Suffering & Smiling Seattle

In the spirit of Pearl Jam re-releasing their Ten album, I thought it the best time to break down the band’s hometown Mariners. The Seattle grunge era seems like eons ago but I still remember all the music coming from this great state starting in 1990. It seems just as long ago that the Mariners were a relevant playoff team.
Ichiro was the hero of the World Baseball Classic Monday night when he drove in the winning run for Japan in extra innings against Korea. Perhaps Suziki’s shining moment is an omen for an officially ominous Mariners team. Seattle had high expectations beginning in 2008, but all hopes came crashing to a bleak, battered and bitter ending. Today is George Sisler’s birthday. Most baseball experts agree Ichiro is comparable to Sisler more than any other old-timer. Sisler was a slap-hitter and Ichiro mimics that style. Years ago, Ichiro was not a replaceable player. All he did was bang out hit after hit. The Gold Glove, All-Star centerfielder, drew worldwide crowds and was one of the most productive hitters in the game. A decade ago, another centerfielder was a beloved idol. Number 24, Ken Griffey, Jr. was “The Kid” but he was “The Man” to most Seattle fans. Griffey’s smile lit up the stadium and filled fans’ hearts with joy. Griffey is back in a Mariners’ uniform this year and will probably spend the rest of his days with the club. His popular presence is one of the things Seattle fans have to look forward to after a losing season in which managers, Bill Bavasi and John McLaren, were fired. The team needs to inject some power into the offense and into ticket sales, and signing Griffey will do just that. He was a Seattle staple even before Starbucks took over the city.
New no-nonsense skipper, Don Wakamatsu, takes over full time. Wakamatsu has an important decision to make when it comes to his use of Griffey. Ken has spent some time playing left field this Spring. He hasn’t played the position since the 2002 season with the Reds. Most managers in the organization feel Griffey should stick soley to DH in Seattle, but he is still testing the waters in the outfield. The Mariners made important off-season moves that could help shape the best defensive outfield in the AL. With Ichiro manning CF and the signings of Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez, why risk having Ken get a dirty glove? Chavez does not have a great on base percentage but Endy makes all the plays on the field. Griffey’s shimmering slugging ability to tie the game with one swing of the bat may factor into whether or not he is the everyday leftfielder. Griffey’s numbers scream Hall-Of-Famer, but the veteran may have to designate himself to the DH role.
Gutierrez has been working on his outfield play by watching videos of opposing hitters. The Mariners traded closer, J.J. Putz for Gutierrez in the winter anticipating a defensive boost to their outfield. The 26 year old Franklin is only in his second season but already understands the importance of learning how to read hitters when they make contact. He’s a smart player and one of the young studs playing for Seattle this year. He played right field for the Indians starting in 2007, and all of last season. But scouts predict he will make a better outfielder in center. His arm discourages runners from trying to take extra bases because his timing is excellent. Franklin struggles at the plate, hitting under .250 last year. His focus this year will be executing bunts and doing little things to help Seattle score runs.
A promising plethora of pitching has fans in paradise up in the northwest. Felix Hernandez is the king of the staff. The right-handed Venezuelan leads the rotation. While Ichiro is the mainstay symbol of the Mariners, Hernandez is the sheriff of the town. The 22 year old phenom went 9-11 in 2008 and 14-7 in 2007, while keeping an ERA under 3.92. He allowed fewer homers, runs and hits each year and projects to be even more efficient for the M’s as he progresses. Felix is a top five pitcher on a bad team. He could use some run support and work on becoming more consistent. Hernandez has unheralded talent and the Mariners should allow him to pitch as much as possible.
Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn are the lefties in the rotation. Bedard was a big disappointment after arriving with something to prove from Baltimore. He was considered one of the best AL East aces back then but had trouble with a move west. He went 6-4 in only 81 injury-pegged innings last season for the M’s. Erik will probably spend more days on the DL this year as well. Washburn’s had a solid career and made a name for himself in the Anaheim organization. The 34 year veteran is 98-100 in his 11 year span of a career. It would be nice if Jarrod could jolt his record to the winning side. Since becoming a Mariner in 2006, Washburn’s ERA has fluctuated and failed to return to a respectable under 4.0 mark. His pitches are fluent and flowing but he figures to have some bad outings at Safeco again in 2009. His playoff numbers are staggering to say the least. Should Seattle sneak and slip into the post-season, Washburn will have to find a way to rattle the opposition.
Carlos Silva is a right-hander with poor statistics and susceptibility of being racked by AL homer-hungry hitters. Silva’s 4.15 record and 6.46 ERA were dismal reminders of a pitcher needing a new direction. The balls flying out of the park courtesy of Carlos do not help his case for a permanent job. He only fanned 69 batters in 2008. Carlos needs to make improvements or will not crack the Seattle rotation. He has lost some weight, so maybe that will make him a better mound manager.
Brandon Morrow and Ryan Rowland-Smith. If Morrow’s elbow is sore to start April, Rowland-Smith will fill his shoes. Rowland-Smith is a mid-rotation arm who has matured quicker than most scouts thought. He is an Austrailian lefty with pinpoint control. Rowland-Smith went 5-3 with 77 strikeouts in 2008. Morrow’s curveball dazzled the Yankees last year and Brandon looks to be a solid starter in 2009. He needs to work on his fastball more than Smith, who throws in the upper 90’s. Morrow’s makeup shows potential because he has the mechanics to be a quality starter. Brandon was a 2006 first round draft pick for Seattle. He is supposed to be the third starter in the rotation but may have to build strength in the minors initially. Rookie Chris Jakubauskas is another pitcher who has exceeded Wakamatsu’s expectations so far. The tenacious youngster mixes pitches well and has an aggressive attitude.
RHPs Tyler Walker and David Aardsma are bullpen arms who could replace the former M’s closer, Putz. Putz was as good as gold in the closer role and will now try his luck as a setup man for the New York Mets. Walker was brought over from the Giants and Aardsma arrives from Boston with his 10-3 record and zero saves. Seattle may be looking at a closer-by-committee situation if nobody convincingly emerges. R.A. Dickey left Washington and signed in the Twin cities. He was a long reliever last year for Seattle, but the Mariners will hardly miss him walking batters by the bunches. Righty, Miguel Batista, remains an option for closer also, but is a quality arm with experience in relief roles. He doesn’t allow many homeruns and he did win 16 games just two years ago for the organization. Roy Corcoran and Mark Lowe concoct two more right-handed hurlers for Wakamatsu. Roy makes an ideal righty set up man but closing games has not been officially ruled out. The sinkerballer Corcoran had a very effective 2008 and is one of the top groundball pitchers in the league. His fastball is not dominant but with a 3.76 career ERA, you can’t argue Roy’s success in getting the job done. Lowe is more of a power pitcher with impressive velocity and strikeout success. Cesar Jimenez, a 24 year old lefty, has a chance to snag a support stint in the pen too. Another lefty, Ryan Feierabend, is out of action after having Tommy John surgery.
Ichiro is the right-handed leadoff man with 315 stolen bases and 380 base-on-balls in his career. Suziki has hit at least .300 in every season since his 2001 rookie debut in the USA. He’s also made at least 640 at-bats each season, meaning the man knows what hard work is. At 35, Ichiro continues to drive in 100 RBIs and slap the ball for singles tremendously. Shortstop, Yuniesky Betancourt, 2B Jose Lopez, 3B Adrian Beltre and C Jeff Clement make up the infield but are not penciled in permanently. Adjustments can still be made in any of the infield spots for Seattle before Opening Day. It’s anyone’s guess what the actual batting order will look like to start the year. Wakamatsu will toy with his options throughout the remainder of Spring training until he likes what he sees.
Betancourt is a gifted player who had 7 homeruns last year. His Spring numbers make him the leading candidate to start at short. Yuniesky is a little guy but he works well with other middle infielders. His crisp footwork and light touch are good assets for a shortstop. At the plate, he has success when swinging at the first pitch. In first pitch swings, Betancourt batted .335 last season. Lopez is a powerful hitter with higher than average offensive numbers for most second basemen. The 25 year old Venezuelan had 277 RBIs to his credit in 4 seasons with Seattle. He also enjoyed an efficient on base and slugging percentage. Ronny Cedeno is a utility SS/2B who could steal time from Lopez or Betancourt. Cedeno was traded to Seattle this off-season from the Cubs. Mike Sweeney and Russell Branyan, two 1B/DH veteran players, were also free-agent pickups. Branyan and Griffey will split duties at the plate. If Branyan increased his playing time, it would benefit the him because Safeco Field is friendly to left-handed bats.
The hot corner belongs to Beltre and he is the potential cleanup batter. His average won’t wow anyone, but Adrian comes to play. He can accumulate all-star numbers quickly and quietly, as he has proven in the past. Adrian should try to be more patient at the plate to reduce his bloated strikeout amount. He’s a seasoned fielder though, and red-hot low outside pitches are his speciality. The righty is in his prime but is also coming off shoulder problems this winter. He had to skip the World Baseball Classic because of soreness.
Catcher Clement could start 2009 in Triple-A. Ron Johnson is the team’s backup catcher and has superior defensive skills. That would leave Kenji Johjima taking over behind the plate. If Clement isn’t on the big league roster in April, Kenji won’t have to split time with the youngster. The 32 year old Japanese native is a .272 hitter whose RBIs, homeruns and runs scored have steadily declined the past three years. With Clement waiting to take over completely, the M’s would like to run Johima out of Seattle as soon as they can. His fielding has also descended, with fewer and fewer put outs each season.
Chris Shelton and Mike Morse are two reserves looking to land the final bench spot. Other possible players you could see playing in Seattle are pitchers, Chad Cordero and Randy Messenger. Cordero will be sidelined for at least a month, but come May, could take over the closer job. Messenger is a nice 9th inning specialist. Garrett Olson, another pitcher, could be a potential 5th starter if all else fails. One intriguing storyline to follow is how the M’s will replace their top RBI man, Raul Ibanez. Will Griffey be a suitable replacement? How will Seattle play coming off a 101 loss season? Only time will tell. At least the fans will be buzzing with Griffey back on their side and maybe the M’s will make a run to remain in the playoff hunt.

Parting points: “Destiny is something we've invented because we can't stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental.”- Annie Reed, Sleepless in Seattle