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2013 Seattle Mariners - march to mediocrity?
TNP777
Posts: 5,711 ✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
As a native Northwesterner, I have always had an affinity for the M's. They weren't around yet when I started liking baseball as a kid, but after they (and the Seahawks) came into being, I became a closet fan.
Unfortunately, I see another down year for them. The A's have a great young club, and the Angels are just too powerful. Perhaps the M's catch the Rangers, but I don't hold out too much hope for that, either.
Thoughts?
edit: thread title
Unfortunately, I see another down year for them. The A's have a great young club, and the Angels are just too powerful. Perhaps the M's catch the Rangers, but I don't hold out too much hope for that, either.
Thoughts?
edit: thread title
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Sincerely,
A Marlins fan
That said, Go Ms!
Dave
And, if all that happens, and the staff isn't weaker (I mean Vargas is gone, so that saves 30 HRs) then it could be a fun season.
<< <i>75 wins >>
The same as last year. With Houston in our division that's worth at least 5 extra wins.
Still, nice to see a little offense so far.
Go Ms!
Dave
<< <i>
<< <i>75 wins >>
The same as last year. With Houston in our division that's worth at least 5 extra wins. >>
At this point, maybe 3.
<< <i>I sure hope Wedge flipped out last night. What the heck is wrong with our player development? I mean Smoak, Ackley, and Montero were all highly regarded by scouts from around the league. What do we have to show for it? One who can't get enough "confidence", another who can't even slap it to the outfield, and a third that has a sense of Yankee entitlement and believes he's untouchable. >>
Smoak was overrated as a prospect. He was never a top-level player in the minors despite all the hype. He wasn't terrible or anything but it's not like he was dominating either. Of course, he's been a total bust in the majors.
The Mariners' starting infield have a combined slugging % of .171. Think about that for a minute.
Good grief.
<< <i>Smoak was overrated as a prospect. He was never a top-level player in the minors despite all the hype. He wasn't terrible or anything but it's not like he was dominating either. Of course, he's been a total bust in the majors.
The Mariners' starting infield have a combined slugging % of .171. Think about that for a minute.
Good grief. >>
he wasn't overrated. .280/.400/.449 with nearly an even K/BB ratio (138 BB, 148 K's) in the minors. His skill set is there, it's just not coming together for him. You don't post a .500+ SLG% in the extremely unfriendly (to hitters) Midwest League without having plus power. It also didn't help that he was rushed through the system by Texas to begin with. They skipped over High A and routed him straight to AA from Low A. He held his own there but again they pushed him right to AAA after half a season in AA and despite playing in what is generally pro-hitting environs in the PCL, his OPS dropped by 200 points. So instead of sending him back to AA, Texas kept him at AAA and then promoted him to the bigs for no good reason. He got off to a good start with SEA in 2011 - .284/.393/.527 in April then...what was it, a fractured thumb or wrist or whatever it was...and he's never been the same since. I've read some of Dave Cameron & Jeff Sullivan (noted M's writers) work that suggest he's lost the ability to handle plus breaking stuff, but since I don't hate myself I don't watch many M's games, although I did see him in person during his rehab stint last year at AAA and from what I could tell his swing was just mechanically unsound. The lift was there, but his upper-half was firing before the lower-half which equals trouble as when they're aligned properly the bat speed and pitch recognition should be optimal. This couldn't have always been the case or scouts would have picked him apart pre-draft. So I don't know what happened. If it's a case of the Mariners' system tinkering with his swing, or if he just has no ability to make adjustments at the highest level, but as one of the previous posters suggests, it seems to be a system thing as perhaps save for Kyle Seager, and that's being generous as he has some approach issues of his own, no M's developed player has flourished on the offensive side of the equation since.....Jose Lopez circa 2008? That was probably chemically enhanced, however. Ibanez, perhaps? Regardless, sure the park hurts power, but even so, approach seems to be an issue as well. Even hitters like Figgins or Ackley who wouldn't have their approach affected by the park shouldn't struggle like this. Ackley was a guy who was supposed to flirt with a .400 OB%...career .387 in the minors. He's barely over .300 OB% in the bigs. I mean you can draw easy conclusions for guys like Adrian Beltre who saw a power decline in SEA as in the AL West you had 3 extreme pitchers' parks in OAK, LAA, & SEA. Something systematically appears to be a problem in both approach and mechanical issues. Perhaps Zunino will break the trend.
<< <i>75 wins >>
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