Bleacher Report - Articles by Ben Brown

2010 Seattle Mariners Offseason Plan

Ben Brown — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:52:05 -0400

I'll admit this is mostly speculation, but there is quite a lot of reasoning behind my ideas. This is just free writing my ideas, so here it is, my 2010 Seattle Mariners offseason plan.

1. Swap Brandon Morrow and JJ Hardy. Morrow is expendable given our pitching depth, and Hardy has a great glove and a very potent bat.

2. Trade Bryan Lahair, Jose Lopez, Jason Vargas, Ryan Langerhans, and Carlos Peguero to the Florida Marlins for Jorge Cantu, Ricky Nolasco, and a B-type prospect.

3. Trade Jorge Cantu and Randy Messanger to the Twins for Nick Blackburn.

4. Sign Scott Podsednick to a $2.5 million, one-year deal.

5. Sign Ken Griffey Jr. to a $1.25 million deal with $4 million in performance incentives.

6. Sign Adrian Beltre to a $27 million, three-year deal.

7. Sign Russell Branyan to $10 million over two years.

8. If signing Griffey fails, sign Nick Johnson to $9 million deal.

9. Extend Felix Hernandez and Franklin Gutierrez to $90 million over six years.

Here's how the roster would look if these aforementioned deals happened.

C. Adam Moore

1B. Russell Branyan

2B. Matt Tuiasosoppo

3B. Adrian Beltre

SS. JJ Hardy

RF. Ichiro Suzuki

CF. Franklin Gutierrez

LF. Michael Saunders

DH. Ken Griffey Jr.

SP. Felix Hernandez

SP. Ricky Nolasco

SP. Ryan Rowland-Smith

SP. Nick Blackburn

SP. Ian Snell

CL. David Aardsma

RP. Mark Lowe

RP. Shawn Kelley

RP. Phillippe Aumont

RP. Chris Jakubauskas

RP. Nick Hill

RP. Carlos Silva

Bench:

Rob Johnson

Scott Podsednick

Bill Hall

Jack Hannahan

To the Ends of the Earth: Baseball Still Playing into My Life

Ben Brown — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:44:17 -0400

After leaving Bleacher Report—and later Next Season Sports—I was recently awarded a job with my community paper, the Voice of the Valley. I cover high school sports, but let's face it, I'm not going to write for that paper the rest of my life.

So what will I do with the rest of my life?

For years I have wanted to go into some kind of sports management or journalism, and I have had numerous references pointing and supporting me into that direction. I've had a great start to what could be a successful career in sports writing. But it's not all about me.

I am not living for me, but for a greater good. I am living for Jesus Christ, my savior and the love of my life.

Sure, I'm not perfect, but I'm trying a lot harder to get along with people I usually haven't gotten along with. I'm not just labeling myself as a Christian, but am now living as one and as one of the body of Christ.

I feel like my love for baseball is meant to be. I feel like God has chosen me to be a missionary in a Spanish speaking country and share the love of Christ through baseball with them.

I am going to be a missionary. I'm planning on gathering resources and sponsors as my senior project and then once I graduate, I am going to attend a DTS (Discipleship Training School).

After my DTS, I will move down to where God calls me to go and start a community baseball league that is centered on serving God and glorifying him. Hopefully, some of the local children can grow up and spread the love of Christ through the MLB.

Every one of you has had such an immense impact on my life, I thank you all for it. I can give a thanks to every one year without hesitation but I hope you will think about just trying to attend a church.

Church doesn't need to be like your "grandma's church". There are now more churches open to more people's needs. I would highly suggest finding a Mars Hill church.

Baseball and Christ have been my two favorite things of living, and God trumps all. But luckily he is gracious enough that I can live and serve him through both.

Who knows how this all is going to turn out, but as far as right now, these are my plans.

Adam Moore: Where's the Praise for the AA Ball Player?

Ben Brown — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 12:53:38 -0400

We hear about them on TV, we see them in the newspaper, and we research them on the computer; not all of them, however. Prospects are among the most exciting factors of the baseball world.

If you look at a team's success, they are most successful when they are built up of home grown talent rather than record-breaking free-agent signings.

The Mariners had forgotten that concept and now they are coming off a 61-101 season. But don't worry, the farm system is stocked with young talent, and now, with Jack Zduriencik at the helm, that is not going to be changing.

There is one player that Zduriencik praises, but no one in baseball really cares that much about it. This player can hit for power, average, and has very exceptional defense behind the plate.

This player is Seattle Mariner's AA catcher, Adam Moore.

In 2008, he had a .319 BA, 14 HR, and a .902 OPS.

Now, his power might not quite be there yet, but in 2007, he hit 22 home runs, so there is strong reason for hope in Adam Moore's future.

With Kenji Johjima, Jeff Clement, Jamie Burke, and Rob Johnson ahead of him as far as catchers go, it doesn't look like he will get a starting job in the near future. Think again Einstein, think again.

Johjima is a free agent after the 2010 season, so Moore should be fully ready to go at that time, if he continues to produce as well as he has.

2005 first-round draft pick Jeff Clement can make the transition from catcher to designated hitter and become what the legendary Edgar Martinez once did. It will reduce injury, and will provide him more energy for hitting and possibly stealing bases.

The recently re-signed Jamie Burke can't stop anyone, as he is a free agent after this season. Burke is said to be one of the top backup catchers in the Major Leagues.

Here's the problem—Rob Johnson. I have heard his name passed around in trade talks with the Marlins, but nothing came of it. Although Johnson could always be Moore's backup catcher, I don't want to keep him from reaching his full potential.

Even though Moore is an outstanding player, I have one question left to ask:

Where is the praise for Adam Moore?

Into the Wild Blue Yonder- Who Takes Ichiro's Spot in Right Field?

Ben Brown — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:46:58 -0400

Never in his whole career has Ichiro been placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Never say never.

It was reported today that Ichiro Suzuki is now postponing his return for April 15th due to a bleeding ulcer.

My friend, Shanan, has already covered his opinion of who should bat where in the lineup due to Ichiro's absence, but I believe that defense is going to be another significant issue heading into the season.

Bleeding Blue and Teal reported that Ken Griffey Jr. could be replacing Ichiro in right field, with Mike Sweeney taking over as the designated hitter.

It would be a truly gratifying experience for all Seattle Mariner fans to be able to watch Griffey play in the outfield once again at Safeco Field.

Even though he isn’t that same 19-year old kid he was at the beginning of his storied career, when he was tracking balls to the depths of center field and some times beyond, it would still be a treat for Mariner fans to watch him roam once again.

Then again...it is only eight games.

The rest of the AL West is trying to heal even worse wounds than Ichiro’s ulcer.

The Angel’s John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar will be absent till late April or early May.

The Athletic’s Justin Duchscherer is also on the disabled list, and it’s only a matter of time until one more player falls down for the injury prone Oakland Athletics.

But back to the M’s outfield, it’s all about defense.

If the Mariners play Griffey in right, Franklin Gutierrez in center and then Endy Chavez in left, they still have one of the best defensive outfields around.

The outfield is basically more crowded than the Anti-Bush rallies were, and even with Ichiro’s injury, the M’s can easily recover.

Jack Zduriencik, all off-season you have been building up the depth of our team and now we have very good reason to thank you.

So...

Thank you Jack Zduriencik!

Back To Reality- Young Athletes Who Think They Have What It Takes To Be On Top

Ben Brown — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:11:26 -0400

Since I am a Freshman in High School, I hear from so many people that they want to be a sports athlete when they are older. So I started thinking, do these people know how disappointed they will be when the scouts don’t even stay past the first inning?

My friend Anthony just barely made the C-team for baseball. Now he is a freshman but to think that he is the next Johan Santana as he says he will be is pure ignorance.

Now it’s okay to have dreams, but that brings me to a quote said in the movie The Rookie.

“It’s okay to think of what you want to do, until it’s time to do what you were meant to do”. I can guarantee you that every child in America that plays a sport will not make it to the professional level, let alone High School Varsity.

Unless you are the best on your High School varsity team as a Freshman or Sophomore, you won’t even be seriously considered by any scout. That’s not the case in every situation but it is for the majority.

Only about one in every 16,000 athletes play in professional level. That is including professional diving so the numbers are even more scarce than that. If we were only talking about baseball, football, soccer, basketball and hockey, I would bet that those numbers are around one in 25,000.

The chances of an athlete starting are somewhere around one in two million, that is four times the population of Alaska. Do athletes seriously think that they have a shot at being better than all the people of Alaska, Montana and Wyoming?

A recent middle school survey stated that around 46% of middle school boys believe that they will be a professional athlete when they are older. So 45.9999375% will be disappointed. That survey also had 14% say that they didn’t know what they believed they would be.

Those statistics are overwhelming!

The youth of this era are heading down a road of serious stress. If your childhood life was all one big let down imagine, how you would feel?...imagine how they will feel.

I have seen friend after friend be in a horrible long term state of mind because they failed to make a Little League All-Star team.

This brings up the moral question? Should we ruin their dreams now to keep the kids from a world of heartache? Or should we let them have a goal and still be in a world of heart ache later?

If we ruin their dreams now they will be sad for a while, but Will Smith thinks differently. In the movie Pursuit of Happiness, Smith tells his son that he probably won’t excel at basketball because Smith didn’t when he was younger.

His son then throws the basketball and starts to pack up after an afternoon with his now hurting father.

Smith turns to his son and tells him that not him or anyone should tell him that he can’t do something.

This is one thing in the world of sports that is our choice and not the players or coaches.

Do we or do we not tell them that their dreams are higher than improbable to happen?

Seattle Mariner's Preview: M's Infield Recieved a Face-Lift After 2008

Ben Brown — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:06:23 -0400

Continuing my series of a Seattle Mariners preview, I will now be focusing on the M’s crowded infield. Three of the four starters are the same, the change being Russell Branyan is at first base, but the biggest difference is the infield bench.

Last season the Mariners infield was the following:

First Base: Richie Sexson
Second Base: Jose Lopez
Short Stop: Yuniesky Betancourt
Third Base: Adrian Beltre
Utility: Miguel Cairo and Willie Bloomquist

As for 2009, the M’s infield is shaping up to be something like this:

First Base: Russell Branyan
Second Base: Jose Lopez
Short Stop: Yuniesky Betancourt
Third Base: Adrian Beltre
Corner Infield: Mike Sweeney and possibly Russell Branyan
Middle Infield: Ronny Cedeno

Last season the Mariners were in shambles after the Mariners released stud turned dud Richie Sexson and replaced him with the young Bryan Lahair ,who managed to hit three home runs and compile a .250 batting average.

Now they have Sweeney with the first call, if some one is unable to play followed by Chris Shelton, Bryan Lahair and lastly Mike Carp.

Shelton was currently leading the Mariners in spring batting average before getting sent down to the Minor Leagues due to the Mariners not being able to offer him enough if any playing time.

As you probably noticed, they Mariners don’t have one guy that can play every position as they have been blessed with the last two seasons when they had Cairo and Bloomquist, but the reserves they do have are even better in 2009.

Sweeney is a five-time All-Star who comes here with a magnetic personality and with hopes of a comeback bid to his prior 2006 form. Coincidentally, he hit his first home run against the Mariners back in 1996 off of now Phillie Jamie Moyer.

Cedeno was once a top-prospect for the Chicago Cubs but the Cubs followed their trade mark move by trading away prospects for veterans, in this case it was Cedeno and Garret Olson for Aaron Heilman.

Another thing that helps Cedeno’s case is that he has a better glove built on him than Betancourt. His hitting in 2009 should hopefully improve if he follows his .290 hitting with three home runs this spring for the club.

As for the starters they are a nice bunch, but still a little risky.

In 132 at-bats last season Russell Branyan sampled MVP candidate, Ryan Howard’s number's. He hit .250 with 12 home runs for the Milwaukee Brewers. His main problem is that last year he didn't get on base once in his 14 at-bats against left-handed pitchers.

If Jose Lopez plays 2009 like his last half of 2008 he will be hitting around .305 with 29 home runs. Add in that he bulked up for extra power and it spells disaster for any opposing pitcher.

He was ranked as the World Baseball Classics top second baseman. Athlon Sports ranked Lopez as the sixth best second baseman in 2009, ahead of All-Star Dan Uggla.

Last season Yuniesky Betancourt lacked one main ingredient that kept him from reaching his potential. That ingredient would be plate discipline, which he has recently shown us that it is one of his stronger points.

He was thrown 22 pitches in one game, remember this is Yuniesky Betancourt we are talking about, not Todd Helton. He also spent last winter practicing with now Phillies left fielder, Raul Ibanez on how to work through the counts, let's hope it has paid off.

As for Adrian Beltre, he is set for a career season, and yes I know he once hit .334 with 48 home runs. Beltre battled three injuries last season and he still led the team in home runs in where he hit 25 while batting .266. Not to mention that he won the Gold Glove award for third base for the second year in a row.

One theory works to predict Beltre’s upcoming season- contract season = career season.

If this infield can improve it's defense and stay healthy it could be among the best in the American League.

Seattle Mariners Preview: Analyzing the Starting Rotation Front to Back

Ben Brown — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:55:45 -0400

Today, Don Wakamatsu named parts of his 2009 starting rotation, but there is one player that he has yet to talk to about it. Here is how it looks so far.

1. Felix Hernandez
2. Erik Bedard
3. Carlos Silva
4. Jarrod Washburn
5. Ryan Rowland-Smith

I find that a very productive rotation, especially since each and every one of those players has a significant upside heading into 2009.

Felix Hernandez- Before the 2008 season all of the MLB managers took part in a simple survey of what one player they would want to build their team around. Felix Hernandez finished fourth in the voting after Hanley Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Chase Utley.

He is not even 23 years-old and he posted a 3.45 ERA and 175 strikeouts in an injury plagued season. His ERA was south of 3.00 before getting hit by a ball hit by none other than Carlos Beltran (just innings earlier that same night he hit a grand slam off of Johan Santana).

Over the offseason Felix has matured and is more relaxed which should lead to an even better season, especially with some changes in the roster. The Mariners added Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez which resulted in the Mariners becoming the best team defensively, which should lower his ERA by quite a lot.

Erik Bedard- It was just in 2007 that Bedard was on the road to become the Cy Young winner, but a late season injury left him at a 3.16 ERA and 221 strikeouts. An injured 2008 season left him to make a meager 15 starts where he posted a 3.67 ERA.

In 2009 he can only go up from 2008. The clubhouse problems are settled, and he lacks the enormous pressure he received from Seattle last season and he is now becoming friends with many Mariners including fellow fisherman and pitcher, Jarrod Washburn.

If Bedard can stay healthy and relaxed he should return to Cy Young form, the only catch is that he is the Mariners ace-in-the-hole.

Carlos Silva- One day this off-season I was reading that a statistician did some figuring and determined that if Carlos Silva has the defense behind him right now, last season he would have posted a 4.55 ERA, quite a bit better than the 6.46 he posted.

A new, slimmer Carlos Silva can even improve off of the should-be 4.55 ERA as he lost around 35 pounds this off-season so his back problems are over. Without J.J. Putz or Sean Green any longer on the roster he should be more positive towards team mates.

What you can expect from Silva in 2009, is a starter who puts up an ERA hovering around the 4.00 mark, a much needed improvement for him and the M’s.

Jarrod Washburn- One of the many 2010 free agents on the team, Jarrod Washburn, should have a better than usual year. The last time he was in a contract season he posted a 3.20 ERA for the Angels.

If Washburn can come within 1.00 points from that, I will be thrilled for the guy and the Mariners. But watch for him to possibly get caught up in the Mariners new theme of success and post numbers similar to Carlos Silva’s predictions, but with more strikeouts.

Washburn is getting up in years, but so was Jamie Moyer when he began his late career dominance. Can Washburn put up numbers that make him worthy of the money he has been given in the past three seasons?

Ryan Rowland-Smith- “Aussie” may become the best fifth starter of any team this coming season. But only if he keeps doing what he is doing and doesn’t get bit by the injury bug.

In 12 starts last season, Ryan Rowland-Smith boasted a 3.50 ERA, just .01 worse than Ervin Santana’s 3.49. Remember he isn’t the team ace either, he is the Mariners back-end man in 2009.

I have nothing but hope for Ryan Rowland-Smith in 2009. He is a high quality starter who will give the Mariners exactly what they want, success.

Seattle Mariners 2010: An Unstoppable Bullpen?

Ben Brown — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:42:16 -0400

Year after year, fans seem to really dig the long ball and completely forget about the players who will pitch almost half of the game, the bullpen.

The bullpen is home to some and a foot into the door (AKA starting rotation) to others. As for the 2010 Seattle Mariners, they have three stud closer prospects in the same bullpen.

If I remember correctly, the last team to have only two stud closers was the 1998 New York Yankees, and one wasn't even a prospect. They were John Wetteland and Mariano Rivera.

But the 2010 Seattle Mariners still have three in Brandon Morrow, Joshua Fields and Shawn Kelley.

2008 Stats

Brandon Morrow: 1.47 ERA, 10 saves and 47 strikeouts in only 32.2 innings (as a reliever)

Joshua Fields: 2.27 ERA, 16 saves and 56 strikeouts in 31.2 innings (for the Georgia Bulldogs)

Shawn Kelley: 1.88 ERA, 15 saves and 68 strikeouts in 62.1 innings (minor leagues)

Have you ever seen such a dominant bullpen? It is dominance from top to bottom and they are all still young, leaving so much time for improvements.

Most likely, Shawn Kelley and Joshua Fields will actually get pulled up into the MLB around July. That's my prediction, but they may still wait until later.

Now, there is a chance that Kelley will make the 25-man roster since Wakamatsu wants a seven-man bullpen.

Brandon Morrow
Mark Lowe
Miguel Batista
Roy Corcoran
David Aardsma
*6th man in rotation*
*Shawn Kelley or Jose Lugo are top two choices

If the Mariners were to drop Miguel Batista, as rumored, they could use the sixth man in the rotation as a long reliever, and then they could bring up Jose Lugo and Shawn Kelley.

Although it's not up to us to decide who makes the roster, what do you think?

Brandon Morrow To Start the Season in Tacoma or the Mariners Bullpen

Ben Brown — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:26:17 -0400

The Seattle Times is reporting that Seattle Mariners pitcher Brandon Morrow will not start the season in the starting rotation.

Morrow will either start the season in the Mariners crowded bullpen or the Mariners Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers.

With Morrow out of the rotation, that obviously leaves all of the other rotation hopefuls a better chance of landing a spot in the rotation. The candidates...

Felix Hernandez (Lock in)
Erik Bedard (Lock in)
Ryan Rowland-Smith (High chance)
Carlos Silva (High chance)
Garret Olson (Hopeful)
Jarrod Washburn (Hopeful)
Chris Jakubauskas (The rookie hopeful)

I believe the rotation will be Hernandez, Bedard, Rowland-Smith, Silva, and Jakubauskas. The latter arm has only an off-chance of making it, but, after his impressive spring (1-0 and a 2.16 ERA) he has came out of nowhere to make his name heard by all of the players, fans, and, most importantly, Don Wakamatsu.

Wakamatsu, the Mariners manager, is the type of skipper that realizes the importance of young pitching in the AL West, as he is now on his third team within the division.

Here's my logic on why Morrow did not find himself a spot in the rotation.

None of the closer candidates are showing any lights-out potential, so I believe Morrow will be the Opening Day closer.

Since Chad Cordero is still injured, once he is healthy then Morrow can move back into the rotation and the Mariners find themselves with an upgrade in the rotation and the bullpen.

At about the same time that Chad Cordero and Tyler Johnson get fully healthy, the Mariners will find themselves with two other high-quality relievers. The first one is the club's first-round pick in the 2008 draft, Joshua Fields, and then Shawn Kelley.

A Look at 1961- Did Roger Maris Really Break Babe Ruth's Home Run Record?

Ben Brown — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:27:22 -0400

As I was reading through a book last night, , I managed to find myself in 1961, the year Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s single season home run record.

What I was looking for was some more baseball knowledge to then pass on to all the kids at school who don’t really care (Some might say that’s everyone), but I found a mystery that needs to be solved.

Did Roger Maris really break Babe Ruth’s single season home record?

Now the argument is that Maris had more games to hit his 61 home runs that Ruth had to hit his 60. That is true, however for some reason no one has looked at the at bats each player had in their respected record seasons.

Babe Ruth (1927)- 60 home runs in 540 at bats
Roger Maris (1961)- 61 home runs in 590 at bats

So obviously that is a case towards Ruth’s case. Although neither record still stands, I have still been hearing people complaining, which is why this needs to be resolved.

I have heard the amount of games issue more times than I can count, but I have yet to hear the African American issue.

When Ruth was playing, African Americans weren’t allowed to play, thus cutting nearly half of the sports talent. When Maris broke the record in 1961, African Americans had been playing for nearly 15 seasons.

If half of the best players aren’t pitching, then the pitching is only half as good, thus giving the batters a harder time to hit home runs after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.

Mantle had to face all of the Caucasian players of the time and all of the African American pitchers, resulting in Ruth’s case weakening greatly.

You might be wondering that Maris’s record is official and if it’s broken, it’s broken. But it wasn’t officially broken until 1991.

That’s right, this issue was floating around three decades after the record was broken.

So many fans, media personnel and fellow players kept asking Maris if he thinks that he broke the record that he actually regretted hitting that last home run. He thought that all of baseball hated him just for breaking a record.

"They acted as though I was doing something wrong, poisoning the record books or something. Do you know what I have to show for 61 home runs? Nothing. Exactly nothing."

Maris did however have 59 home runs in the 154 games that Ruth played, which would seem that he didn’t really break the record.

But doesn’t facing easier pitching help you hit more home runs than eight games would?

In my book that would be a yes, thus giving Roger Maris credit of breaking Babe Ruth’s single season home run record.

What do you think?

Seattle Mariners: Who's On First?

Ben Brown — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:59:45 -0400

As most of you may now know, Richie Sexson and disaster go hand in hand. When there was a rally that started bringing the Mariners one run closer to winning, he, of course, was that final out.

What some thought to be the treasure of the 2004-05 free agent class, is now nothing more than a memory we try to forget day after day.

After the Mariners let Sexson walk the plank, they had to pull up their AAA first baseman, Bryan Lahair, who was among the worst, if not the worst, offensive first baseman in the Major League last season.

It's been a time for change as far as the Mariners go. They have added plenty of first basemen via trade and free agency. They include, Mike Sweeney, Russell Branyan, Chris Shelton, and Mike Carp.

Carp is thought to be the future first baseman for the potent M's so he is not quite a candidate.

So that leaves a very plentiful list of possible first basemen, some have experience, some don't. Some have power, some are average. Some have a decent glove on their hand, others don't. But they have a nice group of candidates:

Russell Branyan
Chris Shelton
Mike Sweeney
Mike Morse
Jose Lopez
Jeff Clement

My personal preference would be a platoon option of Russell Branyan and Chris Shelton with Branyan hitting against right-handed pitchers and Shelton against the south paws.

Sweeney was contemplating retirement and if he doesn't make the Mariners' Opening Day roster I would likely bet that the All-Star first baseman will indeed retire.

Morse is like everyone else in this cousin, he just wants a job, only his includes getting paid millions a year to hit a baseball—what a country!

Lopez was thought to be the every day first baseman if the Mariners signed Orlando Hudson so he should probably be scratched from that list.

Clement is the likely odd man out at catcher and first base. At catcher he is sandwiched between Kenji Johjima and the soon-to-be everyday catcher, Adam Moore.

Who will be the Mariners first season on Opening Day? Will it be a platoon of Shelton and Branyan? Does Mike Sweeney have anything left in the tank to give the M's?

Seattles' New Saving Grace- Erik Bedard and Felix Hernandez

Ben Brown — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:26:45 -0400

When Erik Bedard came to Seattle a little over a year ago, he was expected to be the key addition to send this team to the playoffs.

When Bedard actually started pitching, he was nothing close to his 2007 Cy Young contending form of 13-5, 3.16 ERA and 221 strikeouts, instead, he went 6-4, 3.67 ERA and 72 strikeouts.

Cy Young worthy, I don't think so.

Meanwhile, Felix Hernandez was predicted to breakout of his youthful shell and become what everyone thought he could be—the best pitcher in the MLB.

As many of you know, he finished 2008 with a 9-11 record, 3.45 ERA and 175 strike-outs.

That was with missing a few starts, so had he not been injured for three to four starts his numbers should have been around 10-12, 3.45 ERA and 194 strike-outs.

Now we are getting somewhere.

What can we expect from these two starters in 2009?

Are they the next Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, or are they the next Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson?

Let's hope it's the latter one. Bedard is a fairly young pitcher while King Felix is only 22-years-old.

If they both stay healthy and the defense proves to be the best as expected, you can expect these kind of stats:

Erik Bedard: 3.09 ERA, 234 strikeouts

Felix Hernandez: 3.17 ERA, 202 strikeouts

However, if Bedard gets injured again and the defense falters you can expect stats similar to these:

Erik Bedard: 3.59 ERA, 126 strikeouts

Felix Hernandez: 3.41 ERA, 173 strikeouts

Not quite the dynamic duo we were looking for, but it is a possibility.

Will these two be spending their time together as a brilliant one-two punch in the rotation or on the bench crying about their arms?

Seattle Mariner Fans: What Do We Do With Jeff Clement?

Ben Brown — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:40:54 -0400

After hearing from multiple sources that Jeff Clement might not make the Mariners opening day roster, I starting thinking, what should they do with him? Could they trade him? Could he be the Mariners' full time designated hitter and follow in the footsteps of All-Star Edgar Martinez?

Now, the reasons for him possibly not making the roster are bold, but true. Mariners general manager Don Wakamatsu wants a defensive backup catcher, and Clement is by no means that, so that leaves Rob Johnson.

Johnson isn't bad with his bat, either; he is actually among the best hitting catchers in spring training right now, but his defense is more pure than what Clement's has developed into.

After talking to baseball experts (AKA my bus driver), I have decided the Mariners should trade away Jeff Clement to a team in need of a catcher that can part with some young pitching (pretty obvious, I know).

Matches

Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Chicago White Sox

I believe the Red Sox are by far the most likely to give up a young pitching arm for Jeff Clement. Among the Red Sox pitchers, only two arms really stand out as front runners, Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz.

In both of those choices we gain a young, cheap, and reliable pitcher that is both a starter and a reliever. So basically, we get another Brandon Morrow or Ryan Rowland-Smith.

The Red Sox are going to be in need of some help for the aging Jason Varitek, who the Mariners practically gave to the Red Sox as a gift, along with Derek Lowe.

That's what scares me: the last time we traded away a young catcher to the Red Sox, he became a three-time All-Star, two-time World Series winner and one-time Gold Glove winner. Not to mention he has caught the most ever no-hitters with four.

Could Jeff Clement do that again for the Red Sox? Could he become the captain of a World Series team as Varitek did? Let's hope that if he does that at all, he'll do it in a Mariners' uniform..

But then, what if we kept Clement as our designated hitter?

I could see him succeeding there, of course he will be splitting time with the legendary Mariner Ken Griffey, Jr.

For all of you who believe he could be a first baseman for the M's in the future, think again.

They already have Chris Shelton, Mike Sweeney, and Russell Branyan at first now, and Mike Carp is not far from joining them.

As far as the other positions go, they are full with players now and stars in the farm system.

Sorry Jeff Clement, but you're the odd man out.

The Top Five Pitching One-Two Punches In The MLB Are...

Ben Brown — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:58:53 -0400

So I was sitting in Science Class today and decided to do something different than what I usually do when I'm bored (Normally I sleep), I decided to start on my next B/R article.

Of course I had to first come up with a topic, but now you obviously know what I came up with: What team has the best pitching one-two punch in the majors?

I set up a "tournament" if you want to call it that and was eliminating the teams while all the other members at my table just kept on sleeping.

I started to make tough decisions, such as if win-Loss records should make an impact, should awards change the rankings, can I really assume that someone is going to get injured...

It just went on and on, but now I have fully compiled my top five pitching one-two punches in the MLB.

5. San Diego Padres—

Sure they were the third worse team in the majors last season, but they have a nice top of the rotation in 2007 Cy Young winner Jake Peavy and Chris Young.

Peavy is a true elite ace on one of the worst franchises of the MLB, he has won the Cy Young award, led the league in ERA, strikeouts, and has been the heart of many trade rumors across the major leagues.

Not to be confused with the rival Arizona Diamondback’s outfielder, Chris Young has been a top starter for years, except for the first half of 2008. Before the All-Star break he compiled a 4.50 ERA, while after the break he became himself again by posting a 3.35 ERA for the Padres.

As those two are atop a risky Padres team, they are also among the league's elite duos, which is the reason they are the fifth best one-two punch in the major leagues.

4. Toronto Blue Jaya—

As part of a huge race for the fourth and fifth spots on this prestigious list, the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres eventually beat out the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

The Jays are a special case as they lost their number two starter and still have the fourth best one-two punch in the major leagues.

As runner up for the Cy Young Award this past season, Roy Halladay is among the most durable pitchers in the majors.

In the past three seasons, he has pitched over 750 innings all while pitching two seasons of under 3.25 ERA ball including 2008’s 2.78 for the offense starved Blue Jays.

As ace-in-the-hole for the Jays, Jesse Litsch remains as one of the most underrated starters in baseball today. At only 24 years, he has played two seasons in the MLB and in 2008 he boasted a 3.58 ERA.

Can he perform as true ace for the Blue Jays in 2009? For the Jay’s sake, hopefully.

3. San Francisco Giants—

The Giants have one of the best rotations I have ever seen, with three former Cy Young winners on the staff in Randy Johnson, Barry Zito and the reigning winner of the award, Tim Lincecum.

Lincecum is called “The Freak” and with good reason, never has anyone thrown the way he does and succeeded. In 2008 he won the Cy Young award in only his second season in the MLB and amassed 265 strike-outs with an 18-5 record in 227 innings. Although I have serious doubts he will be able to pitch how he does for more than a few years, right now he is arguably the best pitcher in baseball.

Back in the late 1990s, Lou Piniella signaled Randy Johnson to throw a ball inside to Paul O’Neil hopefully he would be shaky the rest of the night in a late October playoff game against the Yankees, and he did.

That is how Johnson wins games, by intimidation.

At a build of 6’ 11”, he is the tallest baseball player to ever live and he has taken every advantage of it, as he should. He is proving that he can still pitch in his old age as last season he boasted a 3.91 ERA and 173 strikeouts for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Since being signed as the Giants, he is taking on the role of star pitcher and mentor to a staff that includes Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Barry Zito and Johnathan Sanchez.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim—

As a passionate Mariners fan, it hurt to put the Angels so high on these rankings, but they do deserve it. John Lackey and Ervin Santana are leading a rotation that has the potential to be among the best ever, but it is a high risk.

If you take the best seasons of the Angels starters from the last two seasons, you have the best rotation since the Braves squad about a decade ago, which included Greg Maddux, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine.

The Angels ace is none other than John Lackey, who actually only pitched 23 games last season, 10 less than what he pitched in each of the five prior years for the Halos.

In 2008 he had an ERA of 3.75, which would had been .50 points lower, had he not had one of the worst ending games in MLB history when he allowed 10 runs in less than three innings.

If he keeps to his normal self, he should be back among the best pitchers in the majors in 2009.

After three seasons of posting an ERA over 4.25, Ervin Santana became one of the games' top pitchers in 2008 when he built up an ERA of 3.49, 214 strikeouts and a 16-7 record.

While 2008 could have just been a special case of a fluke year, I think Santana is going to anchor the Angels offense for years to come.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks—

When I think of the Arizona Diamondbacks, I think of two top pitchers: Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, two near identical starters that are both Cy Young worthy.

There were times last season I believed the Cy Young race would come down to these two players, but that thought quickly passed. Although the talks could come back even quicker this season if they continue the same success.

Brandon Webb is the kind of starter that doesn’t just throw strikes, or doesn’t just pitch over 225 innings, he does it all.

In 2008, he compiled a 3.30 ERA, 183 strikeouts and a 22-7 record for the Diamondbacks.

He has a growing rivalry with Padres ace Jake Peavy that was created when Webb won Rookie of the Year back in 2003.

They have both won the Cy Young Award during their rivalry, but were both beat out by the Giant's phenom, Tim Lincecum last season.

When he would be the ace for almost any other team, Dan Haren has to settle as ace-in-the-hole for the Diamondbacks. He has put up numbers most (including myself) could only dream of, as in 2008 he struck 206 batters out, amassed a 3.33 ERA, and posted a record of 16-8 for a team expected to win the World Series.

Honorable Mentions— Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners.

Seattle Mariners Made Some Smart Moves This Offseason

Ben Brown — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:52:21 -0400

It seems that since October of last season, it's become en vogue to repeat a single word so as to focus on one's goal.

For President Obama, it's "economy," his work in progress.

For the Seattle Mariners it's "transformation," and they've mostly completed it.

Clubhouse chemistry, defense, the back end of the rotation, power in the lineup, and the bullpen were all addressed this offseason.

The M's traded away J.J. Putz, Jeremy Reed, Luis Valbuena, and Sean Green in a swap that brought defense and power. It also rid the team of locker room poison.

They signed and traded for underrated bounce-back candidates like Ronny Cedeno, Chris Shelton, Russell Branyan, Chad Cordero, and Mike Sweeney.

They decided on Jack Zduriencik to be their new general manager. He's a man who, as a scout, found players such as Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and Rickie Weeks.

Zduriencik then chose Don Wakamatsu as the field manager. Wakamatsu is a coach that has spent almost a decade in the AL West and knows what it takes to win there. He brings insider tips on how to beat his former teams.

The bullpen is still a "problem," but it's not for lack of a qualified closer.

No, the problem is the reverse: Seattle has over five qualified closers. Roy Corcoran, Chad Cordero, Miguel Batista, Mark Lowe, Randy Messenger, Tyler Walker, and David Aardsma are among the candidates.

My own belief is this: Corcoran should stay as the set-up man, and David Aardsma should be the Mariners' closer until relief prospects Shawn Kelley and Joshua Fields mature into lights-out finishers.

Out of all the brilliant moves done this offseason, I believe the smartest was picking Jack Zduriencik as GM.

Without him, we wouldn't have made any of the other changes. That rumored Seattle-Detroit-Tampa Bay trade might have happened, and the Mariners would now be stuck with an injured Fernando Perez.

Zduriencik chose a highly knowledgeable manager, Don Wakamatsu, to be his skipper. His perspective makes him quite the asset

Now, can Jack Zduriencik's plan pay off and lead this team to pennant contention?

Jose Lopez Impressive As Mariners Win 5-1

Ben Brown — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:46:37 -0400

After almost becoming the starting second baseman for Venezuela in the final match of the World Baseball Classic, Jose Lopez has now returned to Seattle, as the Venezuelans lost in the semi-finals to Korea 10-2 last Saturday.

And now that many Seattle Mariners are back from their respected teams, the Mariners can show that with their added players, they can improve on their .500 record, the mark currently sit at after a 5-1 win today against the San Francisco Giants.

It was an interesting game for the Mariners as former ace, Randy Johnson gave up two runs in three innings.

Johnson was followed up by the reigning Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, who allowed three runs in six innings, including two doubles by Mariner second baseman Jose Lopez.

Lopez hit those two doubles and scored two runs while keeping the same mindset he had for Venezuela when he hit .417 with two home runs in only 24 at-bats.

The Mariners also played Endy Chavez, who played with Lopez for Team Venezuela, as Chavez went 0-3 against the Giants.

Felix Hernandez, Carlos Silva, and Cesar Jimenez are the final three members of Venezuela's roster that play for the Mariners, although only Hernandez and Silva are predicted to make an impact for the Mariners this season.

After today's game between Korea and Japan, the Mariners should be calling back catcher Kenji Johjima and prized right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.

Is Tim Lincecum The New Mark Prior?

Ben Brown — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:46:21 -0400

Just a few years ago fans were analyzing Mark Prior's pitching mechanics by using pictures similar to the one I have posted above of Tim Lincecum.

First of all, Lincecum's mechanics flat-out scare me.

Fans used to say that Prior’s mechanics were weird, but still not injury leading. Boy, oh boy, were they wrong.

Fans are now saying the same thing about the 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum.

He has also been pitching more innings than he should, including 227 in 2008. 2008 was just his second season in the majors. Lincecum threw just over 400 innings throughout his college and minor league career.

Since he is only 5’ 11”, and 172 lbs, it is almost a nightmare to think what years of throwing a 97 mile-per-hour fastball can do to a guy like him.

Lincecum has never had to pitch over 130 innings in a season before 2009, and I think he may have only a few years, at most, left in him.

I believe that the 2008 Cy Young winner will become what Mark Prior is now, an injured former all-star.

When Lincecum pitches his elbow almost goes over his shoulder. This is incredibly scary to think of, as many other player’s careers have been cut short due to this problem.

Sure, hitters such as Lance Berkman, Connor Jackson and Ian Stewart have stated that Lincecum is the best pitcher they have ever seen, but people said that of Mark Prior just five years ago.

"For his age he's [Mark Prior] one of the best pitchers I've seen at pitching to the situation. Usually, that's what veteran pitchers do. Instead of trying to get this guy out and that guy out, he has an idea and a plan on what he wants to do," Says Dusty Baker.

Believe me now?

Later this season you will be seeing headlines such as this one I quickly created, “Giants Cy Young winner, Tim Lincecum, out for the rest of the season due to injury”.

We’ve seen Mark Prior become a fallen star, and we got through it. Now we have the painful task of watching Tim Lincecum do that very same thing.

Who’s next? Stephen Strasburg?

Seattle Mariners Producing In WBC Except for Ichiro Suzuki

Ben Brown — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:06:40 -0400

Ever since 2001, the Seattle Mariners have relied on one player to consistently get on base and to score runs.

Ichiro Suzuki is now starting to show his age, 35 years old, on the baseball field. Sure, his team in the World Baseball Classic, Japan, is doing rather well, but Ichiro has not done well. Right now he is posting a .214 batting average for Team Japan, not quite his typical .340 batting average.

But, what was his stats in the 2006 World Baseball Classic? Back then, he had a typical .364 average.

For the first time, Ichiro may not be able to complete usual tasks. Those tasks include hitting .300 with 200 hits, something he has done every season since coming to Seattle.

Without Ichiro in the Mariners lineup, they lose a valuable leadoff hitter, if not the best in the major leagues. I don't know of any hitters that can take his place on the Mariners' roster. Then again, I can only think of one player that can match his speed, defense, and hitting ability, Jose Reyes.

On the bright side, many of the Mariners in the World Baseball Classic have been doing well.

Kenji Johjima-.375 BA, one HR, and one SB in 24 at-bats

Jose Lopez-.500 BA and two HRs in 20 at-bats

Felix Hernandez-2-0, 0.00 ERA, and 11 SO in 8.2 innings pitched

Carlos Silva-1-0, 0.82 ERA, and 6 SO in 11 innings pitched

Endy Chavez-.368 BA and 0 home runs in 19 at-bats

Jose Lopez is playing better, in the WBC, than Miguel Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, David Wright, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and Chipper Jones.

Is this Jose Lopez's season to become a baseball great as I predicted this offseason? Let's look at some facts for a second:

Using his post-All-Star Break numbers, Lopez would have hit about .305 with 29 home runs if he played the entire 2008 season.

This offseason he has obviously bulked up, yet it has not affected his running.

So, if he keeps up his work ethic and has talented hitters around him, Lopez can easily become an All-Star second baseman.

Seattle Mariners Odds and Ends: Expectiations, Branyan, And More

Ben Brown — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:14:04 -0400

After watching the Seattle Mariners on "30 Clubs in 30 Days," I picked up a few tidbits of information that I wanted to pass along regarding the Mariners' offseason and the high hopes the team has for 2009.

When asked about Jack Zduriencik's expectations for 2009, he replied with, “ We want to win a World Series. I don’t see any reason why we can’t”..A playoff season is a long shot, let alone a winning season, but a World Series victory? Obviously he is proud of what he has done this offseason...and why shouldn’t he be?
When the hosts were talking about recently-signed first baseman Russell Branyan, they made a few bold statements, such as: “He can change games … [Branyan] can hit it out of the Grand Canyon.” That was when they were debating whether or not the size of Safeco Field will effect Branyan’s home run count.

They also mentioned that the main reason that Branyan chose Seattle was because the club told him he would be expected to receive 400-500 at-bats. Branyan commented on that by saying that he will only get better the more he is on a set routine such as being the Mariners starting first baseman

Harold Reynolds and Sean Casey believe that the Mariners 2008 season was similar to The Perfect Storm. They strongly believe that had the Mariners not had such high expectations and laid the amount of pressure on the players they did, that the Mariners would have been in the running for the AL West title. Erik Bedard also said that he felt incredible pressure last season and that he feels little to no pressure this season.

The management has faith in the Mariners offense, yet won’t fully rely on it to win all games. “We need to manufacture some runs,” said Jack Zduriencik. While the show was talking about players set to have good years, they showed Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre and second baseman Jose Lopez.

One of the main reasons that Don Wakamatsu was chosen to be the Mariners' field manager was because of his knowledge in the American League West. He has spent eight seasons in this division and has “very good familiarity with it.”

Finally, they finished off the show by saying “The Trident rises in the Pacific Northwest.” Think of that as you will.

Ranking the Texas Rangers' Top Five Players of 2009

Ben Brown — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:09:52 -0400

Most baseball teams have a fairly well-balanced squad, a productive offense, and a few live arms, but the Texas Rangers strictly only have the productive offense aspect.

Last year, the Rangers had arguably the best offense in the majors. If they can now get full seasons out of Chris Davis, Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, and David Murphy, they could possibly have the best offense of any team in a while.

As no pitchers made my rankings, it makes me doubt a playoff run for the Rangers unless they could trade Cruz for a pitcher before the deadline.

Josh Hamilton

Hamilton was not only a part of the 2008 baseball season for the Rangers, but he was the 2008 season for the team. He batted .304, smashed 32 home runs, and led the American League in runs batted in with 130. Hamilton even stole nine bases in a massive 624 at-bats.

Can Hamilton do better than these MVP-caliber numbers in 2009?

Ian Kinsler

As a passionate Seattle Mariners fan I usually don't like my rival teams' players but I am very impressed with Kinsler and Hamilton. Kinsler can hit for average, speed, and even shows that he has some pop in his bat.

Last season, he hit .319 and had 18 home runs and 26 stolen bases in a meager 121 games. If he had played the full season at that pace he would finish with 24 home runs and 35 stolen bases.

I can only think of one player that puts up those kind of numbers, and that would be the number one rated hitter, Hanley Ramirez.

Chris Davis

After a long debate between my heart and mind I decided to rank Davis as the Rangers' third best player. In 2008 he hit .285 with 17 home runs in only 80 games. That alone is better than every Washington Nationals hitter and this was in half a season.

In 2009 you can expect numbers of around 40 home runs and a batting average around .300. Davis is sure to be a future star for many years to come.

Michael Young

Although his numbers have been dropping in the last few seasons with age, Young can still but up decent numbers across the board. In 2008 he hit .284 with 12 home runs and 10 stolen bases.

As disappointing as this may be, his second half batting average was a very weak .256. He is no longer a batting king although the move to third base might give him more energy to go out and hit a few more home runs.

A Gold Glove shortstop who is now a third baseman, Young is no spring chicken.

David Murphy

Murphy was a nice surprise to the Rangers’ squad last season. He batted .275 with 15 home runs and seven stolen bases in only 108 games.

I expect his numbers to rise to around a .300 average, 20 home runs and around 10 stolen bases. While he is still fairly young, he now has four partial major league seasons on his résumé.

Chicago Cubs Name Sean Marshall as Number Five Starter in Rotation

Ben Brown — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:07:18 -0400

After a competition between Aaron Heilman and Sean Marshall, it has been decided that Marshall win be the Chicago Cub's fifth starter in their starting rotation.

Marshall will be following elite starters including Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster, and Ted Lilly—all of whom were candidates for the 2008 National League Cy Young Award.

Aaron Heilman, who has been traded twice this winter, will be placed into the bullpen and will likely make spot starts as the season progresses. Originally in New York (NL), he was shipped to Seattle in a three-team, 12-player deal back on December 10 that sent J.J. Putz to the Mets.

Heilman was then traded to the Chicago Cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Garret Olson; Olson had also been traded twice this winter.

Last season, Sean Marshall was 1-4, with a 4.15 ERA and 36 strike-outs in 39 innings as a starter for the Cubbies.

Ranking the Los Angeles Angels af Anaheims' Top Five Players

Ben Brown — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:01:07 -0400

If I were to have written this article back in August, it would have looked drastically different, as Francisco Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira would have been atop this list.

I have taken into consideration that the Angels have gotten bit by the injury bug as of late, and that some players may not bounce back from injury as planned. Age was also a key component, but I tried not to make it the essential ingredient.

1. Vladimir Guerrero

Guerrero has had seasons that were comparable to some of Willie Mays’ seasons, but he is growing older and was limited to just 109 games in 2008 due to injury.

Nevertheless, he can hit for average and power, and he can run like the race-horses George Steinbrenner races. He was one home run short of joining the exclusive 40-40 club (40 homers and 40 stolen bases).

2. John Lackey

His 3.75 ERA in 2008 was quite misleading, since his ERA was 3.25 before a disastrous last start where he gave up ten runs in a meager 2.2 innings.

As the Angels' ace, he is sure to be leading a formidable rotation despite the fact that Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santana are injured for a while now.

3. Ervin Santana

Although he is injured, he is said to be returning in April, so he will only be missing three to four starts at the very most.

He is truly a rival team's nightmare, as he is a young star that can post incredible numbers. In 2008 He was 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA and had 214 strike-outs in a team leading 219 innings.

4. Joe Saunders

Saunders is another pitcher for the Angels that can produce massive numbers. He is still fairly young (27), but his numbers have never come relatively close to his 2008 numbers of 17-7, 3.41 ERA, and 103 strike-outs.

If 2008 was just a fluke year and he goes back to having an ERA in the mid 4.00’s, he will be my bust of 2009.

5. Bobby Abreu

As a Mariners' fan, I was utterly heart-broken to see a guy like Abreu go to a team like the Angels. But I have to admit that he is one heck of a baseball player.

Every year he produces numbers around 20 home runs, 20 stolen bases, .300 batting average, and 100 runs batted in, but his defense doesn’t match those superb numbers. His work with the glove is fairly modest, but he has horrible range, which is why I believe he should strictly be a designated hitter or move to an infield position such as first base.

Like the Mariners, the Angels’ production doesn’t exactly drop off after these five as Chone Figgins, Jered Weaver, and Mike Napoli would be my six, seventh, and eighth ranked players had I extended these rankings.

Ranking the Seattle Mariners' 2009 Roster

Ben Brown — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:56:04 -0400

Haven't we all wondered who is the best on our team's roster? What about the top five players?

Well, I have decided to rank the Seattle Mariners' top five players of 2009, and there may be some follow up articles from the other 29 teams as well—I have yet to decide.

1. Ichiro Suzuki

Eight seasons of a .300 batting average, All-Star selection, 200 hits, and a Gold Glove easily sets Ichiro as the No. 1 top player on the Seattle Mariners. In 2001, he won the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.

Did I forget to mention that Ichiro Suzuki is one of the fastest players to ever play the game? Well he is...or was...

2. Adrian Beltre

Who says the Seattle Mariners lack power? Beltre has hit 20 home runs in each of his seasons in Seattle, and in 2007 and 2008, he has won the prestigious Gold Glove Award. His average is decent as it ranges around .270—although he did hit .334 in his last season as a Dodger back in 2004.

3. Felix Hernandez

King Felix is said to have the most potential of any pitcher in the major leagues, and this year might belong to him.

His 3.45 ERA in 2008 may be misleading because of the defense behind him last season, and I believe it should have been around 3.36 had he had an average defense behind him.

Now that he arguably has the best defense in the majors behind him, he should have an ERA close to 3.00, added that what he has shown in the World Baseball Classic is a preview to his 2009 season.

4. Jose Lopez

Lopez surprised the Mariners last season with added power and average, and I only expect his numbers to go North this season. He has been working very hard this off-season—playing in Winter Leagues, and now the World Baseball Classic.

With his added strength, I believe he is good for 30 home runs while still posting an average around .300. If Lopez plays 2009 like his second half of 2008, he should be batting .305 with 29 home runs. Was it luck or is he a future baseball stud?

5. Erik Bedard

The trade that sent Bedard to Seattle broke my heart—not because of him coming to Seattle, but because of Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, George Sherrill and two other minor league players leaving to play in Baltimore, Maryland.

Throughout injuries, Bedard posted a 3.67 ERA in 2008 and a 6-4 record. He is expected to be the Mariners No. 2 starter behind King Felix, and after his Cy Young caliber season of 2007 (13-5, 3.16 ERA, and 221 strike-outs), I expect big things from the Seattle Mariners' rotation this season.

After the top five, the Seattle Mariners' talent drops off, but not too much, as they have Brandon Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and possibly Chris Shelton as surprises of 2009.

Seattle Sounders: Welcome To Seattle and Good Luck!

Ben Brown — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:06:49 -0400

Wasn't it just a few days ago that I was reading my Seattle Times to find that Seattle is getting the long awaited Major League Soccer team?

Turns out, that was actually a few years ago, but they finally debut tonight against the New York Bulls.

With famous faces such as Drew Carey investing in this potent team, they need to win, for Seattle and for themselves.

Seattle has endured many hardships in recent years, including rumors of their sport teams moving away to foreign cities (the Seattle Supersonics were the only Seattle team to actually move away, however, it was widely rumored that the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks were on the move), and difficulty for the teams to flat out win games.

As a Washingtonian (citizen of Washington) myself, I can honestly say that Seattle is a soccer town through and through. Every where you look, you see houses with little kids getting ready for that ever so important second grade matchup against the Glacier Park Elementary Polar Bears.

On Facebook, you read of your friends' posts that they are getting ready to go to watch the Sounders at Quest Field. We see friend after friend get hurt running their countless amount of lines, even though the coach doesn't believe they will amount to much.

But now, we have a new team to cheer for: the Seattle Sounders FC. A team with players coming from all over just to be a part of a new team in such a soccer-loving city.

So let's go out, buy our Seattle Sounder FC hats and watch the Sounders battle out their first ever game against the New York Red Bulls. The game starts at 6:00 PM, and will be aired on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

Sigi Schmid and the rest of the Seattle Sounders, we would like to say one thing: Welcome to Seattle, and good luck!

Seattle Sport Teams: Does "A New Day,A New Way" Work For All Of Seattle?

Ben Brown — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:10:17 -0400

As most of you probably know, the Seattle Seahawks had a fairly disappointing 2008 season last year. From getting bit by the injury bug to their long time coach, Mike Holgrem, walking off the field one last time.

It's time for change, not just the Seahawks, but all of Seattle's sports.

The Seattle Mariners were the worst team in the American League last season with a 61-101 record.

The Seahawks were among the worst in the NFL after numerous winning seasons including a 2005 appearance in the Super Bowl in a loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers (Sorry for reminding you Seahawks fans).

We have already lost our NBA team when Clay Bennett moved the Seattle Sonics to Oklahoma City under the name of Oklahoma City Thunder.

Now Seattle is finally getting the soccer team we all deserve in the Sounders, but we have to face the fact that a new team in a new league isn't going to produce a championship run.

So let's try the Seattle Mariner's new philosophy, "A New Day. A New Way.", seems to fit Seattle's obscure puzzle.

A city full of so much unhappiness can always use a little sun shine to brighten our day.

Starting off with a note that Ken Griffey Jr. is back where he started his career, but we also just received word that Julian Peterson has been traded to the Detroit Lions for Corey Redding and a fifth-round draft-pick.

Can the Seahawks and the Mariners return to playoff contention? Can the Sounder's pull off a miracle and have a winning season? Will the Seattle Thunderbirds receive their deeply anticipated attention?

Seattle Mariners Sign Chad Cordero To Possibly Solidify Bullpen

Ben Brown — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:54:44 -0400

The Seattle Mariners quite possibly signed their closer today, Chad Cordero, a former Washington National with 128 career saves. Born in 1982, he is by no means old but still has time for fine tuning, especially in a city where the closer role has always been determined by great minds.

Norm Charlton, Brian Fuentes, Kazuhiro Sasaki, Eddie Guardado, and J.J. Putz have all been the Seattle Mariners' closer in prior years. Going into 2009, the Mariners came into the season without a known closer for the first time in years.

Sure Cordero might not be named the closer yet, but I would be willing to place a bet that he is going to have at least two-thirds of all closing duties for the Seattle Mariners in 2009.

On one of the most under-rated teams in the league, it makes sense for Cordero to sign, but the minor-league part of the contract surprised me.

Here's a list of potential closers for the 2009 season; the younger players might make a play for the duties mid-season.

Chad Cordero
Mark Lowe
Randy Messenger
Roy Corcoran
David Aardsma
Tyler Walker
Miguel Batista
Shawn Kelley
Joshua Fields
Cesar Jimenez
Justin Thomas

No other team has even come close to the Seattle Mariner's depth in any category. Second base is probably their thinnest position, and they still have three potential starters that could take the reigns in a second's notice.

In 2005, Cordero compiled 47 saves, a 1.82 ERA, and 61 strikeouts in 74.1 innings, which resulted in him winning the Relief Pitcher of the Year Award and the 2005 Washington Nationals Most Valuable Player. On a team that included Jose Guillen, Christian Guzman, and Nick Johnson, that is a fairly prestigious award.

Can Cordero repeat those 2005 stats in 2009 for the Seattle Mariners? If given the opportunity by the potent Seattle Mariners I believe he could—maybe even better on a team with a higher chance of winning than the Nationals.

Top Five Surprises In The 2009 Baseball Season

Ben Brown — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:52:18 -0400

In 2008 there were many surprises that no one included myself predicted. From the Tampa Bay Rays dominance from the start to Andruw Jones failing to meet expectations in Hollywood.

What can we expect in 2009? What teams will fall apart and land themselves in the division cellar? What player will become the next Ryan Ludwick or Carlos Quentin?

I will make an attempt at predicting these surprises, starting with the top five.

1. Ryan Rowland-Smith becomes an All-Star starter.
As many of you know I am a very passionate Seattle Mariners fan, but Ryan Rowland-Smith is to big of a star to be kept secret any longer. As a starter he had an 3.50 ERA in 12 starts and the more experienced he was the better he became, including a September 3.06 ERA

2. The Oakland Athletics trade Matt Holliday to the Boston Red Sox for Michael Bowden and two minor league sluggers.
Doesn't Matt Holliday just seem destined to end up with the Boston Red Sox? I am expecting J.D. Drew to get injured even worse at that time and the Red Sox then acquire Holliday to replace the then starter Rocco Baldelli.

3. A.J. Burnett fails in his rookie season as a New York Yankee. Burnett was incredibly inconsistent last season and most people hate to face the fact that his ERA was 4.07. As for innings pitched and strike outs he had career highs, coincidentally it was also his contract season. Unless he befriends Alex Rodriguez' cousin Burnett will likely only pitch 165 innings.

4. Barry Zito wins the National League Cy Young Award. I believe all Zito has needed was to have a guy like Randy Johnson on his team to perform once again. In a rotation that includes 2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson, Matt Cain and Noah Lowry/ Johnathan Sanchez Zito is among the best in baseball.

5. The Cincinnati Reds win the 2009 World Series.
You're probably asking "Why?", but I'm asking "Why not?". They have a formidable rotation on that young Red Machine and the offense is among the most potent in baseball with Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Chris Dickerson and Brandon Philips atop the list.

A Thank You To Seattle Mariners' Trainer Rick Griffin

Ben Brown — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:47:53 -0500

Since 1983, the Mariners have had two figures that have stayed with the team through the bad times and, of course, the good ones, too.

Those figures are Legendary Broadcaster, Dave Niehaus and Head Trainer, Rick Griffin.

When a player gets injured on the field or on their private yacht, one guy always is taking charge, which is, of course, Rick Griffin.

From three All-Star games to touring with the Japan All-Stars in 1996, Rick Griffin is truly one-of-a-kind.

Not a whole lot of trainers are as close to the team as Griffin is. In a picture I once found, it was from 1995 and the Mariners were in a hot tub.

There was Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner, Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and about three other players and then Rick Griffin.

The same man, who started his life in the “Real World” as a high school teacher/trainer, ended up working in the minor league system for the Cincinnati Reds.

The latter one ended up lasting a few years, following by a job at a Medicine Clinic in Seattle.

In 1983, he accepted the Head Athletic Trainer for the Seattle Mariners and little did he know he would still be with them over a quarter-century later.

In 1999, his assistant and he were awarded with the "Athletic Training Staff of the Year Award."

One of his closest friends, Ken Griffey Jr. was taken from him following that season where the Mariners had to deal with the loss of former team, ace, Randy Johnson.

Now, they are reunited which each-other, Griffey and Griffin—a combination for the ages; now another force not to be messed with.

Thank you, Rick Griffin, for all those years of service and hopefully many, many more years.

Let's just hope the "bad times" are the past, even though I know you won't leave us when our city and team fail to produce a winning season.

Have a Little Faith: Is Chris Shelton of the Mariners the "Real Deal"?

Ben Brown — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:54:29 -0500

Back in 2005 Shelton hit .299 and knocked in 18 home runs in only 107 games, right around two-thirds of the season. He was poised for an incredible 2006 season where some predicted a .308 batting average and 31 home runs. But then something unknown happened to his swing—basically it got really bad, slowly but surely.

In 2006 he still had a nice season of 16 home runs and a .273 batting average in only 115 games, but he strayed away from the path he was progressing on—the path towards dominance.

Shelton missed the 2007 season, and in 2008 he barely managed to hit .216 with two home runs in 41 games. His career was thought to be over. Many gave up on him, but not recently hired Seattle Mariner general manager Jack Zduriencik, who then signed him.

After training with a friend, now Shelton is having one of the best spring training runs there currently is, batting .444 with three home runs in a meager nine at-bats. He is leading the majors in slugging percentage of players with at least four at-bats.

If I was to predict Shelton's statistics in 2009, I would probably get laughed at by many readers that also laughed at fans predicting big seasons from now All-Star Ryan Ludwick. Am I comparing Shelton to Ludwick? Yes, but I think he will have a season like Jorge Cantu's last season, only a higher average.

In My Book- The 2009 Seattle Mariners Opening Day Roster

Ben Brown — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:04:42 -0500

Well, now that the Mariners finally lost an official spring training game, I decided it was time to say what I believe the opening day roster should be for the Seattle Mariners.

C. Jeff Clement
1B. Chris Shelton
2B. Jose Lopez
3B. Adrian Beltre
SS. Ronny Cedeno
RF. Ichiro Suzuki
CF. Franklin Gutierrez
LF. Endy Chavez/ Ken Griffey Jr.
DH. Ken Griffey Jr./ Russell Branyan

SP. Felix Hernandez
SP. Erik Bedard
SP. Brandon Morrow
SP. Ryan Rowland-Smith
SP. Garrett Olson

CL. Randy Messenger

Plenty of these predictions may surprise you, but time will tell on many of these issues. As for the starting lineup, the only guys that were the starters at that position last opening day are Adrian Beltre and Jose Lopez. The rotation is youthful and could follow in the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays' footsteps.

As for the bullpen, I am still not sure on specific roles because some guys, such as Chris Seddon, Justin Thomas or Jason Vargas, could emerge as useful arms, although I think Vargas is more useful as a starter.