Yes, I said it. The Seattle Mariners are the next baseball powerhouse.
In 2008 the Mariners were plagued with injuries. In 2009 the Mariners can win the West.
In 2007 the Mariners were in contention for the playoffs, fighting with the A's, Angels, Yankees, Tigers, and Indians. In 2009 expect only the Seattle Mariners out of all those teams to even win the playoffs.
The Tigers and Indians are cut out by the Twins, White Sox and even the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees are blocked by every team in their division, all personally projected by me to be in contention all season long. The A's and Angels are pushed back by the Seattle Mariners a team that has youth, pitching, and even batting.
The Mariners traded for Eric Bedard last February. I previously wrote an article stating that it was one of the worst trades ever but the Mariners are definitely going to be compensated.
Eric Bedard is very similar to Andy Pettite a few seasons back and Pettite came back to a 17-win season that propelled his team to the World Series. Bedard suffered injuries this season, being placed on the 15-day disabled list twice.
J.J. Putz was also on the 15-day disabled list twice. It was a horrible loss for the Mariners especially with Brandon Morrow becoming a starter, an amazing starter at that.
Mike Morse was what I call the Lost Boy of the 2008 season, batting in only nine at-bats during the season after leading the majors in spring training with a .492 batting average. Expect him to be on the roster as well.
Injuries played a huge role in the Mariners team this past season. Players not mentioned include Willie Bloomquist and Carlos Silva. Bloomquist is a necessary part of the team and Silva can be used in the bullpen.
Kenji Johjima lost his stroke in 2008, possibly because Jeff Clement was so highly predicted that Johjima lost hope of being the full-time catcher again. If he regains his stroke it would solidify the catcher's spot.
Mike Wilson and Greg Halman are future stars, both showing all the tools to be possible stars down in the minor leagues. Expect both of them to be fighting for day to day spots.
Yuniesky Betancourt was amazing at the end of last season batting .343 in September. In this offseason he is training with Mariners MVP Raul Ibanez down in Florida. He could very well have a turn-around year.
The Mariners' farm system shows no signs of slowing down, with Carlos Triunfel, Adam Moore, Michael Pineda, Philipe Aumont, and Gaby Hernandez showing signs of future success.
Not all dreams come true. Fortunately for the Mariners, this one will.
3 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
cal jerome 7 months ago
This guy is so sadly misguided...the time for unbridled optimism is in April, son.
The M's:
(1) are learning a new style of game
(2) from a new manager who's never been a MLB manager before (bench coach sort of counts, but not really)
(3) are losing their only potent MOTO bat in Ibanez (No way will they offer him arby)
(4) have a sieve for defense up the middle, with Betancourt not able to field or throw a ball cleanly, and Lopez who has the range of a sea slug
(5) have what is being revealed as a 'cancer in the clubhouse' in Ichiro, who is the single most untradeable player since Bonds
(6) Carlos Silva and Jarrod Washburn.
Should I continue?
The M's, who I dearly love, will not compete in 2009, let alone contend. It will be at least 2 years until they are relevant again, and I hope to heck that I am wrong. Maybe JackZ will be able to clean up this mess, but remember, disasters don't magically repair themselves overnight. Just ask anyone from NO; it takes time.
On the bright side, their pitching is in decent shape. Morrow and Ryan Rowland-Smith were very nice pieces last year, and they should continue to develop. Bedard CAN'T be any worse, and maybe we can flip him for something better at the deadline. If we can replenish the farm from that trade and maybe getting something of any value at all for Silva and/or Washburn, then we can start to move up the timetable for winning. But it won't be next year.
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Ben Brown 7 months ago
i belive you are sadly misguided.
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mark nader 7 months ago
Sean Kelley..stupid #'s, Krod type slider..bye JJ..we hardly knew ya
Michael Saunders...Larry Walker 2.0
Adam Moore...300 hitting catcher with power and Dan Wilson type skills and repore with pitchers....
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