5 Bold Predictions for Seattle Mariners in the 2nd Half of the Season

Is it fair to make “bold” predictions about a team like the Seattle Mariners that is stuck in fourth place in its division with an unimpressive record of 35-47? Every team has potential to make drastic changes after the All-Star break, but it gets a little harder to muster confidence when your team has scored an AL-worst 297 runs.

The baseball season is long, and teams can get hot later in the summer. Youngsters start to arrive and settle into their roles. Certain veterans start to work a little harder to prove they deserve free-agent contracts after the season.

A team like the Mariners is supposed to be showing signs of progress. Seattle is not in a financial situation to compete with the big spenders at the top of the market, so it must build a squad from the ground up. If the plan is working, fans should start seeing some signs of progress.

Any day now...

Will the second half of 2013 be special? Here are five bold predictions for the Seattle Mariners after the break.

The Taijuan Walker Era Will Begin

We have been hearing about these dynamic pitching prospects for quite some time. Perhaps now fans will start to see them make an impact.

Along with Danny Hultzen and James Paxton, there is Taijuan Walker, who is arguably the jewel of the farm system. Now that Walker has been promoted to Triple-A Tacoma, fans can start to speculate on when he might be promoted to the big club.

Walker’s debut in Tacoma was impressive:

Six innings, three hits, no earned runs, two walks, four strikeouts. One win.

One win is not grounds for an automatic promotion to Safeco Field. However, if starters in Seattle struggle and Walker continues to pitch well, he may eventually make his way north.

Obviously the Mariners are going to be hesitant about rushing their 20-year-old pitcher who supposedly has the talent to be a future ace. However, someone like Aaron Harang is not necessarily going to stand in the way of Walker’s progress if the young hurler displays electric stuff with the Tacoma Rainiers.

It would not be a shock if Walker were promoted sometime in the second half.

The Young Core Will Bring Hope

The Mariners are not necessarily going to turn into an offensive juggernaut in the second half. Still, there is a great deal of potential with some of the young hitters.

Nick Franklin (.295, 4 HR, 15 RBI) looks like a keeper. Kyle Seager is obviously having a very solid season (.268, 11 HR, 36 RBI). Mike Zunino and Brad Miller have not been consistent at the plate in their brief stints, but they have shown flashes of what could come in the future.

In theory, the plan is starting to come together. Granted, the plan has been extremely slow, and it is fair to assume that fans are wondering whether the plan will actually result in a competitive team down the road.

Nevertheless, the youngsters will continue to provide hope for the future. Even if the Mariners do not contend this season, they will end the year with many of the top prospects either on the roster or perhaps ready to go next year.

Trades Will Happen

As the Mariners approach the trade deadline, speculation will increase and Seattle will likely end up a "seller" if the team is not within reasonable striking distance of the division title. Trades will happen, but not necessarily as many as people think.

The collective bargaining agreement is now structured in such a way that it may be worth it for teams to retain certain players. Teams can offer the player a contract at the end of the year, and if that player signs with another franchise, the original team gets a compensatory draft pick.

What this means is that a team like the Mariners will have to decide whether certain packages are worth more than a draft pick. There will obviously be a lot of talk surrounding a player like Kendrys Morales, but other teams will need to decide whether they are willing to give up top prospects when they may only be renting the player.

Other trade targets may include Michael Morse, Raul Ibanez, Endy Chavez, Jason Bay, Brendan Ryan and Hisashi Iwakuma. In theory, it would be nice to keep a few veterans for a change and sign them to extensions. Fans are probably getting a little tired of always making deals for the future.

Deals are going to happen. There just might not be very many.

Attendance Will Pick Up

As summer temperatures start to rise, fans will start coming back to Safeco Field. Is there anything better than watching a baseball game on a beautiful Seattle evening?

Apparently there is.

Let’s put it another way. Attendance can’t get much worse. All right, so it can always get a little worse.

So far this season, the Mariners rank 26th in attendance at 21,541 fans per game. If you have been to a game at Safeco, you know that fans of the other team are fairly noticeable. The only teams in the league that have worse attendance are the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins.

The Astros are terrible, the Rays never draw, and the Marlins keep having fire sales so the fanbase is likely in a season-long protest. Honestly, Cleveland is a mystery.

The Mariners are going to start winning. Fans will come back. Safeco Field is going to be a rockin' joint once again. The M’s just need a spark. If you build a winner, they will come.

The Mariners Will Make a Run

The Seattle Mariners are going to go on an inspired run in the second half. Wishful thinking? Perhaps.

How will they accomplish this? How will they shift the momentum of a club that has been mired in third or fourth place for seemingly the entire season? I quote the movie Shakespeare in Love:

“It’s a mystery.”

In more practical terms, this is an offense that has potential. Some of the young hitters are showing promise, and Seattle has continued to get some very solid pitching performances from select members of the staff. 

The Mariners are due. The fans deserve a winner after languishing in mediocrity for several long seasons. Something will occur. Baseball magic will invade Safeco Field.

Somehow it will all work out and the Mariners will be a contender by the end of the season. There is my bold prediction.

Why not? Enjoy the rest of the season.

Follow @tpheifer