JosephC
12-05-2009, 01:35 PM
Had you asked any journalist or scout during the 2009 season whether the Seattle Mariners had any chance of competing in 2010 or even 2011, they would have given you a funny look and then just kept on walking. Well folks, the 2010 season is coming up and I'm here to give you my thoughts on the Mariners '10 season.
What the Mariners need:
The Mariners are in great need of a power hitter. We have two solid hitters with Ichiro Suzuki (who probably will hit 200 again next year), and Chone Figgins who was just signed.
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/8089/7535184910.jpg
Ichiro hit with a stellar .352 batting average. He also hit 11 home runs, the most since his 2005 season where he hit 15. What declined? His number of stolen bases. In 2009 Ichiro only had 26 stolen bases compared with 2008 where he had 43. Even with his speed to decline, I would expect none less than to see him hitting .300 next season. Obviously, Ichiro is far from being a power hitter.
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/3512/losangelesangelsanaheim.jpg
How about the addition of this guy, Chone Figgins?
No doubt he will be an impact player for the Mariners. Having a 1, 2 bite of Ichiro and Figgins will impact this team immensely. Who will bat first is going to be a hot question during spring training. Figgins batted with a respectable .298 batting average last year and can be expected to have similar results in the '10 season. His overall career batting average is .291. Unlike Ichiro, Figgins had a good base stealing year with 42 bases jacked. Again, like Ichiro, Figgins is not a power hitter.
So who would make a good power hitter for the Mariners?
The most obvious choice is last year's miracle player, Russel Branyan.
Branyan was one of the reason the Mariners had such a great start to the 2009 season. He struggled in the second half of the season but still pulled a .251 batting average while fighting injuries. The Mariners have already attempted to sign Branyan with a 1 year deal, but Branyan is looking to at least get job security for two years.
How about Jason Bay? Playing in Left Field (a position the Mariners are looking to fill), he has some upsides and downsides like Branyan. His upside is he is already interested in Seattle; afterall, his home is in Seattle. Bay, not as powerful as Branyan, would hit a consistent 30-40 homeruns in a season. Bay would also be a stealing threat on the bases which would have it's upside to Ichiro and Figgins already being a threat.
The Mariners are also looking at filling a void pitching spot left by Washburn and Eric Bedard. Obviously Washburn has been consider for the spot, but I have a hunch the Mariners will not be persuing the 35 year old southpaw. Had the Mariners really wanted to resign Washburn, they would have never traded him to the Tigers in the first place. Will the M's persue Eric Bedard? Again, I think the Mariners have considered Bedard but this just has too much of a risk. No one knows how Bedard's surgery is going to affect his pitching. Who knows, he may never be the same Bedard which he was in Baltimore or Seattle.
Who should the M's consider signing?
I say let the Angels overpay for John Lackey. Lackey is a no. 2 starter and I must say, I've never been blown away with the stuff that he brings to the table. Instead I would venture to say the Mariners should attempt to sign Rich Harden. When healthy, Harden is one of the best pitchers in the league (career 3.39 ERA and a 100 MPH fastball). Again, that's when he's healthy. Like Bedard, Harden has had health issues throughout his major league career. Should the M's decide to persue him, they will be EXPECTING that he will have injuries during the season. This is one reason why I have read alot of people dreamining over a Harden/Bedard combination. I think this is just dreaming and that is it. No one knows if/when Harden will have an injury, and no one knows if/when Bedard will be ready to pitch. Suggesting that one can fill for the other just doesn't make any sense.
With this all being said, I think the Mariners have a good shot at contending next year if they make the right moves. Signing Chone Figgins makes alot of sense since it takes away from the team you are trying to beat. The Mariners are going to have to make some more magical moves to take the division, but I have hopes that they will.
Well now that I've written my thoughts up here, I'm curious what you have to say. Come on in and post about this!
What the Mariners need:
The Mariners are in great need of a power hitter. We have two solid hitters with Ichiro Suzuki (who probably will hit 200 again next year), and Chone Figgins who was just signed.
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/8089/7535184910.jpg
Ichiro hit with a stellar .352 batting average. He also hit 11 home runs, the most since his 2005 season where he hit 15. What declined? His number of stolen bases. In 2009 Ichiro only had 26 stolen bases compared with 2008 where he had 43. Even with his speed to decline, I would expect none less than to see him hitting .300 next season. Obviously, Ichiro is far from being a power hitter.
http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/3512/losangelesangelsanaheim.jpg
How about the addition of this guy, Chone Figgins?
No doubt he will be an impact player for the Mariners. Having a 1, 2 bite of Ichiro and Figgins will impact this team immensely. Who will bat first is going to be a hot question during spring training. Figgins batted with a respectable .298 batting average last year and can be expected to have similar results in the '10 season. His overall career batting average is .291. Unlike Ichiro, Figgins had a good base stealing year with 42 bases jacked. Again, like Ichiro, Figgins is not a power hitter.
So who would make a good power hitter for the Mariners?
The most obvious choice is last year's miracle player, Russel Branyan.
Branyan was one of the reason the Mariners had such a great start to the 2009 season. He struggled in the second half of the season but still pulled a .251 batting average while fighting injuries. The Mariners have already attempted to sign Branyan with a 1 year deal, but Branyan is looking to at least get job security for two years.
How about Jason Bay? Playing in Left Field (a position the Mariners are looking to fill), he has some upsides and downsides like Branyan. His upside is he is already interested in Seattle; afterall, his home is in Seattle. Bay, not as powerful as Branyan, would hit a consistent 30-40 homeruns in a season. Bay would also be a stealing threat on the bases which would have it's upside to Ichiro and Figgins already being a threat.
The Mariners are also looking at filling a void pitching spot left by Washburn and Eric Bedard. Obviously Washburn has been consider for the spot, but I have a hunch the Mariners will not be persuing the 35 year old southpaw. Had the Mariners really wanted to resign Washburn, they would have never traded him to the Tigers in the first place. Will the M's persue Eric Bedard? Again, I think the Mariners have considered Bedard but this just has too much of a risk. No one knows how Bedard's surgery is going to affect his pitching. Who knows, he may never be the same Bedard which he was in Baltimore or Seattle.
Who should the M's consider signing?
I say let the Angels overpay for John Lackey. Lackey is a no. 2 starter and I must say, I've never been blown away with the stuff that he brings to the table. Instead I would venture to say the Mariners should attempt to sign Rich Harden. When healthy, Harden is one of the best pitchers in the league (career 3.39 ERA and a 100 MPH fastball). Again, that's when he's healthy. Like Bedard, Harden has had health issues throughout his major league career. Should the M's decide to persue him, they will be EXPECTING that he will have injuries during the season. This is one reason why I have read alot of people dreamining over a Harden/Bedard combination. I think this is just dreaming and that is it. No one knows if/when Harden will have an injury, and no one knows if/when Bedard will be ready to pitch. Suggesting that one can fill for the other just doesn't make any sense.
With this all being said, I think the Mariners have a good shot at contending next year if they make the right moves. Signing Chone Figgins makes alot of sense since it takes away from the team you are trying to beat. The Mariners are going to have to make some more magical moves to take the division, but I have hopes that they will.
Well now that I've written my thoughts up here, I'm curious what you have to say. Come on in and post about this!