Seattle Mariners' 5 Most Important Players for 2015 Success
The Seattle Mariners enter the 2015 season with high hopes of making the postseason for the first time in 13 years.
By adding Nelson Cruz, Justin Ruggiano and Seth Smith, the Mariners addressed the biggest weaknesses of a team that fell one game short a year ago. None of those players are projected to be game-changers on their own, but they are worth a few wins over what Seattle had at those positions previously.
Even with these additions, Seattle is still led by a core of Robinson Cano, Felix Hernandez, Kyle Seager and Hisashi Iwakuma. Those players need to perform at an elite level for the Mariners to compete.
They very likely will. It's the play of a few others that will determine exactly how far the Mariners can go.
Austin Jackson and Mike Zunino are among Seattle's most important players for 2015 success.
5. Brad Miller, SS
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The Mariners have indicated that there is “no favorite” between Miller and Chris Taylor for the starting shortstop position, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com. Miller has the higher ceiling, so it would be huge for the club if he could win the job and live up to his full potential.
After a promising rookie season, Miller was very inconsistent in 2014.
| AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | wRC+ | |
| April/May | .156 | .235 | .252 | 3 | 42 |
| June | .298 | .355 | .512 | 5 | 146 |
| July | .172 | .262 | .224 | 0 | 39 |
| August/September | .301 | .346 | .538 | 2 | 150 |
In June, August and September, Miller was was one of the better hitting shortstops in the league. With an ability to hit for some power and his solid defense, the tools are there for Miller to be an extremely valuable player.
Then there's the matter of the other three months, including a terrible start to the season. Those numbers aren't nearly good enough for a team trying to compete in a loaded division.
The only reason Miller doesn’t rank higher is the fact that Seattle has an insurance piece in Taylor, who will come in quickly if Miller struggles out of the gate or may even win the job outright.
4. Taijuan Walker, SP
2 of 5Barring any early setbacks, the No. 5 spot in Seattle's rotation will be decided between Taijuan Walker and Roenis Elias in spring training. Again, Walker has the higher ceiling and could be an important boost if he takes the next step in his development.
Walker's 2014 season started with an injury, and he bounced between Triple-A Tacoma and Seattle for most of the year. His overall 2.61 ERA (3.68 FIP) was strong, but Walker struggled with his command at times, posting a walk rate of 11.3 percent.
However, Walker's final start of the year on Sept. 24 against the Toronto Blue Jays was very promising, as he allowed one run on four hits in eight innings while walking one and striking out six.
That's the kind of upside the Mariners hope to see from their former No. 1 prospect. If Walker can pitch at something approaching that level consistently, the Mariners rotation will be even better than last year.
The offense is more of a concern than the rotation, and Walker (or Elias) should be at least a serviceable No. 5 in any case. Walker's not the most important player, but he could provide a nice boost at the back end.
3. Mike Zunino, C
3 of 5Even though his numbers at the plate may not indicate it, Zunino has been impressive given the circumstances. The Mariners put a lot of pressure on Zunino by calling him up just one calendar year after being drafted and giving him the everyday catcher job the next season.
Zunino responded by becoming one of the better defensive catchers and pitch-framers in the majors. The Mariners will also certainly take 22 home runs out of the catcher position again.
It's Zunino's .199 average and .254 OBP from last season that's a concern. With a 4.9 percent walk rate and 30.9 percent strikeout rate so far early in his career, Zunino has struggled mightily with plate discipline.
If Zunino can improve that OBP a little bit—it doesn't have to be much—he will be a borderline star. Given how quickly he's had to adjust to each level, Zunino should continue to improve at the plate, particularly against breaking balls.
Zunino is a valuable catcher either way, so his success won't be quite as important as the top two. Still, he has the potential to be a massive presence in Seattle's lineup with a small amount of development.
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2. Dustin Ackley, LF
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Once again, Dustin Ackley has left the Mariners wondering if he has finally broken out. Following a poor first half last year, Ackley put up a 150 wRC+ in July and August.
Ackley's reasons for success were simple: Changes in his approach at the plate helped him hit the ball harder and to all fields, via Johns of MLB.com.
"I'm just staying on balls better," Ackley said. "Lately I've been working up the middle and pitches away I've been hitting to left field. I think that's really important. Especially when you're getting pitched that way, that's really the key."
But Ackley has shown flashes before and is far from a sure thing to continue that success. Perhaps even more concerning are the ankle problems that severely limited Ackley last September and required him to see a specialist after the season, according to Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune.
Paired with strong defense in left field, Ackley will be a worthy contributor if he continues his second-half surge into next season. That “if” will be one of the most critical factors for Seattle in 2015.
Lloyd McClendon said he is planning to bat Smith or Ruggiano in the all-important No. 2 spot instead of Ackley, via Dutton, but his second-half level of production would be huge behind Seattle's strong middle of the order. Only the Mariners' leadoff man will be more important to their success next season.
1. Austin Jackson, CF
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The acquisition of Jackson at least year's deadline made plenty of sense for the Mariners. Seattle was addressing a big weakness with a player who had been a solid center fielder for a number of seasons, totaling a 14.6 WAR in a period of four years.
Instead of performing at his usual level, Jackson was awful in the second half with the Mariners. He hit .229/.267/.260 as Seattle's leadoff man, and his mysterious decline was ultimately one of the reasons the Mariners fell just short.
Jackson said spending more time with McClendon, who was his hitting coach with the Detroit Tigers, will help him get back on track, via Dutton:
"My first four years being with Lloyd, he was able to iron out some of the problems I had in my swing — he knew the key things we can go back to, to get me locked back in. I didn’t have that last year. It was kind of tough to make adjustments on the fly…Last year, I would try to find it, but I think I created some bad habits, and it was kind of tough to get out of them. This off-season, I tried to work on those things as much as I can. Hopefully, when spring training starts, we can get some good work in.
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Jackson will be the leadoff hitter again, and the Mariners can't afford to have him struggle. It's fair to trust Jackson's four years of success over two months of failure, but Seattle desperately needs him to bounce back.
Why Jackson ranks as the most crucial player is the lack of organizational depth at such an important position. If Jackson struggles again, the Mariners will have to address center field at the trade deadline or hope Ruggiano can man the position full time.
Jackson could be the most important difference between a fringe playoff contender and a pennant contender.
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