The Mariners looked like a serious contender when the season started with the additions of Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins. A year later, Cliff Lee is no longer on the team and Chone Figgins had one of his worst seasons of his career. The only bright spot for the Seattle Mariners was Felix Hernandez. King Felix was awarded the 2010 Cy Young Award despite finishing with a 13-12 record. Hernandez’s other stats made him the obvious choice for the award though holding opponents to a .212 batting average and leading the major leagues with a 2.27 earned run average.
This offseason, the Mariners picked up a few pieces that can help the transition of the younger players. Catcher Miguel Olivo returned to Seattle after spending last season with the Colorado Rockies. The other addition was infielder Brendan Ryan who was acquired in a trade from the St. Louis Cardinals. Ryan is projected to start at second base for the Mariners this year but started last Monday’s spring training game against the A’s at shortstop. Speaking of the A’s, the Mariners also added former A’s designated hitter, Jack Cust. Cust will take over the vacated spot left by Russell Branyan who was the Mariners’ designated hitter last season.
Offensively, the Mariners are in pretty good shape. Last time I checked, Ichiro is still wearing a Mariners’ uniform. Ichiro hit over .300 and recorded over 200 hits for his tenth consecutive season and stole 42 bases in the process. The Mariners also have a rising star in Franklin Gutierrez, whom they acquired from the Indians as part of a three-team deal in December of 2008. Gutierrez, known for having exceptional defensive skills, won his first Gold Glove award last season. In addition to Gutierrez, the 2011 Mariners’ lineup will feature young prospects Michael Saunders and Justin Smoak. Saunders has appeared in a total of 146 games for the Mariners. The outfielder appeared in 100 of his games last year and hit 10 home runs with 33 RBI. Smoak was acquired from the Rangers in the Cliff Lee deal last season. The first baseman excelled while he was in the Rangers organization. In three minor league seasons with the Rangers, Smoak hit for a combined .288 with 24 home runs and 93 RBI. During his brief stint with the Rangers’ major league team he hit .209 with eight home runs, and 34 RBI. After Smoak was traded to the Mariners, Smoak finished the season batting .239 with five homers and 14 runs batted in. The young switch hitting first baseman figures to be a big bat for the Mariners for years to come.
A prospect that has been getting a lot of attention during the offseason and in spring training is second baseman Dustin Ackley. Ackley has played in 11 games so far this spring and is hitting .350 with three runs batted in and three extra base hits. The 2009 draft pick started the season in Double-A and finished the season in Triple-A. In 134 games combined last season, Ackley hit .267 with seven home runs, 51 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. The second baseman has a small chance of being named the everyday second baseman for the Mariners in 2011. The team, however, may decide to give Ackley some more time in the minor leagues and call him up later in the season.
Even though Felix Hernandez suffered from poor run support last season, the Mariners pitching was not that impressive. After Hernandez, the rotation included Jason Vargas (9-12, 3.78), Doug Fister (6-14, 4.11), Luke French (5-7, 4.83), and David Pauley (4-9, 4.07). This year the rotation figures to look the same, but there may be a battle for the last spot in the rotation. During the offseason, the Mariners resigned Erik Bedard, who did not pitch for the Mariners last season because of a shoulder injury. So far this spring, the veteran lefty has pitched five and two-thirds innings in three starts and has posted an ERA of 1.59. Bedard has also held hitters to a batting average of .158 and has sported a WHIP of 0.88. The other pitcher who figures to be in the mix to win a spot in the rotation is top prospect Michael Pineda. Pineda has pitched seven innings this spring and has a nice 2.57 ERA. In last Monday’s game against the A’s, Pineda pitched two shutout innings, allowing just one hit, two walks, and struck out one batter. Seeing as how poorly the rotation performed in 2010, Pineda looks to have a decent shot at making the rotation for the 2011 season.
Just like the rotation, the Mariners’ bullpen was below average in 2010. The relievers combined to blow 17 saves and allowed 38% of their inherited base runners to score. This offseason, the Mariners signed relievers Justin Miller, Chris Ray, and Manny Delcarmen to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training. All three are serviceable relievers who can get the job done and help out what otherwise figures to be a train wreck of a bullpen. The bullpen looks to be getting off on the wrong foot this offseason. The team’s closer, David Aardsma, underwent hip surgery in January and looks to be returning in mid-April. Reliever Brandon League figures to take Aardsma’s place to start the season.
The Mariners are certainly headed in the right direction. The young talent on the team will eventually get a chance to shine. If the rotation and the bullpen somehow make a 180-degree improvement from last season, we may have an exciting season in Seattle. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening for the Mariners this season. For now, the team will have to keep playing hard and hope for the best in what figures to be a long season in the Emerald City.
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