3 Reasons to Be Optimistic for Seattle Mariners' 2015 Season

Spring training is winding down, and the Opening Day roster is just about set. It's time for the Seattle Mariners to begin their most anticipated season in recent memory.

Seattle will open Monday against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Safeco Field, which sold out in a matter of minutes. Excitement is building for the Mariners in a city currently dominated by football, as the team finally has the pieces to reach the postseason for the first time since 2001.

The Mariners surprised last year by finishing one game shy of a playoff berth at 87-75. It doesn't appear as if that team will be a one-year flash in the pan, as Seattle addressed its weaknesses over the offseason and has some young players who look like they are ready to take the next step.

There are a still some questions, and injuries and regression can always shape a season for the worse. But fans in Seattle still have multiple reasons to be optimistic, and this roster is capable of contending for the AL West crown and more.

Star Power

The Mariners are fortunate to employ some of the brightest stars in the entirety of Major League Baseball. Those stars alone are enough to make Seattle an interesting and likely competitive club.

Felix Hernandez is entering his 11th season as the fan favorite in Seattle yet is somehow still in his prime at just 28 years old (although he turns 29 on April 8). With the potential of finally pitching in the postseason waiting at the end of the year and the sting of the narrow Cy Young defeat last season, Hernandez could be in line for one of the best campaigns of his career.

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Robinson Cano was brilliant in the first year of Seattle's megadeal, even if his home run total was down. Again, Cano projects to be the most valuable second baseman in the league by WAR and should be a contender for the batting title or even MVP if Mike Trout improbably falters.

No matter what happens with the rest of the team, those two players are must-watch TV and should have fans in Seattle feeling optimistic.

Kyle Seager, Hisashi Iwakuma and Nelson Cruz aren't on the elite level of those two but provide some measure of star power in their own right. In particular, Seager is starting to get the recognition he deserves. A homegrown third baseman who can produce over five wins a year is not something that is easy to come by.

Cruz may not live up to the contract the Mariners just paid him, but he'll be such an upgrade over what the team got out of the DH position last year that he could feel like a superstar in Seattle.

Young Players Ready to Break Out

Those five form a pretty good core for the Mariners. The key will be surrounding them with the right supporting pieces.

Fortunately, Seattle appears to have a solid mix of proven veterans and up-and-coming young players. Two of those young players have excelled in spring and look ready to become critical major league contributors.

Spring stats must obviously be taken with a massive grain of salt, but Taijuan Walker's line of 25 innings pitched with one run allowed on nine hits and four walks with 24 strikeouts warrants some attention. Walker's stuff looks better than before. He's mixing in a changeup well and throwing strikes after having some command issues in 2014.

Walker has impressed everyone this spring, including his teammates. Rickie Weeks noted the 22-year-old's makeup and maturity, via Phil Rogers of MLB.com: 

"

The guy's got the makeup to be a superstar in the game, with the stuff he has. It's all about makeup and throwing strikes. He's shown that already, so the sky's the limit for him. ... This guy, he knows his role, he knows what he has to do to get better in this game. He's trying to pick the brains of guys like Felix. He's a Cy Young winner. He's able to go out there and just show him the way, basically.

"

Mike Zunino has also acquitted himself well in the spring, batting .353/.431/.882 over 51 at-bats. His seven home runs during spring training trail only mega-prospect Kris Bryant in the entire majors.

Everyone already knows Zunino has outstanding power, and pitchers aren't throwing their best breaking pitches during the spring. But Zunino has had some encouraging signs in other areas, drawing six walks and generally looking more comfortable at the plate.

Manager Lloyd McClendon is pleased with the progress and believes Zunino is ready to cut down on the strikeouts and up his batting average a bit, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. 

“That’s what he’s been working on all spring—the ability to put the ball in play with two strikes and gaining the knowledge and understanding of what they’re trying to do you," McClendon said. "He continues to grow.”

This Roster Is a Legitimate Contender 

There are some questions for sure (Logan Morrison and Austin Jackson come to mind), but this is arguably the best preseason roster the Mariners have possessed since 2003. It also represents the best chance Seattle has had to make the postseason in quite some time.

Not only are there superstars mixed in with intriguing young talent, but the holes that have plagued the Mariners in recent years, particularly at DH, are gone. At the minimum, this team should be able to win a wild-card spot.

If Seattle can stay healthy, and if players like Zunino, Walker, Brad Miller and James Paxton take the next step this year, it can contend for a lot more. According to FanGraphs' projected World Series odds, the Mariners trail only the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers as the team with the best chance to win it all.

Seattle got better during the offseason, addressing its biggest weaknesses at DH and the outfield with some proven contributors. It can be argued that the other contenders in the AL West all got worse.

The Angels are likely Seattle's main competition for the division and are carried by Trout, the best player in baseball. However, they are counting on some injury-prone starters in the rotation and downgraded at second base, even if trading Howie Kendrick for Andrew Heaney looks smart for the long term.

It's unwise to count out Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics, who have tons of depth and upside on their pitching staff. Oakland is by no means rebuilding, but losing Josh Donaldson and Jon Lester isn't going to make your team better.

The Houston Astros are getting closer but not ready to compete yet. It looks like another long summer for the Texas Rangers with Yu Darvish sidelined for the year.

Seattle has been dreadful for so long, and the memory of a hyped 2010 season that ended at 61-101 still burns fresh in fans' minds. Still, there are many reasons to be optimistic that this could finally be the Mariners' year.

All stats via FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.