Future All Star: Mariners CF Franklin Guiterrez

The 2008 season ended in complete and utter ruin for the 2008 Mariners.

Their trades had become infamous for being more of a charitable contribution to other ball clubs than a swap of benefit (name me one starter acquired from a trade in the Bavasi era on the current roster).

They became the first team to lose 100 games while sporting a $100 million payroll. 

The clubhouse was divided, with violence being threatened upon Ichiro, and the big trade addition, LHP Erik Bedard, seemingly uninvolved in any sort of team camaraderie. 

In the long run, I am glad it all happened.

The complete meltdown finally led to the dismissal of Bill Bavasi, who I will not even call the teams GM because he was the farthest from it.

Soon after the season ended, the Mariners hired a pair of names you mess up spelling at least once, in Jack Zdurencik and Don Wakamatsu, as their new GM and Manager respectively.

All they have done is make a rebuilding team competitive this season.  The two do not generally go hand in hand. With a 46-42 record, they are only four games behind the first place Anaheim Angels.

Look no further than Zdurencik for the reason they are in contention for the playoffs. He has wheeled and dealed to no end, grabbing guys like Russell Branyan and his 23 HRs off the Free Agent scrap heap. 

Who would have thought David Aardsma would be one of the most dominant relievers in baseball?

Apparently not the Red Sox, who coughed him up for AA pitcher Fabian Washington.

Any Mariners fan ever heard of Garrett Olson or Jason Vargas?

I know I vaguely had at best.

Jack has not been gun shy.

He pulled off a huge three team, 12 player deal revolving around CP JJ Putz that netted the Mariners' key contributors: CF Franklin Gutierrez, Jason Vargas, Endy Chavez, eventually P Garrett Olson, and SS Ronny Cedeno (traded Aaron Heilman, whom they acquired from the Mets to the Cubs).

Zdurencik said the key to the deal was Gutierrez, which is actually why they got the Cleveland Indians involved to make it a three team deal. 

I will not deny, before the trade, that I did not know much about Gutierrez, and why should I?

He was a backup CF for a team I do not really care about. 

Being overshadowed by CF Grady Sizemore, one of the finest all around OFs in the game, Gutierrez had a limited role in Cleveland. Even in a backup capacity, he was regarded as one of the finest defensive OFs in the game as a whole. 

He had never seen more then 400 ABs in a season.  The only reason he played any significant portion of time was due to injuries in the Cleveland OF last season. His offense was spotty, hitting .266 with eight HRs and 41 RBI.

So the Mariners did have some tape on him to watch, and obviously the deal breaker was his glove.

Never being a starter before, he had some natural jitters as he started off the season for the Seattle Mariners. His glove was spectacular from day one, and he has cemented his standing as one of the top three defensive CFs in the game. 

The only thing was that his bat had not quite picked up, and with the transition to a new team and a starting role, Mariners fans naturally cut him some slack.

The fact that almost all of the rest of the offense sucks miserably means he did not really stand out in other words.

We were expecting what we saw, a cold bat, a hot glove, but as the Mariners started to gel and gain momentum heading into the All Star break, so did his bat.

He has been on fire, raising his average up roughly .50 points to .295, while being on pace to knock in 20 HRs and 84 RBI in his first season as a starter.

There was even talk of him being an All Star reserve, something I even felt was a lofty idea.

As most media members do with West Coast teams, players, etc., I would not be so quick to dismiss the idea.  If he can keep his average at a consistent sub .300 level and increase his expected production by a mere 25 percent next season, he will have 30 HRs and 100 RBI to go along with his feisty glove.

For a defensive specialist, those are excellent stats.  Most players who excel at defense in particular are not usually able to swing for power and average as well.

At 26-years-old, he has not even hit his prime yet.  He has a lot left in the tank, considering he was never a full time starter. The wear and tear does make a huge difference, and will likely prolong his career by several seasons. 

With Ichiro playing alongside him, they form perhaps the top defensive duo at CF and RF in the game. That is no knock on newly acquired LF Ryan Langerhans (another steal who could be the long term starter), but he simply does not have anything on the two when it comes to defense.

I say it is not too bold to predict a 2010 All Star berth for Guiterrez, and many more after that. His rare blend of defensive prowess and a solid (could be amazing) bat will make him a lock for the Mariners at CF for the next 10 seasons.

Thank you Jack Zdurencik, I will not be shy to come out and say you have saved this franchise. Not only saved it, but turned it into a playoff contender in a matter of one season with scrap and spare parts that no one wanted that just continue to blossom.

Even if we miss the postseason, you have exceeded every possible expectation.

I just cannot wait to see what happens when we have some funny money to throw at some Free Agent prizes this offseason.

Look for the next part to the up and coming series focusing on another rising player with All Star potential.