem is the Mariners continue their epic fail of a season and score exactly zero runs for Felix, yet again. I have never heard of a pitcher who gets less support from his teammates. The man continually goes out there week after week, throws quality game after quality game, never complains except when they pull him early, and plays with fire and intensity. Felix is my hero.

Will he win the Cy Young? He will. I guarantee it. The sympathy vote. Enough national writers know about how terrible the Mariners offense is, today was a prime example. If Felix plays for the Yankess he has 23 wins right now, maybe more, and is literally the king of NYC. It’s impressive how he can get himself up for games that mean nothing and considering the Mariners have been playing meaningless games since April, it’s amazing. Statistically it’s an easy choice, the win-loss record that may be his downfall, but pitchers have almost no control over that. Every category he has control over he is dominating.

Could Seattle be home to a Cy Young winner with a sub .500 record, and an NFL division winner with the same? Could happen. Only in Seattle.

-Joe

Leave a comment

Filed under Mariners

Tagged as , , , ,

by | May 29, 2010 · 10:10 am

Mariners Recap – 5-28-10

Three in a row!

The Amazing Cliff Lee. That sums up how I feel about him. I simply cannot, as a baseball fan, miss one of his starts. I realize there is a possibility he won’t be with the Mariners all year, so I enjoy each inning he takes the mound. Last night verses the Angels, Lee showed why is a bulldog winner and someone I really hope the Mariners can convince to stay for the long term.

In the first inning, home plate umpire Brian Knight decided to squeeze Lee. Cliff walked only his second batter of the year, and he was visually annoyed on the mound, and I was visually annoyed from my couch. Lee was clearly throwing strikes. The small strike zone forced Lee to throw more down the middle, therefore allowing Angles hitters to get decent wood on the ball. Lee then committed an odd throwing error. Before we knew it, 2-0 Angels. That, though, is the end of the Angels success.

Over the next 7 innings, Lee proceeded to strike out 10 batters. Mixing his fastball with a devastating change, the Angels were so off balance it was embarrassing. Lee made legit big-league hitters like Abreu, Matsui and Hunter look like fools. One thing the Angels have is a solid lineup, there really are no slouches in there, and Lee worked with a break-neck pace mowing down one after another. There were a lot of heroes, Lee is one of them. Lee’s 14:1 K/BB still leads MLB. 42 K’s, 3 BB’s. Amazing.

At the plate, I was impressed with the Mariners hitters yet again. They stayed aggressive against Kazmir, who had control problems from the get go. They were selective, sitting on his very average fastball. Gutierrez, Bradley, and Lopez (yes, JOSE LOPEZ) all looked great at the plate. Sweeney was the only goat of the night, going 0-5 with 3LOB. Other than that, the Mariners kept the pressure on the Angels pitchers. Even Figgins and Robo Rob had good AB’s, staying patient and drawing walks or getting their pitches for RBI doubles.

Hero(s): Cliff Lee, Franklin Gutierrez
Goat: Mike Sweeney

Overall, impressive victory by the Mariners! Felix on the mound today!!

-Joe

Leave a comment

Filed under M's Game Recaps, Mariners

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | May 25, 2010 · 6:23 pm

The Lost Mariners

A couple of nights ago one of my favorite TV shows of all time, Lost, ended.  Over the past 6 years, I’ve spent countless hours trying to decifer plots and come up with theories to crack this ridiculously confusing show.  Last week, a friend asked me how many hours a week I spend watching sports.  I came up with the estimate of 25 hours a week.  I then went on to question my life but that’s not relevant to this post.  When combining the hours I’ve spent on Lost and sports, it’s safe to say that I’ve done little else. 

But now Lost is over and in honor of the series finale (and in honor of the Sports Guy, who is also a Lost lover) I’m playing the match the “Mariner With the Lost Character” game.  If you don’t know what this game is then read the title again and it should explain it.  If you’re still lost (no pun intended) the game simply goes as this:  I pick a character from Lost and then find the Seattle Mariner who fits the bill of that character.  Here we go!

Jack Shepard – Franklin Gutierrez

When Oceanic flight 815 crashed on the mysterious island, Jack became the leader of the survivors.  He didn’t do this by choice, he did this because it was the role assigned to him.  He was younger than a good share of the survivors and probably wasn’t as wise as some, but when he did things people followed.  We find that Jack is a lost man before and after he’s on the island; he feels empty, worthless as a spinal surgeon, and can never truly find peace.  I disliked Jack because he was annoying a good share of the time and sometimes jumped the gun on decisions but in the end he did what was best for his friends on the island and was a good leader. 

This one is difficult because the Mariners’ don’t have a clear cut leader that fits the demeanor of Jack Shepard.  With that being said Franklin makes sense.  Before Guti came to the Mariners’ he was a no-name right fielder who couldn’t really hit.  He wasn’t given a starting position in Cleveland and was a fantastic defensive outfielder before defense became cool.  Then he came here.  He was given a chance and found himself to be one of the best players on the team.  What we don’t realize is how much of a leader Franklin is.  Sure, he’s not one of the outspoken guys in the clubhouse but on the field the team goes as he goes.  When Guti was on his hot-streak early in the season the team was playing a ton better than they are right now (they were actually winning).  Franklin is in the middle of the order because that’s where the team needs him to be.  Like Jack, he’s young, still learning and makes mistakes from time to time but we’re sure glad he’s on our side.  Guti is a lot less annoying than Jack.  He’s the leader of the team on the field, and it wasn’t his choice to take that role.  It just kind of happened much like a certain doctor became leader of the Lost cast.

Hurley (Hugo Reyes) – Mike Sweeney

This one is close to perfect.  Off the island, Hurley won the lottery and then became cursed by a set of numbers.  He had more bad luck than the bird I just watched my dog kill.  But once he crashes on the island we find that Hugo is the most caring survivor of them all.  He would do anything for any of his friends and he fills the role of caretaker of the island in the season finale.  Hurley is just the all around nice guy that it’s hard to root against.

Mike Sweeney is the epitome of a nice guy.  He cares more about his teammates than any other guy on the Mariners and would do just about anything for them.  Sweeney isn’t without his bad luck though.  His career was disrupted by never-ending injuries and he played for the Royals.  Playing for the Royals is about as unlucky as you can get.  Hurley and Sweeney are the type of guys who would smile and say hello to you as you walked by on the street.  They care about their friends/teammates above everything else.  Thankfully, the one that is real is hitting the ball really well right now.

To the jump and more comparisons!

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Mariners

Tagged as ,

by | May 14, 2010 · 10:14 am

Mariners Game Recap – 5/13 – Worst loss so far?

Well, well, well, how did I draw this game recap? I wanted it of course, Felix on the mound against the worst team in the league, this was an air-tight opportunity to see a great pitcher dominate and the Mariners win. Up until the bottom of the 8th, the M’s had it, and then it happened. League has been solid all year, but he blew up. Base hits, walks, home runs, it was a bloodbath. Then the M’s put two guys on in the 9th, Josh Wilson at 2nd base, Ichiro rips a base hit to left field, and Mike Brumley, as he is want to do, sends Wilson. Patterson makes a perfect throw, and Wilson is gunned down to end the game. I don’t blame Brumley for sending Wilson, do you really think Figgins is capable of getting a hit to drive him in? He looked terrible all day going 0-3 with 2 K’s. Here are some of observations:

  • Michael Saunders is coming into his own and establishing himself as a legit option in left field. Dan and I agree that Saunders should in left, Bradley at DH when he comes back. Saunders’ at bat in the 5th was a sight to behold fouling pitch after pitch off before hitting a single to right to score Ichiro.
  • Ichiro is “quietly” batting .348 with 10 stolen bases and a top 15 OBP. He is, yet again, having an all-star season. I wonder if people still want Figgins leading off?
  • Felix had a nice bounce back game dominating Baltimore. That was good to see. I feel Wak should have left him in there into the 8th, but hindsight is 20/20. This is Baltimore, you would expect our bullpen to shut down one of the worst teams in the league.

Overall this game was a heart-breaker. For my money the worst loss of the year. It’s too bad, a lot of good happened. Let’s hope The Fist stops the bleeding and yet again gives the Mariners hitters a chance to win.

-Joe

(Forgot the hero and goat: Hero – Michael Saunders. Goat – Brandon League.)

7 Comments

Filed under M's Game Recaps, Mariners

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | May 6, 2010 · 4:48 pm

Bradley to the Restricted List; Saunders Called Up

The Mariners have placed Bradley on the Restricted List, which opens up a roster spot and to my eye looks like a list for guys who are not injured, but have other reasons why they are not playing. Michael Saunders has been recalled from Tacoma.

The good news is Bradley is receiving professional help for his problems. Appropriate move by the Mariners. Open up a roster spot, move forward because baseball will not wait, and hope Bradley can get healthy.

-Joe

2 Comments

Filed under M's Transaction News, Mariners

Tagged as ,