Big League Team- The Seattle Mariners play in the AFC West of Major League Baseball. The American League West is my least favorite division in baseball, and the Mariners are at the bottom of it. Any of the four teams in the division could win in any given year, but the Mariners don't look poised to do it any time soon. Their two bright spots remained Felix Hernandez and Ichiro Suzuki last season, but Ichiro is aging and we expect him to steadily decline over the next couple years. Ichiro again had 200 hits last year and Hernandez won the Cy Young, and if that isn't enough to propel a team out of the last spot in a division with Oakland and the Angels then I don't know what is. They just let Ryan Rowland- Smith slip away and Chone Figgins might have a better year this season, but don't expect this team to be too far from where they finished last year. Sorry Mariners fans.
Here is their 2011 opening day lineup:
Catcher- Adam Moore
First Base- Justin Smoak
Second Base- Chone Figgins
Third Base- Josh Wilson
Shortstop- Jack Wilson/Brendan Ryan
Left Field- Michael Saunders
Center Field- Franklin Gutierrez
Right Field- Ichiro Suzuki
Designated Hitter- Jack Cust/Milton Bradley
Pitching Staff-
Felix Hernandez, Jason Vargas, Doug Fister, Erik Bedard, and Michael Pineda.
The relevant fantasy players in this lineup are clear. Ichiro will provide hits and average and maybe the occasional stolen base, but don't count on too much from the aging outfielder. Jack Cust might not be a bad bench player to sub in on days when other teams are not playing. He will provide an occasional power surge and hopefully you hit him on the right day. Felix Hernandez is always good for a fantasy lineup, but don't overpay for him, the Mariners don't. Chone Figgins has speed and will steal some bases, but he was also in the top 5 in the league in the caught stealing category last year. There isn't much to be said about the rest of their lineup, particularly the pitching staff. We say stay away from their other pitchers because even if they put up mediocre numbers in ERA or Strikeouts, none of them will win more than 10 games. In my opinion, there is not a first round pick on this team. Don't overpay for mediocrity.
Top 5 Prospects:
RHP Michael Pineda- The 21 year old from the Dominican had a great season in the minor leagues even after missing most of the 2009 season with arm problems. He has top of the line stuff if he can develop an adequate change up as he tore up Double A with a 2.22 ERA without one. The Mariners will give him every chance to win a spot in the rotation to begin 2011, but they may send him back to the minors for more seasoning.
2B Dustin Ackley- The Mariners thought they had the next Chase Utley when they signed the former North Carolina Tarheel to a $6 million dollar signing bonus in 2009. But, the young 2nd baseball failed to overly impress by only hitting 7 home runs and having a .267 batting average in his first full season in the minor leagues. The Mariners now hope he can shake off the first season jitters and succeed in Triple A in 2011.
2B/SS Nick Franklin- The 27th overall pick in the 2009 draft had a great first season in single A and double A. The 19 year old batted .283 with 23 home runs and 25 stolen bases. Franklin split time between shortstop and 2nd base, but projects long term as a shortstop because of Dustin Ackley at second base. Franklin should start the year in Double A with a projected ETA in the big leagues of 2013.
OF Guillermo Pimente- The Mariners signed the 17 year old Dominican outfielder to a 2 million dollar signing bonus and shipped him to rookie ball immediately. There he showed his youth and and potential in 51 games. The youngster only hit .250 but had 7 doubles 6 triples and 6 homeruns showing his long term power potential. Pimente will need to show more plate discipline as he only drew 5 walks and struck out 58 times. He'll begin next season in Single A.
LHP Mauricio Robles- The Mariners acquired Robles from the Tigers in a mid season deal for Jarrod Washburn and he now has become one of their top prospects. The left hander spent his 2010 season between AA and AAA and impressed having a combined ERA of 3.99 over 27 starts. Robles has dynamic stuff striking out 154 batters over 142 innings, but he needs to cut down on the walks before he becomes a reliable major leaguer. Robles walked 1 batter every two innings in his 142 innings last year. The 22 year old should begin the season at Triple A but we wouldn't be surprised to see him be called up this year.
Payroll and Direction- Last season the Mariners paid out close 93 million dollars. Their highest paid player was Ichiro Suzuki at 18 million dollars. Their best value player was pitcher Felix Hernandez who made just 7.2 million dollars last year. That may not sound like a value, but in today's market Felix is underpaid. The Seattle Mariners are heading down the wrong road and it will take a lot of time to rebuild this program. Their talent is steadily aging and their prospects are quickly becoming big leaguers. It's all happening very fast and it could be detrimental to the talent they do have in their minor league system. We don't expect them to climb out the cellar for at least the next two years and maybe more depending on how they handle the imminent adversity.
No comments:
Post a Comment