Seattle Mariners: 2012 Season Preview...The Start of Something Big?

The 2012 Seattle Mariners are once again a rebuilding team looking to improve upon last season's disappointing 67-95 record.

Fans of the ball club have been waiting for the better part of the last decade for their team to return to some form of respectability, but they have only been treated to flashes of false hope for the majority of that time. 

2012 in many ways will be a test for both the team and the fans, respectively. 

In all likelihood, the collective patience of Mariner Nation will be tested many times this year with the torch being passed from Ichiro (in what could be his final year in a Mariner uniform) to the likes of the promising young trio of Dustin Ackley, Jesus Montero and Justin Smoak.

As for pitching, Mariner fans will have to wait for another young trio of prospects in Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker and James Paxton to work their way through Double- AA Jackson before potentially Felix Hernandez in the starting rotation. 

Beyond all of that, the M's have plenty of questions, but this season should help provide some much-needed answers and hopefully some long-term solutions. 

So before the M's "Get After It" Friday night in Oakland, I figured it might be worthwhile to preview the team's chances in 2012.  In this article I will quickly break down a few of the key points and how they may affect the team during the coming season...

Hitting

Let's just cut to the chase.  One can only hope this picture becomes a common occurrence this year and for many to come if the Mariners plan on making any meaningful strides forward.

Over the past few years, the M's have been simply terrible at the plate by striking out in bunches and failing to generate runs with any consistency.

That needs to change this year and the key is Justin Smoak.

Right now I have faith that Dustin Ackley will develop into a solid hitter that could some day take over the No. 3 spot in the lineup.   I also believe that Jesus Montero will work out as well, either becoming the team's cleanup or No. 5 hitter.  Smoak remains a mystery.   Last year it was understandable for Smoak to struggle given all that he had to handle both on and off the field. 

This season with an improved diet and hopefully a clear mind, he will start to show the promise that made Jack Zduriencik originally trade Cliff Lee for him rather than Jesus Montero. 

Beyond the "Big Three," this team has plenty of other questions in need of serious answers...

Can Chone Figgins come back to life?

Will Franklin Gutierrez be able to return to form?

Is anyone from the long list of former prospects (Mike Carp, Kyle Seager, Casper Wells, Michael Saunders, Carlos Peguero, Trayvon Robinson) a keeper/starter?

How much time and patience do we afford each of these guys?

There's really no one you can consider a sure thing in the entire lineup, even Ichiro is questionable in the No. 3 spot after a disappointing year.

If everything falls the right way, this could be an entertaining lineup, but there are an awful lot of "ifs."

This team will still probably struggle to score very much on any given day. 

Starting Pitching

Unlike the team's hitting, when it comes to starting pitching, there are two bankable commodities in King Felix and Jason Vargas, but beyond them, things start to get fuzzy.

While it's hard not to get excited about the future with Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton and Erasmo Ramirez waiting in the wings, for the start of the season we are hoping newcomer Hector Noesi, Blake Beavan, and 37-year-old Kevin Millwood can hold down the fort. 

Of that trio, I believe that Beavan will have the most to offer, although he won't scare anyone in the process.  At the same time there is some small chance that Hector Noesi may be a hidden gem before all is said and done.  

Finally, when it comes to Millwood, the best we can hope for is a solid first half that can lead to someone desperate enough to offer a prospect in return come the end of July.  Sounds crazy right now, but you never know...

A more realistic prediction would be that Millwood ends up the odd man out and is replaced by Hisashi Iwakuma before the end of June. 

Overall they should be a good staff thanks largely to Felix's efforts, but will more often than not be left at the mercy of the bullpen.

The Bullpen

In 2011, Brandon League turned out to be a pretty decent closer and chances are that he will once again serve the team well in that role.

Unfortunately, the middle relief is downright scary...and not in a good way. 

The current crew out in the pen does not inspire confidence given their penchant for taking solid performances from the starters and magically turning them in to losses. 

As we saw in Tokyo, this crew might just be the team's Achilles heel.

Perhaps with Hisashi Iwakuma and Erasmo Ramirez in the mix there might be some hope, but beyond them it's a rather motley crew comprised of Steve Delabar, Tom Wilhemsen, George Sherrill and Lucas Luetge for the start of the season. 

One can only imagine how many ball games this unit will botch for Felix alone before the end of the year. 

Fielding

What was considered a strength only a few years ago is now a question mark for the Mariners.

With Ichiro getting older and Franklin Gutierrez injured, odds are slim the Mariners have any Gold Glove candidates suiting up for them this year.  While there's no shame in lacking a superior defense, it certainly would be a big help on a team that has trouble scoring runs.

Making matters worse is that most of the M's younger talent are still learning how to play their respective positions.  Look around the diamond and you will see one player after another either trying to figure out how to play their position (Jesus Montero at catcher), still learning in year two at the pro level (Dustin Ackley at 2B) or potentially miscast at their position (Kyle Seager at 3B).

Could this crew eventually figure it out?

It's possible, but don't be shocked if this crew loses a tight game or two this season thanks to an error at some point late in a tight game. 

Prediction: 73-89...4th Place

The Mariners won't win 90 games, but I don't think will lose that many either.

Playing in a division with both Texas and California (Los Angeles, Anaheim or whatever they're calling themselves these days), isn't going to help; meanwhile Oakland looks capable of putting up a fight more often than not.

Sadly that leaves the Mariners in the cellar. 

At 73-89, it's not much of an improvement from last season as the mix of veterans and up-and-coming youngsters should make for an entertaining ball-club, but one that will still leave fans periodically rolling their eyes and muttering to themselves.

The big question then is how will we know if this team is really improving if they're mired in last place?

Statistics won't tell the entire story, but if you're still saving games on Tivo by July, consider it a good sign. 

If this crew can generate runs on a fairly consistent basis and in turn give the likes of Felix and the rest of the staff a sense of security to let loose rather than trying not to lose, then this could be the start of something big. 

Otherwise it's going to be a very long season where you can consistently watch an entire game on Tivo in a matter of minutes and find yourself talking about the Seahawks prior to the MLB All-Star Break.