PhilipNelsonFan wrote:
Catcher: I want Matt Clement to succeed as the future catcher of the Mariners. I don't know why the hell we rewarded Johjima with such a huge contract extension, but that's why our GM is the worst in baseball. Let Clement play his way out of the spot if his defense is so poor.
Matt Clement can't even succeed at pitcher any more. I don't think a position change at age 33 is going to revive his major league career at this point.
First Base: The only logical option I can see in the minors is Matt Mangini, who is pretty big for a 3B. Outside of that, we are f**ked at this position.
Wha ha ha? Mangini? Mangini's one of the
least logical options for first. He's got all of like 300 AB in the minors, not to mention a position shift down the defensive spectrum just puts more emphasis on his bat, which doesn't carry the power to be viable at 1B. Plus, Chuckie Peguero? He's no great shakes and 1B is definitely something that will need to be outside the org.
Second Base: Jose Lopez is a former All-Star. He still has a lot of potential, but he needs to start exercising it.
Agreed; at least he can hit an empty-calorie .300. If he's the weakest bat in the lineup, that's not really that bad...
Shortstop: We can all agree that Betancourt has lost a step. Triunfel, as far as I can tell, is the future at this position and I see little reason why we should assume differently.
Triunfel's destined for third or second...if he can ever live up to the hype. Getting suspended hasn't helped. But he's most definitely off short; he's pretty stiff in motion and he's growing. SS is a definite need but, with Oswaldo Navarro finally hitting a bit, why not give him a chance?
Third Base: I think Beltre has performed well in the face of ridiculous expectations created by Bavasi signing him during a contract year. My first move would be to pillage some unsuspecting playoff hopeful's farm system with a deadline deal...I think he still has good value. The problem is, I'm probably on an island with this, and I don't blame you all...but we just don't have any options.
Like Manny Ramirez, Beltre grew into his contract. Now it's not as much of an albatross as originally thought. Still, I don't see him as a long-term solution to 3B. I think this is Triunfel's spot to lose.
Outfield: We're actually OK here. Ichiro and Wlad are cornerstones, and I have high hopes for Greg Halman as the third outfielder. If both Halman and Saunders prove to be major-league caliber players, then that's awesome.
Pretty much. Although you have to worry about whether Balentien will ever be able to realize his power potential. If not, that puts a lot of undue pressure on lesser prospects like Saunders, Halman, and Daniel Carroll.
Starting Rotation: The more I hear about Aumont, the more I'm convinced he'll be a solid No. 3 in the big show, possibly a good second fiddle to Felix.
A lot of scouts are pretty impressed with Aumont; they think his potential is that of a front-end power pitcher. He's been neutering hitters at Wisconsin this season, which is a good sign, given the defense behind him.
On a side note, Chris Tillman has pretty much pitched his way into the Top-25 of all prospects of 2009. He is absolutely
dominating at Double-A Bowie so far. Oh, and he's still not old enough to buy booze.
So I'd stack our rotation as Felix/Aumont/Bedard for right now. Silva is a decent fifth starter, but the issue is that we don't have a fourth.
Silva's an OK fourth if you put a good defense behind him but, in any regard, the Mariners need a back-end starter.
The draft has been relatively kind to us, but this year we have the 20th overall pick thanks to our flukish success. The mock draft sites have us targeting a college reliever, which is about the last thing we need. So we're f**ked here for another few seasons, unless someone in the minors steps up from mediocrity.
This year's draft is pretty thin for impact talent. And with very few teams abiding by the slot money this year, there'll be no Porcello-like drop in the late first. I'd be happy with a decent role player at #20.
Relief Pitching: F**k you, Sean Green. Get off my team.
??? Sean Green's been one of the most valuable relievers this season. It's not his fault McLaren puts him out there
every night.
