How good with this team be?
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 6:09 pm
Board at work so I decided to make a thread on my take on this team. Mods can edit this if they want. Or if anybody has anything to add feel free to credit will go to you.
This is how I see it, I haven't been the best Mariners follower since I don't get the channels that broadcast them in the West coast but still keep up to date as much as I can.
Pitching:
Starter: King Felix (Felix Hernandez) is going to be a monster strike out machine yet again. A fantastic hard throwing right hander who shows great promise for such a young pitcher. Reminds me a lot of a young Pedro Martinez. I expect 200 strikeouts for Felix this year and a 18-20 win season with 5-6 losses. Should be among the Cy Young finalists again but what else is new?
Number 2: I like the idea of adding a really good 2nd option in Cliff Lee since he can be a fantastic number 2 pitcher behind King Felix and a good mentor for our younger guys like: Ryan Rowland-Smith. Lee is a workhorse who will go deep into a game and will still give you his all. A pros pro who you love to have on your team and hate to face. His fastball is pretty much unhittable if he wants it to be and with Rob Johnson I could see a easy 175 strikeout year for Cliff this year, once he gets his changeup, fastball and slider worked in with Johnson I could see him with a high teen win year again.
Number 3: Eric Bedard - I have a soft spot for him mainly cause he's Canadian. Problem is his 2007 season will always be his Achilles heel, by that I mean people expect another 15-5 season with 160+ strike outs and a high 2 to low 3 ERA. Something I don't think he can produce anymore if he could I would be beside myself. I think he's pretty much good for a 10 to 12 win season with 7 losses.
Number 4: Ryan Rowland-Smith, don't know too much outside the WBC stuff he did with Australia. He looks like he could be a good youngish number 4 pitcher but right now I am worried about the amount of hits he allows and his HR total. I think he should be good to get us like a 8 to 10 wins and 8-10 losses so basically a above .500 pitcher. Sort of like Toronto had with Ted Lilly put with a harder fastball.
5th: Ian Snell is well Ian Snell a decent 5th pitcher in a 5 man rotation and could be a ok spot starter in a pinch. The only gripe I have with him is his control sometimes it's a little erratic at times and he could walk unnecessary batters. Something I would pull my hair out if I see in later games, should be good bottom of the rotation guy to get us some wins when we need them.
Bullpen: The three standouts to me are Brendan League, good hard throwing pitcher who should be a good setup man. Has some really good stuff when on but when he's off his game he looks down right terrible his fastball is pretty damn impressive and could hit the high 90's which would be a plus in late games.
David Aardsma should be a guy who we should rely on for at least 30-40 saves easily he's shown that he could be a high 30 save pitcher and a guy who can come in and hold down a lead. Should be a good pickup in a fantasy league if you could get him cheap in the later rounds.
Mark Lowe - A fantastic worker who will be a guy I would look to as my first reliever off the bench. Shows that he can work a lot of innings and has decent command of his pitches and doesn't allow too many runs which is a really good thing to see. Maybe playing in Safeco Field helps but you can't argue how important he was for the team last year
Batters:
Ichiro Suzuki - The guy is a ageless wonder to me, the 2nd best pure hitter I have seen in my lifetime only behind Paul Moliter. The guy is automatic for 200 hits, 10+ doubles, 5-10 HR's, a handful of triples and 20-30 SB's while batting .320+ which is amazing I never seen such a fast but accurate swing before. Should be our table setter and guy I think is a game changer on both sides of the field.
Franklin Gutierrez - A guy who I think will be a difference maker in the outfield. Has a golden glove and a pretty solid arm as well. Doesn't make too many errors in the field but that's where he shines. His batting is average (no pun intended) shows some good pop in his bat (should be a 15-20 HR guy) but he strikes out more then I would like (if my match is good he strikes out 1 out of every 5 AB's). I like his production though since he seems to be getting more and more doubles each year.
Milton Bradley - I like this signing brings a swagger to the team we needed. Milton has a good all around bat nothing special but he's good for 15-20 HR's and 10+ doubles a season with 50 RBI's. All though I think his RBI totals will see a increase this year. Should be a good defensive left fielder and with Ichrio and Franklin I don't see too many balls getting past them.
Jack Wilson - What more do you need to say about a guy who shows up game after game and works his tail off to help you on the defensive end? The guy is one of my favorite Mariners, shows young players what it's like to be a pro. Should pair very nicely with Figons and Jose Lopez and make for one hell of a infield. If I get 5-10 HR's and 30-40 RBI's out of Wilson I am happy and it's icing on the cake paired with his gold glove level defense.
Jose Lopez - One of the best young infielders I think in the game today. Has great offensive potential should be a 20-30 HR 40 double and 60+ RBI guy year in and year out. His defense is good from what I have seen could use a touch up here and there but it's nothing to balk at. I could see him being our best infielder this year and a real gem for this team.
Casey Kotchman - As much as I hate to see Russell Branyan go Casey Kotchman is a good enough power hitter who should help bring some power back to this lineup. Granted he's not as good as Russell but Casey is still a very good young 1B who can provide us with a potential 20-30 HR 60-70 RBI and a decent defensive 1B option. Should see a big year out of Casey this year, if we were going the trade route I am think that maybe a guy like Lyle Overbay could be had cheaply since the Jays are in tank mode offer then like 40 cents on the dollar and I am sure they would accept it.
Chone Figgins - One word comes to mind is quick. He's going to be a good pickup for this team and a good number 2 hitter behind Ichrio I could see a spike in his RBI numbers this year since Chone can hit for a lot of doubles and is still quick enough to fly around the base path. Should be a good .300 20-25 HR and 60-70 RBI guy this year. Just wish he would calm down when on base and not steal as much.
Rob Johnson - Sorry don't know too much about him. From the stuff I saw looks like a good defensive minded catcher and a 9th hitter in this lineup. Has sub par batting average so far .202 but looks like he's fast for a catcher had 20 doubles and 2 triples. If anybody can give me a report please do.
Sorry for the long post decided to write something up and I didn't see one
This is how I see it, I haven't been the best Mariners follower since I don't get the channels that broadcast them in the West coast but still keep up to date as much as I can.
Pitching:
Starter: King Felix (Felix Hernandez) is going to be a monster strike out machine yet again. A fantastic hard throwing right hander who shows great promise for such a young pitcher. Reminds me a lot of a young Pedro Martinez. I expect 200 strikeouts for Felix this year and a 18-20 win season with 5-6 losses. Should be among the Cy Young finalists again but what else is new?
Number 2: I like the idea of adding a really good 2nd option in Cliff Lee since he can be a fantastic number 2 pitcher behind King Felix and a good mentor for our younger guys like: Ryan Rowland-Smith. Lee is a workhorse who will go deep into a game and will still give you his all. A pros pro who you love to have on your team and hate to face. His fastball is pretty much unhittable if he wants it to be and with Rob Johnson I could see a easy 175 strikeout year for Cliff this year, once he gets his changeup, fastball and slider worked in with Johnson I could see him with a high teen win year again.
Number 3: Eric Bedard - I have a soft spot for him mainly cause he's Canadian. Problem is his 2007 season will always be his Achilles heel, by that I mean people expect another 15-5 season with 160+ strike outs and a high 2 to low 3 ERA. Something I don't think he can produce anymore if he could I would be beside myself. I think he's pretty much good for a 10 to 12 win season with 7 losses.
Number 4: Ryan Rowland-Smith, don't know too much outside the WBC stuff he did with Australia. He looks like he could be a good youngish number 4 pitcher but right now I am worried about the amount of hits he allows and his HR total. I think he should be good to get us like a 8 to 10 wins and 8-10 losses so basically a above .500 pitcher. Sort of like Toronto had with Ted Lilly put with a harder fastball.
5th: Ian Snell is well Ian Snell a decent 5th pitcher in a 5 man rotation and could be a ok spot starter in a pinch. The only gripe I have with him is his control sometimes it's a little erratic at times and he could walk unnecessary batters. Something I would pull my hair out if I see in later games, should be good bottom of the rotation guy to get us some wins when we need them.
Bullpen: The three standouts to me are Brendan League, good hard throwing pitcher who should be a good setup man. Has some really good stuff when on but when he's off his game he looks down right terrible his fastball is pretty damn impressive and could hit the high 90's which would be a plus in late games.
David Aardsma should be a guy who we should rely on for at least 30-40 saves easily he's shown that he could be a high 30 save pitcher and a guy who can come in and hold down a lead. Should be a good pickup in a fantasy league if you could get him cheap in the later rounds.
Mark Lowe - A fantastic worker who will be a guy I would look to as my first reliever off the bench. Shows that he can work a lot of innings and has decent command of his pitches and doesn't allow too many runs which is a really good thing to see. Maybe playing in Safeco Field helps but you can't argue how important he was for the team last year
Batters:
Ichiro Suzuki - The guy is a ageless wonder to me, the 2nd best pure hitter I have seen in my lifetime only behind Paul Moliter. The guy is automatic for 200 hits, 10+ doubles, 5-10 HR's, a handful of triples and 20-30 SB's while batting .320+ which is amazing I never seen such a fast but accurate swing before. Should be our table setter and guy I think is a game changer on both sides of the field.
Franklin Gutierrez - A guy who I think will be a difference maker in the outfield. Has a golden glove and a pretty solid arm as well. Doesn't make too many errors in the field but that's where he shines. His batting is average (no pun intended) shows some good pop in his bat (should be a 15-20 HR guy) but he strikes out more then I would like (if my match is good he strikes out 1 out of every 5 AB's). I like his production though since he seems to be getting more and more doubles each year.
Milton Bradley - I like this signing brings a swagger to the team we needed. Milton has a good all around bat nothing special but he's good for 15-20 HR's and 10+ doubles a season with 50 RBI's. All though I think his RBI totals will see a increase this year. Should be a good defensive left fielder and with Ichrio and Franklin I don't see too many balls getting past them.
Jack Wilson - What more do you need to say about a guy who shows up game after game and works his tail off to help you on the defensive end? The guy is one of my favorite Mariners, shows young players what it's like to be a pro. Should pair very nicely with Figons and Jose Lopez and make for one hell of a infield. If I get 5-10 HR's and 30-40 RBI's out of Wilson I am happy and it's icing on the cake paired with his gold glove level defense.
Jose Lopez - One of the best young infielders I think in the game today. Has great offensive potential should be a 20-30 HR 40 double and 60+ RBI guy year in and year out. His defense is good from what I have seen could use a touch up here and there but it's nothing to balk at. I could see him being our best infielder this year and a real gem for this team.
Casey Kotchman - As much as I hate to see Russell Branyan go Casey Kotchman is a good enough power hitter who should help bring some power back to this lineup. Granted he's not as good as Russell but Casey is still a very good young 1B who can provide us with a potential 20-30 HR 60-70 RBI and a decent defensive 1B option. Should see a big year out of Casey this year, if we were going the trade route I am think that maybe a guy like Lyle Overbay could be had cheaply since the Jays are in tank mode offer then like 40 cents on the dollar and I am sure they would accept it.
Chone Figgins - One word comes to mind is quick. He's going to be a good pickup for this team and a good number 2 hitter behind Ichrio I could see a spike in his RBI numbers this year since Chone can hit for a lot of doubles and is still quick enough to fly around the base path. Should be a good .300 20-25 HR and 60-70 RBI guy this year. Just wish he would calm down when on base and not steal as much.
Rob Johnson - Sorry don't know too much about him. From the stuff I saw looks like a good defensive minded catcher and a 9th hitter in this lineup. Has sub par batting average so far .202 but looks like he's fast for a catcher had 20 doubles and 2 triples. If anybody can give me a report please do.
Sorry for the long post decided to write something up and I didn't see one
