Dismal Mariners looking to take step forward

After going an awful 128-196 over the last two seasons, the Seattle Mariners will be desperate to improve, but it could be difficult following the trade of pitching phenom Michael Pineda to the Yankees and no big free agent arrivals.

The Mariners were 30th last season in team batting average and runs scored, hitting .233, with even the incredible Ichiro hitting below .300 for the first time in his career (.272). Despite these woeful numbers, little has been done to improve the roster, with Jesus Montero the only new arrival likely to get a decent number of plate appearances.

Unfortunately, the biggest story for the Mariners during the off season was the death of outfield prospect Greg Halman. The 24 year old Dutchman was stabbed to death, allegedly following a row with his brother in November. Despite having played in just 44 MLB games, he was considered a top prospect in the Mariners system, having hit 33 homers in 2010 while playing with their Triple-A affiliate the Tacoma Rainiers and played for the Netherlands in their unlikely run in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

IN : Shawn Camp (RP – Toronto), Darren Ford (OF – San Francisco), Steve Garrison (RP – N.Y. Yankees), Aaron Heilman (RP – Pittsburgh), Hisashi Iwakuma (SP – Rakuten), John Jaso (C – Tampa Bay), Josh Kinney (RP – Chicago W.S.), Hong-Chih Kuo (RP – L.A. Dodgers), Jeff Marquez (RP – N.Y. Yankees), Kevin Millwood (SP – Colorado), Jesus Montero (C – N.Y. Yankees), Hector Noesi (RP – N.Y. Yankees), George Sherrill (RP – Atlanta).

OUT : David Aardsma (RP – N.Y. Yankees), Josh Bard (C – L.A. Dodgers), Milton Bradley (OF), Dan Cortes (RP – Washington), Chris Gimenez (C – Tampa Bay), Adam Kennedy (INF – L.A. Dodgers), Josh Lueke (RP – Tampa Bay), Wily Mo Pena (OF – Fukuoka), Michael Pineda (SP – N.Y. Yankees), Chris Ray (RP – Cleveland), Jamey Wright (RP – L.A. Dodgers)

Catchers : Veteran Miguel Olivo is expected to start the season as number one on the depth chart, but in Jesus Montero they have one of the best catching prospects in the game and it would be no surprise should Olivo find himself the back-up come the end of the season. The 33 year old Olivo is entering his second season with the Mariners, and is four appearances from 1,000 in his MLB career. Montero was the main piece in the trade that saw Pineda move to the Yankees. He batted .328 and hit four homers in 18 games in the Big Apple. John Jaso and Adam Moore are also options, and with Montero being the early favourite for the DH spot, Jaso is likely to get a roster spot.

Infielders : With the exception of starting shortstop and third baseman, Brendan Ryan and Chone Figgins, the Seattle infield is an inexperienced one. Although, despite being the veterans, they hardly led by example last season hitting .248 and .188 respectively. Both have decent defensive range and speed, but there were few chances for that to be utilised in the worst offence in the league last season. Justin Smoak has struggled somewhat since being the main piece of the Cliff Lee trade to Texas in 2010, but he was second on the team with 15 homers last year and, at 25 years old, is young enough to improve. Dustin Ackley was one of few bright spots in 2011, batting .273 in 90 games as a rookie, and will be looking to make second base his home this year. Veteran back-up could be provided by Carlos Guillen. Although he is a non-roster invite, there is every chance he will make the 25 man Opening Day roster. Of the remaining infielders, Kyle Seager is the eldest at 24, while Alex Liddi, Carlos Trufinel and Francisco Rodriguez will be challenging for a roster spot, but are likely to start in the Minors. Luis Rodriguez and Munenori Kawasaki are amongst a slew of non-roster invites with Major League experience who could force their way into the roster.

Outfielders : Obviously, there is only one place to start when talking about the Mariners outfield. Ichiro Suzuki holds the MLB record for hits in a season (262) and 200 hit seasons, with 10. Despite not making his MLB debut at 27 years old, Suzuki could end up breaking the 3,000 hit mark by the time he calls it quits. The 10 time All-Star and 10 time Gold Glove winner will be assisted by Franklin Gutierrez and Mike Carp. Suzuki and Gutierrez combine to form arguably the best defensive outfield duo in the game, while 15% of Carp’s hits last year were home runs, suggesting he has potential as a starter. Casper Wells and Michael Saunders are the primary back-ups, but both are weak with the bat and are the best of an inexperienced bunch that includes Travyon Robinson along with youngsters Chih-Hsein Chiang and Johermyn Chavez.

Designated Hitter : New arrival from the Yankees, Jesus Montero, is expected to be the primary DH, but, as with several AL teams, there will be a rotation that will likely include Olivo, Wells and Carp.

Starting Pitchers : As with the outfielders, there is only one place to start. Felix Hernandez is clearly the ace of the staff, and it may even be surprising that he is still with the club given the inept performances and rebuilding project that appears to have taken place in the last two seasons. His 3.24 career ERA belies his 85-67 record. Fister, Pineda and Bedard have left following sub 3.75 ERA seasons which greatly depletes the rotation. New Japanese import Hisashi Iwakuma arrives with a 3.25 ERA in 11 seasons in the NPB and will compete for the number 2 slot with lefty Jason Vargas. Despite neither particularly impressing last year lanky duo Blake Beavan and Charlie Furbush have a more than decent shot at making the rotation, while their primary rivals will be Hector Noesi and Kevin Millwood, who is a non-roster invite.

Relief Pitchers : Despite the team only winning 67 games last season, Brandon League notched up 37 saves and was named to his first All-Star game. A slew of new bullpen arrivals include veteran and well established pitchers such as George Sherrill, Hong-Chih Kuo and Shawn Camp. The trio have accumulated nearly 1,100 Major League appearances and will provide both experience and stability. Shawn Kelley pitched only 12.1 innings last year, but didn’t give up any runs and will be heading into the Spring Training expecting to be a vital part of the bullpen, while Tom Wilhelmsen was an incredible feel good story. The 28 year old made his MLB debut last year after taking five years out of the game between 2005-2010. He went 2-0 with a 3.31 ERA in 25 appearances. Chance Ruffin, Steve Delabar and lefty Cesar Jimenez are also options for a roster spot, while the Aaron Heilman, Oliver Perez and Sean Henn are all non-roster invites with decent major league experience that could force their way into the roster with impressive Spring Training displays.

PREDICTION : The Mariners haven’t significantly improved from last season, when they were the worst offensive team in the game, while the majority of their impressive pitchers from last season are no longer at the club. They will be able to bleed some youngsters and they have an experienced, decent bullpen but fourth place is the only place I see for them.