By Anthony
Once again I will be staying up into the wee hours of the night to watch some baseball. A few things to note for this game. Mike Carp has a sprained shoulder and is on the 15 day DL. It happened in the 4th inning on the double that was out of his reach by half a foot. That could help explain his suckiness at hitting yesterday. That is not good. Carlos Peguero has been recalled from AAA to fill his spot. Also not good. Tonight will pretty much be the same as last night as far as content goes, maybe fewer bartender jokes or maybe more. Once again, pitch types are my guess, as no MPH is shown on TV. Here is the M’s lineup:
Figgins 7
Ackley 4
Ichiro 9
Smoak 3
Montero DH
Seager 5
Olivo 2
Saunders 7
Ryan 6
Vargas 1
Pregame
Hopefully we see Dr. Vargas and not Mr. Jason today, or maybe the other way around. It’s late and I’m pretty tired. The good Vargas is what I want to see. For the A’s, they send Bartolo Colon’s fossil out to the mound. It’s a bold move starting something that died a few centuries ago, but Billy Beane is always trying to find innovative ways to win. I understand the Brandon McCarthy thing, he had skin, ligaments and muscle, but if we can’t score on a skeleton, I’ll start to worry.
Top 1
Figgins flies out to center to lead things off. Colon is looking surprisingly fluid for lacking anything holding his skeleton together. But in all seriousness, he looks old and run down. I really want there to be a radar gun somewhere. Ackley goes down looking on a fastball low and away. Second time that’s happened in as many games. Ichiro swings at the first pitch and grounds out to Jemile Weeks, who makes a good play to record the out.
Bottom 1
Weeks flies out on a low curve after two quick strikes from Vargas. Another quick two strikes on Pennington, who then hits a line drive up the middle on a low curve. Similar AB to Weeks’, different result. I hate you Cliff. Two identical inside fastballs to Crisp for strikes, throws another one that breaks Crisp’s bat and results in a flyout to Ackley behind second. Two down. Seth Smith is not playing today. Melvin probably forgot about him since he is so boring. Jonny Gomes strikes out looking on an inside fastball. Vargas is looking good right now; he got two strikes on all four hitters that inning.
Top 2
They just showed how beer is served in the Tokyo Dome. Basically girls carry around kegs and pour it for you. Super jealous. Smoak hits a hard one in the gap, Cespedes runs it down though. Montero gets called looking on a fastball on the outer half of the plate. All in all, a pretty bad at-bat. Seager hits a hard one at Ka’aihue who keeps it in front and takes it himself to first. That name is going to suck to type all night. Maybe Billy Beane was a genius signing a fossil, he’s looking good.
Bottom 2
Suzuki hits a routine grounder to Ryan. As does Cespedes, probably confused by the opulence of Captialism. Josh Reddick did not shave, still looks like a douche. He hits a hard line drive right at Smoak. Have to wonder if that would have been a hit if he had shaved. Vargas is looking good, working quickly and filling up the zone.
Top 3
An ad was shown for Cactus League baseball, which must be an awkward transition, with fake games to real games to fake games and back to real games. Stupid Bud Selig. Olivo hits a bloop shot over first base that Weeks runs down; another nice play by Jemile. Finally some thinks about bunting! I doubt Colon is super mobile without cartiledge or muscle. Saunders hits a grounder to Weeks. Two outs and Ryan is up. He pops out to Suzuki behind home plate. Another quick inning. I don’t see what is so hard about hitting Colon, he is throwing around the zone and hasn’t shown a lot of movement on his pitches. That is frustrating.
Bottom 3
Josh Donaldson is up, I have not heard of him ever before. He hits a hard ground out to Seager who makes a nice snag and a strong throw. Ka’aihue is up, I will now call him Kila since its easier. It seems the A’s hate first basemen who can hit. Allen hit eighth last night and Kila is hitting ninth. He pops out to Seager. I love the unwritten rules of baseball. Olivo just took a foul off the helmet, the umpire walked out to Vargas, Weeks went and got some more pine tar and Ryan grabbed some of the resin bag. Olivo must have been lonely back there. Weeks is a switch hitter, that’s cool, but so is grounding out to shortstop. Inning over. He's taking more pitches to retire hitters but Vargas still looks strong.
Top 4
Top of the order up, and Figgins squares but lets a strike go by. He hits a bullet the other way, but Donaldson makes a nice stop. Ackley pops out on the first pitch, two very different at-bats from him. Hopefully that means a happy medium next time. Ichiro gets called looking on a very gratuitous call from the ump. Geoff Baker claims that if Ichiro gets ejected, the ump would get put on a barge to North Korea. That was a bad call though. But worse hitting in general from the M’s; Colon has a perfect game. Ha! Now you’re jinxed Bartolo!
Bottom 4
Pennington sits on a curve and flies out to center, too bad you can’t redo that one Cliff! You suck! Crisp attempts to do the same thing and looks a lot cooler doing it; the ball went higher and further. Jonny Gomes is a large person; I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Brandon Allen ate Eric Sogard at some point this year, especially if Colon chipped in. He strikes out on a ball in the dirt. Another good inning by Vargas.
Top 5
CenturyLink showed a totally impossible commercial; no way a slinky could go cross-country on flat ground. Just saying that I like my ads to be feasible in the physics world. Jemile Weeks makes another nice play to get Smoak on a ball in the hole. The Japanese must think MLB hitters suck or that our pitchers are really good, one hit so far. Colon has thrown 33 strikes in 40 pitches. Honestly though M’s? Can we figure this out? Montero gets a hit in between Weeks and Kila, welcome to Seattle Jesus. Seager hits one near the warning track in center, the Proletariat runs it down. Still haven’t nailed down a good name for Cespedes, any ideas? Olivo didn’t swing at a breaking ball in the dirt; see, you can teach an old dog new tricks. He singles up the middle. Two outs, guys on first and second. Think we will need more than a single to score though, Montero and Olivo are probably two of the slowest guys on the team. Saunders walks, bases loaded with two outs. Geoff Baker is getting super sassy with his tweets. Ryan grounds out to SS. Damn. At least we ended the perfect game, suck it Bartolo!
Bottom 5
They just showed George Sherrill buying a coke from a vending machine in Japan. Cool story bro. And Suzuki flies out to Ichiro who makes a leaping grab that was not necessary. The Japanese loved it though. Good pitch by Vargas that Suzuki hit hard, he’s one to watch. Cespedes gets clowned on by Vargas, looks silly swinging at a low change up, goes and sits down worried he could end up in a labor camp. There are some athletes I don’t like based off of appearance, but I can’t really describe what specifically it is. Josh Reddick, I don’t like you because of that stuff protruding from your face. He doubles to right, gives giant middle finger to me for hating on his beard. I still stand by my comments. Donaldson is up but grounds out to Seager to end the inning. This is weird, runners have been on base in two consecutive half innings. I think both teams forgot who they were quickly. Hopefully, they glance up at the scoreboard or at each other’s jerseys and remember. Vargas still cruising, as is Colon.
Top 6
Ackley got one million yen for his performance yesterday. Do I get a percentage of that since I own him in fantasy baseball? I would like 100% but will accept 99%. It’s a tough economy, everyone needs to make sacrifices. Figgins gets punched out on another borderline call. He wasn’t pleased, but neither was I with his handling of the first two pitches. Ackley pops out to third again, on the first pitch. So much for a happy medium. Ichiro gets to a full count and then swings at ball four and flies out to center. Geoff Baker remaining sassy, I’m not bitter he ignores my tweets at all.
Bottom 6
Vargas at 78 pitches through 5, 3 K’s and 2 hits. Kila pops out to center, does weird voodoo dance rounding first. Justin Smoak may start doing some weird stuff soon. Colon was eyeing Eric Sogard hungrily on the bench; he needs to watch his back. Weeks walks on 4 straight pitches. Weeks is thrown out by Olivo. Good throw, better pick and tag by Ackley. Cliff Pennington almost strikes out, but fouls out to Seager, which is almost as embarrassing. Ha Cliff!
Top 7
Kind of a large zone today, Smoak didn’t seem excited about a few calls there and I would agree with him. But Justin Smoak don’t care, he just hits bombs. This one to the front row in left field, nice bit of opposite field power by him. Montero tries to emulate, falls about 250 feet short. 1-0 M’s. The Fossil seems to be suffering from some osteoporosis. Seager hits a hard liner foul, but then Colon takes some calcium and gets Seager looking on an inside pitch. Told you the zone was big. Buster Olney claims Smoak showed big time opposite field power. That was an out at Safeco, guaranteed. Olivo grounds out to end it. The shutout is over.
Bottom 7
Just realized why Patrick loves Carp; he has beard envy. That thing isn’t Ackley quality, but its pretty solid bit of facial hair. Although Vargas’ cheeks are smooth, damn. I will figure this anomaly out. Coco Crisp just watched a 2-0 fastball down the pipe. He wasn’t happy. He then remembered he is named for a cereal and was chill. So chill that he walked. Walks are bad! They bite pitchers in the ass a lot. Especially lead off walks. But Vargas almost picks him off first. Crisp was going on first move and Vargas should have had him. Good job by Crisp to get back. Jonny Gomes finally puts the ball in play today, albeit to Michael Saunders. Vargas is done for the day. Nice job by Mr. Jason or Dr. Vargas, I still don’t know which is correct here. Shawn Kelley is in. I follow him on twitter so know that he loves Louisville. Sorry Shawn, I need them to lose to Kentucky for great things to happen. But don’t let my cheering for a rival team impact your pitching. He doesn’t and gets Suzuki to ground out to Seager who gets Crisp at second. Double play is stopped by a nice slide by Coco. Cespedes responds to pressure to perform by taking Kelley deep. 2-1 A’s. Kelley hung that one and Cespedes is a big dude. Oh well, such is baseball. Kelley is now being pulled by Wedge. George Sherrill is now pitching against a wild animal, oh no wait, that’s Josh Reddick. Sherrill’s hat brim is ridiculously flat. It does him no good as Douche takes him deep to left. 3-1 A’s. I really should stop calling Reddick names, he seems to do better when I insult him. Sherrill gives up a single to Donaldson and another to Kila. Donaldson does not try for third, realizing Ichiro would gun him and the crowd would go crazy. Sherrill is done. He was totally ineffective. I like Wedge’s strategy here, bring in a substitute teacher. Those jokes are harder to make though, sorry Steve Delabar, this could be rough. His beard isn’t too shabby though, nowhere near Ackley or Carp though. Jemile Weeks confused as Delabar puts on a movie and sits in the back of the class on his computer. Strikes out. Inning over. 3-1 A’s.
Top 8
I don’t know about you, but this lead seems like a lot more than 2 runs. The Fossil is still in, makes Saunders look stupid as he swings way over a changeup for strike three. Ryan hits a chopper to second and Figgins hits a ball that would have made the warning track at Williamsport. But, here in the big leagues, it is an infield pop out. At least we have our best hitters coming up in the ninth.
Bottom 8
Pennington is up, complaining how assignment left for class by real teacher is way too hard. Delabar shrugs, after long period of thought and significant whining from Cliff, tells Pennington to sit down. He flies out to left. Coco Crisp sees one pitch, realizes it’s a sub and grounds out to first, goes to the bathroom for the rest of class. Johny Gomes calls out sub on lack of knowledge, hits a home run to center. 4-1 A’s. Kurt Suzuki feels bad for a flustered Delabar and kindly strikes out swinging as bell rings. Rally time!
Top 9
The Fossil is done, is off to hunt Eric Sogard with Brandon Allen. Grant Balfour is in. Did Bob Melvin only bring three relievers to Japan? I wouldn’t be surprised, seems like something he would forget. Ackley, Ichiro and Smoak are due up. Dustin works a full count and then strikes out swinging on ball four. Nice plate discipline there, but the high fastball can be tough to lay off. Ichiro grounds out to first. Two down, Smoak up. Eric Sogard is sitting on the bench, trying to blend in with the other people with A’s jerseys on. I don’t think he realizes that his name is on the back of his jersey. Smoak grounds out to Weeks. Game over. 4-1 A’s win.
Well the bullpen sucked and the offense sucked. Where is David Pauley when you really need him. On the bright side, Vargas was good, Smoak hit a home run and we are still tied for the lead atop the MLB standings. Go M's.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
3 AM Commentary on the First Game of the Year
By Anthony
"First Game of The Year."
If that isn’t enough to get you excited, I don’t know what is. I have made the huge sacrifice and have stayed up till 3 AM to watch the M’s play live and I’m not sure what I‘ll write. Depends on how tired I get but I’ll try to give some play by play and notes of stuff I noticed.
Here is the lineup
Figgins 5
Ackley 4
Ichiro 9
Smoak 3
Montero dh
Carp 7
Olivo 2
Saunders 8
Ryan 6
And His Majesty will be gracing the hill
Pregame-
They are showing highlights of Brandon McCarthy, the starter for the A’s, he made Ichiro and Michael Saunders look silly. But this is 2012. That won’t happen again right? There also is not a radar gun on TV so the pitch types are my guess. Also Yoenis Cespedes is playing for the A’s, he should be fun to watch.
Top 1
This is weird watching Chone Figgins lead off. And he grounds out to short in two pitches. So does Dustin Ackley. I hope he is not trying to emulate Figgins. Ichiro steps up and the Tokyo Dome goes crazy. He works a full count before getting an infield single. Smoak strikes out on a low curve that he tried to check his swing on. 0-0
McCarthy looks like his sinker is working, which isn’t great news for us.
Bottom 1 (Felix time)
I’ll point out here that Felix looks skinny, but gives up a single to Jemile Weeks on a 2-2 curve; he wasn’t fooled for a second. Cliff Pennington flies out the Saunders in center. One down. Weeks steals second on a low and away pitch. Coco Crisp grounds out to second, moving Weeks to third. Seth Smith strikes out on what looked like a changeup. At this point Patrick realizes he has no way of watching the game from Milwaukee and is going back to bed. Rookie mistake.
Anyway, Felix doesn’t look awesome but he took care of business without any damage.
Top 2
Jesus Montero rolls over on the first pitch he sees. One down. Carp grounds out to first. Two down. And Olivo grounds out to second.
I’ll point out here that every ball that has been put in play by the M’s has been an infield grounder. It’s hard to score when that happens.
Bottom 2
Felix makes Kurt Suzuki look ridiculous with a K looking on a circle change. That was an awesome pitch. Josh Reddick grounds out quickly. First pitch to Cespedes almost hits his thigh. Message sent, don’t mess with America, commie bastard. Felix K’s Cespedes on a pitch in the dirt, looks like he is locked in.
Top 3
Saunders singles to right, splitting Weeks and Allen. It’s gotten to the point that every time Ryan moves, I worry for his health. Saunders steals second, barely beating Suzuki’s throw. Ryan then hits a ball to the right of the shortstop who catches Saunders trying to take third. Stupid play by Saunders, could’ve had two men on. Ryan now on first but then gets erased trying to steal second. Figgins sees a few pitches before grounding out to second.
Wedge is definitely trying to be aggressive today, but Suzuki is a pretty good catcher and that backfired on him there. Once again, all groundballs. That inning was a showcase of what happens when you are not smart on the base paths.
Bottom 3
Brendan Allen is a big dude, but strikes out swinging on a high fastball. Eric Sogard wears glasses, like not even rec specs or anything but traditional glasses. It’s a bold move, Cotton, but he grounds out to second. Weeks hits a hard line drive to Saunders who makes the grab.
Felix now has 4 K’s in 10 batters and has retired 9 in a row. Yeah he’s pretty good I guess.
Top 4
Dustin Ackley goes bomb dropping off Brendan McCarthy. Yeah I said that, and yeah he is on one of my fantasy teams. 1-0 M’s. Nice little opposite field power. Ichiro hits another infield single, this one in between the SS and 3B. Looks like he really wants that lead off spot back. I don’t even need to look at Ichiro; whenever he steals, the crowd gets really loud, kind of a disadvantage for us. Smoak grounds out to second. One out, Ichiro on second. Montero flew out to right after being jammed and Carp flew out to left. End of inning, but fewer ground outs which is nice.
Bottom 4
Pennington doubled off Felix on a pitch up. Coco Crisp grounds out to first, moving Pennington to third. I would love another K of Seth Smith right now, just so his walk up music would seem weirder. It’s like strange, slow techno something. I would not be pumped up if I were him. Smith grounds out to first, but Pennington stays at third. So pretty much a K, just not as cool. Suzuki hits a line drive double that was about half a foot from Carp’s diving glove. Too bad, 1-1 game now. Not to judge but Josh Reddick looks super douchey, like weird chinstrap and goatee thing that is only seen at Ultimate Frisbee tournaments as a joke. He pops out. 1-1
A’s were a little more aggressive there and it paid off, hopefully Felix and Olivo make an adjustment. Also, pretty sure any other left fielder besides Milton Bradley makes that play that Carp missed.
Top 5
Olivo gets on first with an error on Sogard. The official call may be different but that play should be made. Saunders grounds out 4-6-3. McCarthy missed his spot and still got away with it, damn. 2 outs. Ryan grounds out to short.
More groundballs. That is not good for the M’s.
Bottom 5
Cespedes up again, sees two curves then gets hit by an inside fastball. Serves the Communist right. Probably trying to tell Smoak of how the capitalist pigs are ruining baseball. Allen just got ripped apart by Felix, painted the corner like Van Gogh (Sorry, the 3AM is catching up to me), one down. Sogard hits a slow roller to Smoak, Cespedes will now try to corrupt Ryan and Ackley. Hopefully Ackley is stronger than that, but Ryan would probably love the healthcare system. Weeks gets called out looking and was pissed, like throw his arms up and slam down the bat pissed. 6 K’s.
I’ll point this out now, Felix loves throwing inside to lefties and letting his ball tail back over the corner. It’s a ballsy pitch that can get rocked if he misses over the plate but is super effective right now.
Top 6
Figgins squeezes a grounder past Weeks and gets his first hit of the year. Remember this event fans, it is rare. I am really envious of Dustin Ackley’s beard, the perfect mix of bushiness and coverage, infinitely better than Josh Reddick’s. He strikes out looking on a nice pitch from McCarthy. Ichiro grounds one up the middle for a single. Smoak slices a fly ball to left that is caught. Montero tore a batting glove, that may be the first time I’ve seen that . Doesn’t do much though, grounds out to end the inning.
Woah! Hold on here, more groundballs? And we don’t score? Weird how that works. Montero has not looked great and neither has Smoak. But Ichi looks awesome. As per Jeff Sullivan, 16 of 21 balls in play have been on the ground.
Bottom 6
Pennington singles hard to right. He has been hitting the ball hard today. Ball in the dirt while Pennington steals means that Olivo can’t get a throw off, Felix isn’t doing a good job of varying his timing. Pennington was in there no matter what. Carp makes a running grab on the warning track against Coco Crisp. Pennington goes to third. I really don’t like you Cliff Pennington, you’re the new Eric Chavez. Seth Smith gets hit on a 2-2 curve. Felix is not looking as sharp as he did earlier. Hey Suzuki, I could use a little 6-4-3 action right now, channel your inner Rob Johnson please. A shallow fly to Ryan works as well. Felix now at 79 pitches for those who care. Two outs, guys on first and third, douche beard up. Hard line drive hit at the Starfish. Inning over.
At this point I would like to say of all the no very good M’s who I miss, Charles Gipson is pretty high up there. From what I remember, all he could do is run, but he also was really fast so I thought he was awesome. So yeah, I miss you Charles, wherever you are.
Top 7
Carp pops out quickly, at least he didn’t hit a grounder though. Olivo swings for the fences, which is weird right? Not like he does that a lot. He flies out to right center. Saunders strikes out swinging, swung at all 4 pitches he saw, hit two of them.
This offense looks TURRIBLE. Like really bad, like last year bad. Small sample size and all but we are getting shut down by Brandon McCarthy, a sinker baller who has not won more than 9 games in his career.
Bottom 7
Cespedes finally hit a curveball to deep center for a double. More communist propaganda will be spread to Ryan and Ackley. Hopefully Figgins believes it all and goes to Cuba. Allen pops up a bunt to Figgins. Any baseball coach would be super pissed off about that, but Bob Melvin just looked confused and pleasantly surprised. Felix snags a hard linedrive from Sogard, which wasn’t very impressive. I could do that. Not. Weeks grounds out to second and doesn't make it halfway down the line. Love the hustle Jemile, enjoy the bench on my fantasy baseball team. Still 1-1 going to the eighth
Top 8
I swear they just showed Munenori Kawasaki cheering form the stands in the World Baseball Classic. New pitcher for the A’s, Ryan Cook, whose ERA was over 7 last year. Should be easy right? Not for Brendan Ryan who hits a 5-3 that almost caught Brendan Allen by surprise. It looked like he didn’t expect a throw, which is weird since he is a first baseman and is thrown to often. Figgins strikes out, wooo! They just showed a clip of the ball girls and boys, they were rocking some sweet Velcro shoes. I miss Velcro, tying shoes is really annoying and I am really lazy. Ackley gets to a full count, then flies out to left.
Apparently, Brandon McCarthy isn’t the only one who has the number of our offense, Cook does too. Maybe we should get a new number because it seems that everyone has it.
Bottom 8
Felix still in, Cliff Pennington is hitting. He grounds out to Ryan who made a very nice play behind second. Dave Sims just said "that Woods guy" in reference to Tiger Woods. At this point of the night, I can’t tell if he was being sarcastic. Felix looks to be getting tired, two 3 ball counts in a row, but gets Crisp to fly out to Carp. Seth Smith is up, that’s a very boring name. He had a boring at bat that culminated with a fly out to Carp. To the ninth.
Felix seems to be getting tired, Wilhelmsen and Sherrill were up in the bullpen. Hopefully we see some Brandon League action, I really don’t want to stay up later than I have to. Sorry, but I am doing this again tomorrow.
Top 9
Rally time everyone, get excited, do the Rally Jig or whatever the M’s do to score runs. Do some crazy voodoo stuff with Peguero’s hair. Ichiro, Smoak and Montero are up against Grant Balfour, formerly of the Rays. A game winning home run is a great way to endear oneself to a fan base, just saying Montero or Smoak. Ichiro hits a hard fly ball to left, caught by Crisp. Smoak grounds out off of first base, Weeks fields and throws to Balfour covering. Smoak is so slow, that ball hung up there forever, literally, that ball is still up there. Montero looks a little hesitant, drives a ball to the right center track. Was caught by the communist.
Wow, I really did not want extra innings. Now I am really hoping for them. This offense is really bad, wahhhhhh.
Bottom 9
Felix is out, 8 IP, 1 ER, 1 No Decision. The bartender (Tom Wilhelmsen) is in, may the bartending jokes begin. Serves up a nice martini to Kurt Suzuki, shaken, not stirred with 5 olives. Suzuki unsure how to react to drink being made for him by opposing pitcher, flies out to center. Gets Reddick to fly out deep to left. I swear that wasn’t Mike Carp who made the catch though, he was way too athletic looking. Probably got 5 inches on his vertical. Now the Communist is up, I wonder if he likes his rum and coke? Apparently Cespedes was also caught off guard by the bartending skills of Wilhelmsen and was made a fool of. Swung at two pitches in the dirt for a swinging K. Commie pig.
Top 10
Brian Fuentes is now in for the A’s, he used to be on the M’s, maybe he will feel bad for us and let us win. His pitching motion is also super duper weird, I could describe it better if I had slept but just know its super weird. So weird that Carp pops out to the catcher. Olivo also can’t handle it, grounds out to SS. Saunders! Do something cool! A routine flyball to right is not cool, unless you’re a hipster, but then only if you did it first. Sorry Michael, someone else already flew out to right, so that was not cool. Also, Geoff Baker is ignoring my tweet, I would like to know how many K’s Felix had. The sun is coming up in an hour. All of these things are so not cool.
Bottom 10
Wedge leaves in the bartender, a decision probably influenced by the Tom Collins Wilhelmsen made him in-between innings. Ackley bobbles a ball, then pulls Smoak off the bag with the throw. Allen on first, no outs. Ackley now regrets shotgunning those 4 beers that Wilhelmsen gave him in-between innings. All of you tired of the bartender jokes, too bad! I am having way too much fun right now thinking of these. Olivo throws out the runner trying to steal, Ryan got cleated on the slide. Really? I feel like I am taking crazy pills! He stays in the game though and Wilhelmsen gets Sogard to fly out to center. Then sympathetically listens to Sogard’s insecurities about wearing glasses and flying out to center a lot. And I would assume that the Bartender has closed up shop for the night. Throwing all the drunks out, like Jemile Weeks who strikes out again.
Top 11
New pitcher for A’s, Carnigan, who gives up a double to Ryan. That sucks for Carnigan who left that breaking ball out over the plate. Good for Ryan for not hitting it at somebody though. I think he is finally learning the strategy for hitting. Figgins now up, will try to bunt. He succeeds! Huzzah for Chone. Ryan gets to third and Ackley is up. He singles to center and drives in Ryan. That’s two RBI’s for him, and two for my fantasy team. Carnigan is done and will be replaced by Blevins. Blevins is super skinny, just pointing that out. Ackley steals second, racking up those fantasy points! Ichiro nearly decapitates Blevins with a liner up the middle and drives in Ackley. Ichiro then gets caught in between 1st and 2nd on the cut off from the throw home, two outs, 3-1 M’s. Smoak pops out.
That actually wasn’t super depressing offensively; at least we scored more than one run. Brandon League time. Ichiro is also 4-5 today and Smoak and Montero are hitless. I’m currently meh about that.
Bottom 11
I forgot how not straight League’s fastball is. Cliff Pennington doesn’t care. He hits a warning track fly out to Casper Wells who replaces the Starfish in left. Crisp strikes out looking on a borderline call. I guess I’ll take it. Seth Smith up again, Mr. Boring. League’s splitter is craz;, that thing dives like a peregrine falcon. Yeah I said it, but I don’t stand by it. Smith nearly beans League with a liner back up the middle, probably taking out his frustration of having a boring name. Suzuki up, Smith goes to second on defensive indifference. That’s how boring you are Seth Smith! We are indifferent to stopping you from taking a base. Suzuki goes fishing and strikes out swinging.
Mariners win 3-1 in 11 innings. Ackley had 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB and two hits. Ichiro went 4-5. Felix was awesome, League was awesome, I made way too many bartender jokes for Tom Wilhelmsen who was also solid. I am very tired now and will see you all tomorrow morning for the second game. 1-0, best team in the league suckas! Go M’s.
"First Game of The Year."
If that isn’t enough to get you excited, I don’t know what is. I have made the huge sacrifice and have stayed up till 3 AM to watch the M’s play live and I’m not sure what I‘ll write. Depends on how tired I get but I’ll try to give some play by play and notes of stuff I noticed.
Here is the lineup
Figgins 5
Ackley 4
Ichiro 9
Smoak 3
Montero dh
Carp 7
Olivo 2
Saunders 8
Ryan 6
And His Majesty will be gracing the hill
Pregame-
They are showing highlights of Brandon McCarthy, the starter for the A’s, he made Ichiro and Michael Saunders look silly. But this is 2012. That won’t happen again right? There also is not a radar gun on TV so the pitch types are my guess. Also Yoenis Cespedes is playing for the A’s, he should be fun to watch.
Top 1
This is weird watching Chone Figgins lead off. And he grounds out to short in two pitches. So does Dustin Ackley. I hope he is not trying to emulate Figgins. Ichiro steps up and the Tokyo Dome goes crazy. He works a full count before getting an infield single. Smoak strikes out on a low curve that he tried to check his swing on. 0-0
McCarthy looks like his sinker is working, which isn’t great news for us.
Bottom 1 (Felix time)
I’ll point out here that Felix looks skinny, but gives up a single to Jemile Weeks on a 2-2 curve; he wasn’t fooled for a second. Cliff Pennington flies out the Saunders in center. One down. Weeks steals second on a low and away pitch. Coco Crisp grounds out to second, moving Weeks to third. Seth Smith strikes out on what looked like a changeup. At this point Patrick realizes he has no way of watching the game from Milwaukee and is going back to bed. Rookie mistake.
Anyway, Felix doesn’t look awesome but he took care of business without any damage.
Top 2
Jesus Montero rolls over on the first pitch he sees. One down. Carp grounds out to first. Two down. And Olivo grounds out to second.
I’ll point out here that every ball that has been put in play by the M’s has been an infield grounder. It’s hard to score when that happens.
Bottom 2
Felix makes Kurt Suzuki look ridiculous with a K looking on a circle change. That was an awesome pitch. Josh Reddick grounds out quickly. First pitch to Cespedes almost hits his thigh. Message sent, don’t mess with America, commie bastard. Felix K’s Cespedes on a pitch in the dirt, looks like he is locked in.
Top 3
Saunders singles to right, splitting Weeks and Allen. It’s gotten to the point that every time Ryan moves, I worry for his health. Saunders steals second, barely beating Suzuki’s throw. Ryan then hits a ball to the right of the shortstop who catches Saunders trying to take third. Stupid play by Saunders, could’ve had two men on. Ryan now on first but then gets erased trying to steal second. Figgins sees a few pitches before grounding out to second.
Wedge is definitely trying to be aggressive today, but Suzuki is a pretty good catcher and that backfired on him there. Once again, all groundballs. That inning was a showcase of what happens when you are not smart on the base paths.
Bottom 3
Brendan Allen is a big dude, but strikes out swinging on a high fastball. Eric Sogard wears glasses, like not even rec specs or anything but traditional glasses. It’s a bold move, Cotton, but he grounds out to second. Weeks hits a hard line drive to Saunders who makes the grab.
Felix now has 4 K’s in 10 batters and has retired 9 in a row. Yeah he’s pretty good I guess.
Top 4
Dustin Ackley goes bomb dropping off Brendan McCarthy. Yeah I said that, and yeah he is on one of my fantasy teams. 1-0 M’s. Nice little opposite field power. Ichiro hits another infield single, this one in between the SS and 3B. Looks like he really wants that lead off spot back. I don’t even need to look at Ichiro; whenever he steals, the crowd gets really loud, kind of a disadvantage for us. Smoak grounds out to second. One out, Ichiro on second. Montero flew out to right after being jammed and Carp flew out to left. End of inning, but fewer ground outs which is nice.
Bottom 4
Pennington doubled off Felix on a pitch up. Coco Crisp grounds out to first, moving Pennington to third. I would love another K of Seth Smith right now, just so his walk up music would seem weirder. It’s like strange, slow techno something. I would not be pumped up if I were him. Smith grounds out to first, but Pennington stays at third. So pretty much a K, just not as cool. Suzuki hits a line drive double that was about half a foot from Carp’s diving glove. Too bad, 1-1 game now. Not to judge but Josh Reddick looks super douchey, like weird chinstrap and goatee thing that is only seen at Ultimate Frisbee tournaments as a joke. He pops out. 1-1
A’s were a little more aggressive there and it paid off, hopefully Felix and Olivo make an adjustment. Also, pretty sure any other left fielder besides Milton Bradley makes that play that Carp missed.
Top 5
Olivo gets on first with an error on Sogard. The official call may be different but that play should be made. Saunders grounds out 4-6-3. McCarthy missed his spot and still got away with it, damn. 2 outs. Ryan grounds out to short.
More groundballs. That is not good for the M’s.
Bottom 5
Cespedes up again, sees two curves then gets hit by an inside fastball. Serves the Communist right. Probably trying to tell Smoak of how the capitalist pigs are ruining baseball. Allen just got ripped apart by Felix, painted the corner like Van Gogh (Sorry, the 3AM is catching up to me), one down. Sogard hits a slow roller to Smoak, Cespedes will now try to corrupt Ryan and Ackley. Hopefully Ackley is stronger than that, but Ryan would probably love the healthcare system. Weeks gets called out looking and was pissed, like throw his arms up and slam down the bat pissed. 6 K’s.
I’ll point this out now, Felix loves throwing inside to lefties and letting his ball tail back over the corner. It’s a ballsy pitch that can get rocked if he misses over the plate but is super effective right now.
Top 6
Figgins squeezes a grounder past Weeks and gets his first hit of the year. Remember this event fans, it is rare. I am really envious of Dustin Ackley’s beard, the perfect mix of bushiness and coverage, infinitely better than Josh Reddick’s. He strikes out looking on a nice pitch from McCarthy. Ichiro grounds one up the middle for a single. Smoak slices a fly ball to left that is caught. Montero tore a batting glove, that may be the first time I’ve seen that . Doesn’t do much though, grounds out to end the inning.
Woah! Hold on here, more groundballs? And we don’t score? Weird how that works. Montero has not looked great and neither has Smoak. But Ichi looks awesome. As per Jeff Sullivan, 16 of 21 balls in play have been on the ground.
Bottom 6
Pennington singles hard to right. He has been hitting the ball hard today. Ball in the dirt while Pennington steals means that Olivo can’t get a throw off, Felix isn’t doing a good job of varying his timing. Pennington was in there no matter what. Carp makes a running grab on the warning track against Coco Crisp. Pennington goes to third. I really don’t like you Cliff Pennington, you’re the new Eric Chavez. Seth Smith gets hit on a 2-2 curve. Felix is not looking as sharp as he did earlier. Hey Suzuki, I could use a little 6-4-3 action right now, channel your inner Rob Johnson please. A shallow fly to Ryan works as well. Felix now at 79 pitches for those who care. Two outs, guys on first and third, douche beard up. Hard line drive hit at the Starfish. Inning over.
At this point I would like to say of all the no very good M’s who I miss, Charles Gipson is pretty high up there. From what I remember, all he could do is run, but he also was really fast so I thought he was awesome. So yeah, I miss you Charles, wherever you are.
Top 7
Carp pops out quickly, at least he didn’t hit a grounder though. Olivo swings for the fences, which is weird right? Not like he does that a lot. He flies out to right center. Saunders strikes out swinging, swung at all 4 pitches he saw, hit two of them.
This offense looks TURRIBLE. Like really bad, like last year bad. Small sample size and all but we are getting shut down by Brandon McCarthy, a sinker baller who has not won more than 9 games in his career.
Bottom 7
Cespedes finally hit a curveball to deep center for a double. More communist propaganda will be spread to Ryan and Ackley. Hopefully Figgins believes it all and goes to Cuba. Allen pops up a bunt to Figgins. Any baseball coach would be super pissed off about that, but Bob Melvin just looked confused and pleasantly surprised. Felix snags a hard linedrive from Sogard, which wasn’t very impressive. I could do that. Not. Weeks grounds out to second and doesn't make it halfway down the line. Love the hustle Jemile, enjoy the bench on my fantasy baseball team. Still 1-1 going to the eighth
Top 8
I swear they just showed Munenori Kawasaki cheering form the stands in the World Baseball Classic. New pitcher for the A’s, Ryan Cook, whose ERA was over 7 last year. Should be easy right? Not for Brendan Ryan who hits a 5-3 that almost caught Brendan Allen by surprise. It looked like he didn’t expect a throw, which is weird since he is a first baseman and is thrown to often. Figgins strikes out, wooo! They just showed a clip of the ball girls and boys, they were rocking some sweet Velcro shoes. I miss Velcro, tying shoes is really annoying and I am really lazy. Ackley gets to a full count, then flies out to left.
Apparently, Brandon McCarthy isn’t the only one who has the number of our offense, Cook does too. Maybe we should get a new number because it seems that everyone has it.
Bottom 8
Felix still in, Cliff Pennington is hitting. He grounds out to Ryan who made a very nice play behind second. Dave Sims just said "that Woods guy" in reference to Tiger Woods. At this point of the night, I can’t tell if he was being sarcastic. Felix looks to be getting tired, two 3 ball counts in a row, but gets Crisp to fly out to Carp. Seth Smith is up, that’s a very boring name. He had a boring at bat that culminated with a fly out to Carp. To the ninth.
Felix seems to be getting tired, Wilhelmsen and Sherrill were up in the bullpen. Hopefully we see some Brandon League action, I really don’t want to stay up later than I have to. Sorry, but I am doing this again tomorrow.
Top 9
Rally time everyone, get excited, do the Rally Jig or whatever the M’s do to score runs. Do some crazy voodoo stuff with Peguero’s hair. Ichiro, Smoak and Montero are up against Grant Balfour, formerly of the Rays. A game winning home run is a great way to endear oneself to a fan base, just saying Montero or Smoak. Ichiro hits a hard fly ball to left, caught by Crisp. Smoak grounds out off of first base, Weeks fields and throws to Balfour covering. Smoak is so slow, that ball hung up there forever, literally, that ball is still up there. Montero looks a little hesitant, drives a ball to the right center track. Was caught by the communist.
Wow, I really did not want extra innings. Now I am really hoping for them. This offense is really bad, wahhhhhh.
Bottom 9
Felix is out, 8 IP, 1 ER, 1 No Decision. The bartender (Tom Wilhelmsen) is in, may the bartending jokes begin. Serves up a nice martini to Kurt Suzuki, shaken, not stirred with 5 olives. Suzuki unsure how to react to drink being made for him by opposing pitcher, flies out to center. Gets Reddick to fly out deep to left. I swear that wasn’t Mike Carp who made the catch though, he was way too athletic looking. Probably got 5 inches on his vertical. Now the Communist is up, I wonder if he likes his rum and coke? Apparently Cespedes was also caught off guard by the bartending skills of Wilhelmsen and was made a fool of. Swung at two pitches in the dirt for a swinging K. Commie pig.
Top 10
Brian Fuentes is now in for the A’s, he used to be on the M’s, maybe he will feel bad for us and let us win. His pitching motion is also super duper weird, I could describe it better if I had slept but just know its super weird. So weird that Carp pops out to the catcher. Olivo also can’t handle it, grounds out to SS. Saunders! Do something cool! A routine flyball to right is not cool, unless you’re a hipster, but then only if you did it first. Sorry Michael, someone else already flew out to right, so that was not cool. Also, Geoff Baker is ignoring my tweet, I would like to know how many K’s Felix had. The sun is coming up in an hour. All of these things are so not cool.
Bottom 10
Wedge leaves in the bartender, a decision probably influenced by the Tom Collins Wilhelmsen made him in-between innings. Ackley bobbles a ball, then pulls Smoak off the bag with the throw. Allen on first, no outs. Ackley now regrets shotgunning those 4 beers that Wilhelmsen gave him in-between innings. All of you tired of the bartender jokes, too bad! I am having way too much fun right now thinking of these. Olivo throws out the runner trying to steal, Ryan got cleated on the slide. Really? I feel like I am taking crazy pills! He stays in the game though and Wilhelmsen gets Sogard to fly out to center. Then sympathetically listens to Sogard’s insecurities about wearing glasses and flying out to center a lot. And I would assume that the Bartender has closed up shop for the night. Throwing all the drunks out, like Jemile Weeks who strikes out again.
Top 11
New pitcher for A’s, Carnigan, who gives up a double to Ryan. That sucks for Carnigan who left that breaking ball out over the plate. Good for Ryan for not hitting it at somebody though. I think he is finally learning the strategy for hitting. Figgins now up, will try to bunt. He succeeds! Huzzah for Chone. Ryan gets to third and Ackley is up. He singles to center and drives in Ryan. That’s two RBI’s for him, and two for my fantasy team. Carnigan is done and will be replaced by Blevins. Blevins is super skinny, just pointing that out. Ackley steals second, racking up those fantasy points! Ichiro nearly decapitates Blevins with a liner up the middle and drives in Ackley. Ichiro then gets caught in between 1st and 2nd on the cut off from the throw home, two outs, 3-1 M’s. Smoak pops out.
That actually wasn’t super depressing offensively; at least we scored more than one run. Brandon League time. Ichiro is also 4-5 today and Smoak and Montero are hitless. I’m currently meh about that.
Bottom 11
I forgot how not straight League’s fastball is. Cliff Pennington doesn’t care. He hits a warning track fly out to Casper Wells who replaces the Starfish in left. Crisp strikes out looking on a borderline call. I guess I’ll take it. Seth Smith up again, Mr. Boring. League’s splitter is craz;, that thing dives like a peregrine falcon. Yeah I said it, but I don’t stand by it. Smith nearly beans League with a liner back up the middle, probably taking out his frustration of having a boring name. Suzuki up, Smith goes to second on defensive indifference. That’s how boring you are Seth Smith! We are indifferent to stopping you from taking a base. Suzuki goes fishing and strikes out swinging.
Mariners win 3-1 in 11 innings. Ackley had 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB and two hits. Ichiro went 4-5. Felix was awesome, League was awesome, I made way too many bartender jokes for Tom Wilhelmsen who was also solid. I am very tired now and will see you all tomorrow morning for the second game. 1-0, best team in the league suckas! Go M’s.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tokyo Drift: Mariners-A's Series Preview
By Patrick
Wow. I'm actually writing a series preview about games that matter. This is awesome. Way Out's season preview will go up next week, when the season really gets underway across the country, but for now, the M's have two games that actually count, and they get to play the A's, the only team the 2011 Mariners looked consistently better than. The Mariners and Athletics clash on March 28 and 29 in a two game series in the Tokyo Dome.
The Matchups:
March 28: Felix Hernandez vs. Brandon McCarthy
Who? Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Brandon McCarthy, a journeyman starter who has never won ten games in a season, graced the cover of the analytics issue of ESPN the magazine back in January, posing with his really attractive model wife. "Chicks dig the ground ball" was the tag line on the cover. You know what else chicks dig Brandon? Cy Young awards. On paper, Felix should win this showdown most of the time. Even though Felix got rocked in his final start before the trip, he will be fine and pitch back to form. The A's will struggle to get hits against Felix, who will likely pitch deep into the game. McCarthy will need to match him for the A's to have any hope on "Opening Day."
March 29: Jason Vargas vs. Bartolo Colon
Bartolo Colon continues to mystify me. The very fact that this guy is still pitching is a miracle. He actually won a Cy Young in his heyday with Cleveland. But his pumpkin shape caught up to him, and he disappeared from baseball, before resurfacing in 2011 with the Yankees, who cut him after a few months with the occasional flash of brilliance. Jason Vargas is far more interesting, since he has two distinct pitching personas that can show up on any given Vargas. We'll refer to them as Dr. Jason and Mr. Vargas. Last start, Mr. Vargas showed up, as he didn't escape the first inning, while allowing eight runs in the process. The Mariners will need a whole lot more of Dr. Jason this season to play .500 ball. Both of these pitchers are volatile, and the winner of this game will be the team whose pitcher's good side shows up to the ballpark.
Three Players to Watch:
Chone Figgins: Figgy's first two official games back as a leadoff hitter should be very intriguing. I sincerely hope he does well, but I have no patience for him if he struggles. Cut him if he sucks. No ifs ands or buts. If he gets two hits in the series, I'll be happy. He should probably score some runs too. Steal a base. Maybe he'll just go off. But probably not. Regardless, an effective Figgins would certainly help the M's sweep the Japan series, which has to be the goal against the mediocre A's.
Ichiro Suzuki: Another Mariner in a new spot in the order with a lot to prove. Ichiro takes on the three-hole this season, and I'm expecting a renaissance from him. He can start that in front of his home country fans at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday and Thursday. He'll be happy and comfortable and in a position to make a serious impact with his bat in the middle of the order. Look for Ichiro to play an integral role in the outcome of both games, and maybe even go deep in one of the games just to impress all of his fans.
Coco Crisp: An absolute Mariner killer, through and through. Crisp, a leadoff hitter last year, is experiencing a similar transition to Ichiro's, with Bob Melvin likely moving him to the three spot in the order. He also may play left field as opposed to center, which would matter very little in the grand scheme of things but is something to keep an eye on. The A's have undergone so many changes in the outfield this offseason that Crisp seems to be the only constant. His leadership, coupled with his uncanny ability to get big hits out of pitcher's counts against the M's, will help the A's in their quest to sweep in Japan.
Series Outlook:
The Mariners have looked ragged in Japan so far while the A's have appeared stellar. Do the exhibition games really matter? Maybe a little. However, the M's should have some sort of home field advantage with all of the Ichiro supporters that will attend, and I think that makes No. 51 the x-factor in the series. Ichiro will excel in his home country and kick start his comeback season. Felix gives up two runs tops in game one and the M's win 4-2. Vargas struggles a bit in game two, but the M's offense and bullpen comes through and Ichiro takes Bartolo Colon's fat ass yard. M's win game two, 7-4. Brandon League slams the door twice. Go M's
Wow. I'm actually writing a series preview about games that matter. This is awesome. Way Out's season preview will go up next week, when the season really gets underway across the country, but for now, the M's have two games that actually count, and they get to play the A's, the only team the 2011 Mariners looked consistently better than. The Mariners and Athletics clash on March 28 and 29 in a two game series in the Tokyo Dome.
The Matchups:
March 28: Felix Hernandez vs. Brandon McCarthy
Who? Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Brandon McCarthy, a journeyman starter who has never won ten games in a season, graced the cover of the analytics issue of ESPN the magazine back in January, posing with his really attractive model wife. "Chicks dig the ground ball" was the tag line on the cover. You know what else chicks dig Brandon? Cy Young awards. On paper, Felix should win this showdown most of the time. Even though Felix got rocked in his final start before the trip, he will be fine and pitch back to form. The A's will struggle to get hits against Felix, who will likely pitch deep into the game. McCarthy will need to match him for the A's to have any hope on "Opening Day."
March 29: Jason Vargas vs. Bartolo Colon
Bartolo Colon continues to mystify me. The very fact that this guy is still pitching is a miracle. He actually won a Cy Young in his heyday with Cleveland. But his pumpkin shape caught up to him, and he disappeared from baseball, before resurfacing in 2011 with the Yankees, who cut him after a few months with the occasional flash of brilliance. Jason Vargas is far more interesting, since he has two distinct pitching personas that can show up on any given Vargas. We'll refer to them as Dr. Jason and Mr. Vargas. Last start, Mr. Vargas showed up, as he didn't escape the first inning, while allowing eight runs in the process. The Mariners will need a whole lot more of Dr. Jason this season to play .500 ball. Both of these pitchers are volatile, and the winner of this game will be the team whose pitcher's good side shows up to the ballpark.
Three Players to Watch:
Chone Figgins: Figgy's first two official games back as a leadoff hitter should be very intriguing. I sincerely hope he does well, but I have no patience for him if he struggles. Cut him if he sucks. No ifs ands or buts. If he gets two hits in the series, I'll be happy. He should probably score some runs too. Steal a base. Maybe he'll just go off. But probably not. Regardless, an effective Figgins would certainly help the M's sweep the Japan series, which has to be the goal against the mediocre A's.
Ichiro Suzuki: Another Mariner in a new spot in the order with a lot to prove. Ichiro takes on the three-hole this season, and I'm expecting a renaissance from him. He can start that in front of his home country fans at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday and Thursday. He'll be happy and comfortable and in a position to make a serious impact with his bat in the middle of the order. Look for Ichiro to play an integral role in the outcome of both games, and maybe even go deep in one of the games just to impress all of his fans.
Coco Crisp: An absolute Mariner killer, through and through. Crisp, a leadoff hitter last year, is experiencing a similar transition to Ichiro's, with Bob Melvin likely moving him to the three spot in the order. He also may play left field as opposed to center, which would matter very little in the grand scheme of things but is something to keep an eye on. The A's have undergone so many changes in the outfield this offseason that Crisp seems to be the only constant. His leadership, coupled with his uncanny ability to get big hits out of pitcher's counts against the M's, will help the A's in their quest to sweep in Japan.
Series Outlook:
The Mariners have looked ragged in Japan so far while the A's have appeared stellar. Do the exhibition games really matter? Maybe a little. However, the M's should have some sort of home field advantage with all of the Ichiro supporters that will attend, and I think that makes No. 51 the x-factor in the series. Ichiro will excel in his home country and kick start his comeback season. Felix gives up two runs tops in game one and the M's win 4-2. Vargas struggles a bit in game two, but the M's offense and bullpen comes through and Ichiro takes Bartolo Colon's fat ass yard. M's win game two, 7-4. Brandon League slams the door twice. Go M's
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sadaharu Oh Shit: Mariners Lose Both Exhibition Games in Japan
For those of you who didn’t know, the M’s are in Japan to play the A’s for the opening series of the MLB season. Before facing off with our rivals from the ugly side of the bay (personal opinion based off of observation) however, the M’s played two Japanese pro teams in exhibition games. They lost both games, 5-1 to the Hanshin Tigers and then 9-3 to the Yomuiri Giants.
I’ll be honest, these results suck. But realize that the Japanese leagues are not as far behind the MLB as many think. Japan consistently outperforms the rest of the world in the World Baseball Classic and have beaten other MLB teams who did similar exhibition tours, like the Yankees.
I will stress this point again; these games STILL do not count. This is still spring training. Other factors impacted the team’s performance like jetlag, lack of scouting reports and weird baseballs. Not kidding on the last one; the Japanese league uses a different ball than the MLB, which some M’s found weird. Boo hoo, it's still round and has seams. Anyway, do not panic and start selling your season tickets or switch to cheering for the Angels. As I told Patrick this morning when he told me to write this, these games mean jack shit, albeit annoying jack shit. Would I have loved to see the M’s beat these teams 20-0 and have Iwakuma and Noesi look like King Felix? Yes. But my reaction would have been the same, these games mean nothing, they are supposed to get the M’s ready to play against Oakland in games that matter.
Here are some things I picked up on based off the limited info available (Seattle Times articles, box scores and people tweeting live from the game).
Hisashi Iwakuma is not pitching very well. He got rocked by the Giants, gave up 10 hits, many of which were line drives that were hit hard. By all accounts he was lucky to get out of the fourth inning. Hello bullpen! Hopefully he can fix his velocity issue or mechanical issue or whatever he is doing wrong. Honestly, the M’s sucked against the Giants. They were walking people, throwing the ball away and just playing badly.
Hector Noesi was solid; yeah he gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, whatever. This is still his first year starting in the MLB and he has yet to show me anything that makes me think that he won’t continue to pitch solidly.
The Japanese love Ichiro. His face is everywhere, including on an ad in the Tokyo Dome, where the games were played. He also loves the Japanese, putting on a show for them while playing. I don’t mind that very much, at least he’s back home and enjoying himself.
Dustin Ackley showed some pop, hitting a home run and a triple against the Giants. He also showed a lot of "patience", striking out looking with the bases loaded to end an inning against the Tigers.
Miguel Olivo also deserves some mention, getting on base three times against the Tigers.
So now the M’s have to play games that count. Like show up in the standings and stuff. And Felix is starting. Like I’ve mentioned, I will be doing some form of communication on the game for the blog, not sure what, but you can rule out smoke signals, its super cloudy here. Go M’s.
I’ll be honest, these results suck. But realize that the Japanese leagues are not as far behind the MLB as many think. Japan consistently outperforms the rest of the world in the World Baseball Classic and have beaten other MLB teams who did similar exhibition tours, like the Yankees.
I will stress this point again; these games STILL do not count. This is still spring training. Other factors impacted the team’s performance like jetlag, lack of scouting reports and weird baseballs. Not kidding on the last one; the Japanese league uses a different ball than the MLB, which some M’s found weird. Boo hoo, it's still round and has seams. Anyway, do not panic and start selling your season tickets or switch to cheering for the Angels. As I told Patrick this morning when he told me to write this, these games mean jack shit, albeit annoying jack shit. Would I have loved to see the M’s beat these teams 20-0 and have Iwakuma and Noesi look like King Felix? Yes. But my reaction would have been the same, these games mean nothing, they are supposed to get the M’s ready to play against Oakland in games that matter.
Here are some things I picked up on based off the limited info available (Seattle Times articles, box scores and people tweeting live from the game).
Hisashi Iwakuma is not pitching very well. He got rocked by the Giants, gave up 10 hits, many of which were line drives that were hit hard. By all accounts he was lucky to get out of the fourth inning. Hello bullpen! Hopefully he can fix his velocity issue or mechanical issue or whatever he is doing wrong. Honestly, the M’s sucked against the Giants. They were walking people, throwing the ball away and just playing badly.
Hector Noesi was solid; yeah he gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, whatever. This is still his first year starting in the MLB and he has yet to show me anything that makes me think that he won’t continue to pitch solidly.
The Japanese love Ichiro. His face is everywhere, including on an ad in the Tokyo Dome, where the games were played. He also loves the Japanese, putting on a show for them while playing. I don’t mind that very much, at least he’s back home and enjoying himself.
Dustin Ackley showed some pop, hitting a home run and a triple against the Giants. He also showed a lot of "patience", striking out looking with the bases loaded to end an inning against the Tigers.
Miguel Olivo also deserves some mention, getting on base three times against the Tigers.
So now the M’s have to play games that count. Like show up in the standings and stuff. And Felix is starting. Like I’ve mentioned, I will be doing some form of communication on the game for the blog, not sure what, but you can rule out smoke signals, its super cloudy here. Go M’s.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Cutting the New 30-man Roster Down to 25
By Anthony
The roster for the players going to Japan has been set and it is as follows:
Pitchers
Beavan, Delabar, Hernandez, Iwakuma, Kelley, League, Noesi, Ramirez, Ruffin, Wilhelmsen, Furbush, Luetge, Sherrill, Vargas
Catchers
Jaso, Montero, Olivo, Quiroz
Infielders
Ackley, Figgins, Kawasaki, Liddi, Ryan, Seager, Smoak
Outfielders
Carp, Peguero, Saunders, Suzuki, Wells
There aren’t a huge amount of surprises here but I’ll do my best to guess and provide some insight right now into what Wedge is thinking for this year. Those of you who can count will notice that this is 30 people, more than the normal 25 man roster that other clubs have to have by opening day. Since there are exhibition games after these real games, the M’s and A’s can take 30 players to Japan. I will also cut the roster from 31 to 25 (Millwood didn't make the trip), which is the number of players they will need by the time the season starts stateside.
For the pitchers, the fact Erasmo Ramirez is still around is fun. He isn’t in the rotation since Wedge already announced that with Beavan, Noesi and Millwood getting the 3 spots behind the King and his jester. I personally would rather see him start in Tacoma than relieve in Seattle but he should benefit from the experience of facing MLB hitters. I also cannot tell you what Wedge is thinking for the bullpen. He cut Kuo and Shawn Camp, veterans who were supposed to bring stability to the end of games. That leaves Delabar, Ramirez, Iwakuma, League, Ruffin, Wilhelmsen, Furbush, Luetge, Kelley and Sherrill competing for bullpen spots. I’ll point out that this group is super duper young, Sheriill and League are the only ones with more than a year of MLB experience. That is interesting. Hopefully the young guns can cut it, I see Ramirez, Luetge and Ruffin getting cut from this group of pitchers. The roster is now at 28.
Catchers are less of a surprise than pitchers. Guillermo Quiroz, while having an awesome name, has been around the block a lot. He is an ex-prospect turned journeyman and he is there to catch the exhibition games to lighten the load on the other three. He will be cut, down to 27.
Infielders aren’t fun. Luis Rodriguez is gone, and Patrick may argue that he was a battler and played solid defense. He still hit under .200 last year, so we aren’t missing a whole lot. I still wonder why Alex Liddi is around; he can play two positions (three if you count DH) and strikes out way too much. Carp and Jaso can already play first base, Seager and Figgins can play 3B so its not like they are shallow at those positions. My hope is that Wedge wants Liddi to get big league experience before sending him down I-5 to Tacoma. 26 left.
Carlos Peguero haunts my dreams. Literally, I swear watching him hit should be a punishment for any hitting coach. He swings at just about anything, its like he decides before the pitch whether or not to swing. Those reading should be able to guess who I’m cutting from here. Good job. The other four have to last together till Guti gets back, Michael Saunders, please do well and validate my faith in you. Not so the M’s do well but just so I was right and can hold that over Patrick. Yeah, I’m that competitive. Peguero is gone. 25!
So there it is, how I would cut five people from the roster the M’s are taking to Japan. Since I’m definitely not Eric Wedge, unlike Patrick, there could be some differences when the M’s come back across the pond. Go M’s.
The roster for the players going to Japan has been set and it is as follows:
Pitchers
Beavan, Delabar, Hernandez, Iwakuma, Kelley, League, Noesi, Ramirez, Ruffin, Wilhelmsen, Furbush, Luetge, Sherrill, Vargas
Catchers
Jaso, Montero, Olivo, Quiroz
Infielders
Ackley, Figgins, Kawasaki, Liddi, Ryan, Seager, Smoak
Outfielders
Carp, Peguero, Saunders, Suzuki, Wells
There aren’t a huge amount of surprises here but I’ll do my best to guess and provide some insight right now into what Wedge is thinking for this year. Those of you who can count will notice that this is 30 people, more than the normal 25 man roster that other clubs have to have by opening day. Since there are exhibition games after these real games, the M’s and A’s can take 30 players to Japan. I will also cut the roster from 31 to 25 (Millwood didn't make the trip), which is the number of players they will need by the time the season starts stateside.
For the pitchers, the fact Erasmo Ramirez is still around is fun. He isn’t in the rotation since Wedge already announced that with Beavan, Noesi and Millwood getting the 3 spots behind the King and his jester. I personally would rather see him start in Tacoma than relieve in Seattle but he should benefit from the experience of facing MLB hitters. I also cannot tell you what Wedge is thinking for the bullpen. He cut Kuo and Shawn Camp, veterans who were supposed to bring stability to the end of games. That leaves Delabar, Ramirez, Iwakuma, League, Ruffin, Wilhelmsen, Furbush, Luetge, Kelley and Sherrill competing for bullpen spots. I’ll point out that this group is super duper young, Sheriill and League are the only ones with more than a year of MLB experience. That is interesting. Hopefully the young guns can cut it, I see Ramirez, Luetge and Ruffin getting cut from this group of pitchers. The roster is now at 28.
Catchers are less of a surprise than pitchers. Guillermo Quiroz, while having an awesome name, has been around the block a lot. He is an ex-prospect turned journeyman and he is there to catch the exhibition games to lighten the load on the other three. He will be cut, down to 27.
Infielders aren’t fun. Luis Rodriguez is gone, and Patrick may argue that he was a battler and played solid defense. He still hit under .200 last year, so we aren’t missing a whole lot. I still wonder why Alex Liddi is around; he can play two positions (three if you count DH) and strikes out way too much. Carp and Jaso can already play first base, Seager and Figgins can play 3B so its not like they are shallow at those positions. My hope is that Wedge wants Liddi to get big league experience before sending him down I-5 to Tacoma. 26 left.
Carlos Peguero haunts my dreams. Literally, I swear watching him hit should be a punishment for any hitting coach. He swings at just about anything, its like he decides before the pitch whether or not to swing. Those reading should be able to guess who I’m cutting from here. Good job. The other four have to last together till Guti gets back, Michael Saunders, please do well and validate my faith in you. Not so the M’s do well but just so I was right and can hold that over Patrick. Yeah, I’m that competitive. Peguero is gone. 25!
So there it is, how I would cut five people from the roster the M’s are taking to Japan. Since I’m definitely not Eric Wedge, unlike Patrick, there could be some differences when the M’s come back across the pond. Go M’s.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Three Breakout Candidates and Three Potential Flops
By Patrick
With Opening Day just a week away, we really don't know where the Mariners' ceiling is for 2012. They could play up to their potential and go .500, or they could play like everyone outside of Seattle expects them to and lose 90 games for the third straight season. Nobody can really tell at this point, and Spring Training ultimately comes up short as an indicator. But guesswork is what we do best here at Way Out in Left Field, and so I'll try and pinpoint three guys who could help the M's in a big way this year and three I foresee potentially struggling to live up to expectations. (Note - I could pick Dustin Ackley as a breakout candidate and Chone Figgins as a flopper, but that would be too obvious. I'm trying to delve a little deeper here. Anyway, keep reading).
Three Breakout Candidates
1. Hector Noesi - As the under-the-radar half of the haul from the Michael Pineda trade, Noesi could really make some noise in 2012 (get it? Noise? Noesi? They're acronyms! OK, keep reading please). He didn't show a whole lot of promise last year in 28 relief appearances and two starts (2-2, 4.47 ERA, 1.51 WHIP), but those were his first big league appearances under the big lights of the Big Apple. I'll give him a pass for last year, especially since he has looked so good this spring. He had allowed just one run in five innings of work before Sunday, where he allowed just two runs over four innings in a game that finished early due to a rain delay. While Sunday's number won't wow anyone (he was in a huge jam in the fifth when rain stopped the game), Noesi has a great chance to make the Mariner rotation or bullpen out of camp. At the very least, he'll get a chance to show off his stuff in Tacoma before getting his call up to the bigs. If Noesi gets a full season, I could see him posting numbers in a similar fashion to Michael Pineda last season, except slightly worse and not all-star caliber. He could really give the M's a boost this season as they try to at least post a respectable record.
Update: Hector Noesi will Join Felix, Vargas, Beavan, and Millwood in the M's 2012 rotation. Good for him.
2. Munenori Kawasaki - I'll admit that I knew nothing about Kawasaki (who needs an Eric Wedge nickname sooner rather than later) going into spring training, and at this point no somewhere from very little to some about him. I know he plays shortstop well, which currently is one of the Mariners' weakest positions. Brendan Ryan's health has dipped ever since he got hurt in August, so Kawasaki could see plenty of time for the M's there in 2012. I also know that he's hitting .367 with nine RBIs this spring in just 30 at bats. Small sample size, but good numbers. Kawasaki could swing from Seattle to Tacoma all year, providing a utility infielder role when the M's need him. Or he could win the starting job at short in April and help the Mariners with solid hitting from the bottom of the order, or if Chone Figgins struggles, the leadoff spot. I'm not sure which of these scenarios will come true, but I'm leaning closer to the second one at this moment based on Kawasaki's recent success and Brendan Ryan's injury issues.
3. Carlos Peguero - Whoa, what? Carlos Peguero? But he strikes out more than he gets on base! I know, I'm surprised I'm writing this too. But Peguero has been killing the ball this Spring. He said going into camp that this was his time to shine and he felt like he could transform himself into a mid-order masher. Maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but I think Peguero will improve significantly over last season. The guy probably will never hit more than .250 anyway, but he crushes frozen ropes to left field on a regular basis (which he has done in Arizona, with four jacks), that won't matter as much. The guy hit six in 143 ABs in 2011. He had 28 hits and struck out 54 times. He hit .194. Yes, that sucks. A lot. But maybe Peguero can finally make good on his word and crush 25 dingers if the M's give him a chance to do so. They need power, and Carlos has the power.
Three Potential Flops
1. Mike Carp - It pains me to write this. But lets face it, Carp went bonkers last year. He had a 20-game hitting streak. That job usually belongs to Ichiro, not a guy who hadn't managed to string together a successful major league stint in three previous tries with the M's. Last year, Carp played a ton in the second half for the M's, and hit .276 in 290 at bats. Great numbers for a middle of the order guy who also drove in 46 runs in a little under half a season (100 RBIs, anyone?). The question is, was this incredible season an aberration or turning point for Carp. I hope to God it was the latter. But realistically, Carp will probably take a step back in 2011. I can't see him hitting .300 for as long as he did last year and I can't envision more than 70 or so RBIs, as much as I'd like to. Carp might surprise us all and tear it up again, but in all likelihood, .250 with 15 homers and 70 RBIs sounds just about right for a full season of Carp (for perspective last year, he would have hit about 25 home runs over a full season).
2. Jason Vargas - Another one of my favorites. Vargas has looked great at times over his last three years with the Mariners, but never once has he posted a winning record or held his ERA under 3.75. Now, he's expected to take the number two starter role by storm. I like Vargas, but that sounds like a bit too much pressure for him. However, I still had a lot of faith in him until Monday rolled around. Vargas started against the Cubs, and couldn't escape the first inning. Vargas gave up seven runs and eight hits and got just two outs. Eight hits, two outs. That's an .800 BAA. Everything about that sucks. And just a week after I preached consistency as the key to Vargas' season, he showed his wild inconsistency. While Spring Training has to be taken with a grain of salt, seven run first innings at any level by a number two starter are causes for alarm. I have some faith that Vargas will turn it around, but in terms of breakout versus flop, Vargas is a safer bet for the latter.
3. Casper Wells - I'm not sure about Casper Wells quite yet. He looked great in July and early August, until Brandon Morrow broke Wells' four straight games with a homer streak by beaning him in the face (I hate him so much). After the beaning, Wells struggled immensely, claiming he had "balance issues." I assume balance is important for major league baseball players, so that probably is a legitimate claim. A good spring would have helped Wells get back into the good graces of Mariner Nation (it does exist). That hasn't happened for Wells, who has posted a .167 average so far in Arizona. If that's his average against a mix of major in minor league pitchers, I don't want to see how he'll hit in the big leagues this year. Again, spring training can prove completely useless by May, but it's also our best indication of potential success in 2012, and Wells hasn't convinced anyone he's ready to start in left field or even platoon with Mike Carp. I hope Wells can prove me wrong.
Any other breakout candidates and flops that I missed? Feel free to leave a comment. One week! Go M's.
With Opening Day just a week away, we really don't know where the Mariners' ceiling is for 2012. They could play up to their potential and go .500, or they could play like everyone outside of Seattle expects them to and lose 90 games for the third straight season. Nobody can really tell at this point, and Spring Training ultimately comes up short as an indicator. But guesswork is what we do best here at Way Out in Left Field, and so I'll try and pinpoint three guys who could help the M's in a big way this year and three I foresee potentially struggling to live up to expectations. (Note - I could pick Dustin Ackley as a breakout candidate and Chone Figgins as a flopper, but that would be too obvious. I'm trying to delve a little deeper here. Anyway, keep reading).
Three Breakout Candidates
1. Hector Noesi - As the under-the-radar half of the haul from the Michael Pineda trade, Noesi could really make some noise in 2012 (get it? Noise? Noesi? They're acronyms! OK, keep reading please). He didn't show a whole lot of promise last year in 28 relief appearances and two starts (2-2, 4.47 ERA, 1.51 WHIP), but those were his first big league appearances under the big lights of the Big Apple. I'll give him a pass for last year, especially since he has looked so good this spring. He had allowed just one run in five innings of work before Sunday, where he allowed just two runs over four innings in a game that finished early due to a rain delay. While Sunday's number won't wow anyone (he was in a huge jam in the fifth when rain stopped the game), Noesi has a great chance to make the Mariner rotation or bullpen out of camp. At the very least, he'll get a chance to show off his stuff in Tacoma before getting his call up to the bigs. If Noesi gets a full season, I could see him posting numbers in a similar fashion to Michael Pineda last season, except slightly worse and not all-star caliber. He could really give the M's a boost this season as they try to at least post a respectable record.
Update: Hector Noesi will Join Felix, Vargas, Beavan, and Millwood in the M's 2012 rotation. Good for him.
2. Munenori Kawasaki - I'll admit that I knew nothing about Kawasaki (who needs an Eric Wedge nickname sooner rather than later) going into spring training, and at this point no somewhere from very little to some about him. I know he plays shortstop well, which currently is one of the Mariners' weakest positions. Brendan Ryan's health has dipped ever since he got hurt in August, so Kawasaki could see plenty of time for the M's there in 2012. I also know that he's hitting .367 with nine RBIs this spring in just 30 at bats. Small sample size, but good numbers. Kawasaki could swing from Seattle to Tacoma all year, providing a utility infielder role when the M's need him. Or he could win the starting job at short in April and help the Mariners with solid hitting from the bottom of the order, or if Chone Figgins struggles, the leadoff spot. I'm not sure which of these scenarios will come true, but I'm leaning closer to the second one at this moment based on Kawasaki's recent success and Brendan Ryan's injury issues.
3. Carlos Peguero - Whoa, what? Carlos Peguero? But he strikes out more than he gets on base! I know, I'm surprised I'm writing this too. But Peguero has been killing the ball this Spring. He said going into camp that this was his time to shine and he felt like he could transform himself into a mid-order masher. Maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but I think Peguero will improve significantly over last season. The guy probably will never hit more than .250 anyway, but he crushes frozen ropes to left field on a regular basis (which he has done in Arizona, with four jacks), that won't matter as much. The guy hit six in 143 ABs in 2011. He had 28 hits and struck out 54 times. He hit .194. Yes, that sucks. A lot. But maybe Peguero can finally make good on his word and crush 25 dingers if the M's give him a chance to do so. They need power, and Carlos has the power.
Three Potential Flops
1. Mike Carp - It pains me to write this. But lets face it, Carp went bonkers last year. He had a 20-game hitting streak. That job usually belongs to Ichiro, not a guy who hadn't managed to string together a successful major league stint in three previous tries with the M's. Last year, Carp played a ton in the second half for the M's, and hit .276 in 290 at bats. Great numbers for a middle of the order guy who also drove in 46 runs in a little under half a season (100 RBIs, anyone?). The question is, was this incredible season an aberration or turning point for Carp. I hope to God it was the latter. But realistically, Carp will probably take a step back in 2011. I can't see him hitting .300 for as long as he did last year and I can't envision more than 70 or so RBIs, as much as I'd like to. Carp might surprise us all and tear it up again, but in all likelihood, .250 with 15 homers and 70 RBIs sounds just about right for a full season of Carp (for perspective last year, he would have hit about 25 home runs over a full season).
2. Jason Vargas - Another one of my favorites. Vargas has looked great at times over his last three years with the Mariners, but never once has he posted a winning record or held his ERA under 3.75. Now, he's expected to take the number two starter role by storm. I like Vargas, but that sounds like a bit too much pressure for him. However, I still had a lot of faith in him until Monday rolled around. Vargas started against the Cubs, and couldn't escape the first inning. Vargas gave up seven runs and eight hits and got just two outs. Eight hits, two outs. That's an .800 BAA. Everything about that sucks. And just a week after I preached consistency as the key to Vargas' season, he showed his wild inconsistency. While Spring Training has to be taken with a grain of salt, seven run first innings at any level by a number two starter are causes for alarm. I have some faith that Vargas will turn it around, but in terms of breakout versus flop, Vargas is a safer bet for the latter.
3. Casper Wells - I'm not sure about Casper Wells quite yet. He looked great in July and early August, until Brandon Morrow broke Wells' four straight games with a homer streak by beaning him in the face (I hate him so much). After the beaning, Wells struggled immensely, claiming he had "balance issues." I assume balance is important for major league baseball players, so that probably is a legitimate claim. A good spring would have helped Wells get back into the good graces of Mariner Nation (it does exist). That hasn't happened for Wells, who has posted a .167 average so far in Arizona. If that's his average against a mix of major in minor league pitchers, I don't want to see how he'll hit in the big leagues this year. Again, spring training can prove completely useless by May, but it's also our best indication of potential success in 2012, and Wells hasn't convinced anyone he's ready to start in left field or even platoon with Mike Carp. I hope Wells can prove me wrong.
Any other breakout candidates and flops that I missed? Feel free to leave a comment. One week! Go M's.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Things We Have Learned From Spring Training
By Anthony
Since this is my first year not going to Spring Training in at least 14 years, I will try to point out things I have noticed that most people there probably have. My assertions are backed up by facts and sources I have in Peoria. Yeah, I have sources in Peoria that nobody else does. Also, Spring Training stats should be taken with a grain of salt, like a massive grain of salt because the level of competition varies greatly based on what inning it is.
Hisashi Iwakuma is an even bigger question mark than before
How do you get to be a bigger question mark than a Japanese import that was one of the best in Japan who then ran into shoulder problems? Well you pitch like crap. Iwakuma came to Seattle to bring some stability to a rotation that could (will) look drastically different in September. He has done the worst job of any of the four competing for the three rotation spots. But he also makes the most money and the team wants to see some returns from their investment, like with Chone Figgins. Carl Willis and Wedge have claimed that he has improved from start to start but the results are eerily, similarly bad. So, hopefully he figures it out because I really want to see the massive coverage ESPN rolls out when the Whirling Darvish comes to town and faces Iwakuma. (Good drinking game, whenever an analyst mispronounces a name, drink.)
Vinnie Catricala is a really good hitter
The Seattle Times had a piece about how Catricala was a low profile recruit coming out of high school and then started dropping bombs in college (baseball reference to hitting home runs, not literally placing explosives); he has continued that trend this spring. He is hitting .286 with an OPS of .869, and he plays 3B. What? A hitting third baseman? I thought that was impossible. Indeed, it seems the massive drought of bats in the hot corner may be coming to an end with Catricala, Alex Liddi and Francisco Martinez coming through the system. This could create a logjam situation. Which is better than a drought, I guess. But look for Catricala to show up in September, and hopefully he is still dropping bombs.
Jesus Montero’s bat is as good as advertised
So yeah, Montero was supposed to be one of the best hitting prospects in the game according to many people. And he has not proved them wrong. He leads that team in RBI’s and has 2 home runs. He is hitting over . 300 and has an OPS of .936. Yay! A hitting catcher for the future! That’s awesome right? And apparently Michael Pineda is struggling for the Yankees. His fastball has dropped down to 91-92, which is pretty significant. I feel bad for the guy and hope he turns it around, but feel zero pity for the Yankees. Is this how all those teams who swindled Bavasi for all those years felt? No wonder they loved doing that to him.
Hong-Chih Kuo is not very good and no longer has a job
The Mariners broke one of Bud Selig’s secret MLB rules that nobody knows about and have cut Hong-Chih Kuo. This means that the M’s will not have a mentally unstable person on their roster, unless Tom Wilhelmsen goes through amnesia and thinks he is a bartender in the bullpen of SafeCo who is supposed to make drinks for the other relievers. That would be awesome though, not like Milton Bradley’s crazy. But Kuo pitched poorly and got cut, huge surprise.
Michael Saunders will make the Mariners to start the year
Boom goes the dynamite! It is pretty much a guaranteed fact now. Barring injury (there is no wood where I am, shit. Michael Saunders if you get injured I’ll take full responsibility). But anyway, he is still hitting the ball very well and according to my sources, is looking gazelle-like in center field. He is hitting .400 and his OPS is above 1.000. He will be the starting center fielder in Japan. He is also Canadian so the distance from home plate to the outfield walls being measured in meters shouldn’t perplex him as much. Mike Carp and Casper Wells are a different story though.
Lucas Luetge has a chance to make the team
Who is Lucas Luetge? That’s a fair question; he was a pick up in the Rule 5 draft from the Brewers. If he does not make the MLB roster with us, he goes back to Milwaukee or some minor league affiliate. He is also a tall lefty who has been pitching very well in Spring Training. He has seven K’s and one walk in 5 innings of work. With the exodus of Kuo, he could be competing for a spot with lefties Charlie Furbush and Cesar Jimenez for a spot in the bullpen. Probably not going to happen, but he still could make the trek across the pond since the roster only needs to be at 30 for that series.
So do Alex Liddi and Carlos Peguero
I am less optimistic about these two for exactly the same reason because they are remarkably similar players. Both can hit the ball really hard and far. Both also strike out more often than Chone FIggins got a hit last year. Liddi was one of the best hitters for Tacoma last year with 104 RBI’s but he also struck out over 25% of the time. Realize that we have been down this road with Peguero before and it doesn’t end well. If he can cut down on the K’s, I will lovingly accept him in Seattle but I hate it when teams make the same mistake twice. Peguero is the same guy from last year. Ugh….
Brendan Ryan is just as fragile as last season
So, not only did Brendan Ryan have something wrong with his back and shoulder before the spring, which he then fixed, now he has some tightness in his quad that made him miss a few games. This is kind of frustrating; he is an awesome fielder and seems like a good guy. But come on! I feel like I’m taking crazy pills! Please stay healthy! I don’t care how; do some weird voodoo thing like burning a lock of Carlos Peguero’s hair mixed with pine resin. However, my sources say Muenori Kawasaki, the guy backing up Ryan, is pretty awesome, both offensively and defensively, so hopefully there isn’t a huge drop off between the two.
So the Mariners head off to Japan to play the A’s. Am I the only one who finds this matchup stupid? I understand the Ichiro appeal, but the A’s? Very few Americans care about the A’s let alone the Japanese. Couldn’t we have shown off some good teams, like the Rangers? Also, since I’m a much more dedicated fan than Patrick, and will be on spring break, I will be watching the games in Japan live. Hopefully I’ll be mentally alert enough to live tweet them or something. Go M’s.
Since this is my first year not going to Spring Training in at least 14 years, I will try to point out things I have noticed that most people there probably have. My assertions are backed up by facts and sources I have in Peoria. Yeah, I have sources in Peoria that nobody else does. Also, Spring Training stats should be taken with a grain of salt, like a massive grain of salt because the level of competition varies greatly based on what inning it is.
Hisashi Iwakuma is an even bigger question mark than before
How do you get to be a bigger question mark than a Japanese import that was one of the best in Japan who then ran into shoulder problems? Well you pitch like crap. Iwakuma came to Seattle to bring some stability to a rotation that could (will) look drastically different in September. He has done the worst job of any of the four competing for the three rotation spots. But he also makes the most money and the team wants to see some returns from their investment, like with Chone Figgins. Carl Willis and Wedge have claimed that he has improved from start to start but the results are eerily, similarly bad. So, hopefully he figures it out because I really want to see the massive coverage ESPN rolls out when the Whirling Darvish comes to town and faces Iwakuma. (Good drinking game, whenever an analyst mispronounces a name, drink.)
Vinnie Catricala is a really good hitter
The Seattle Times had a piece about how Catricala was a low profile recruit coming out of high school and then started dropping bombs in college (baseball reference to hitting home runs, not literally placing explosives); he has continued that trend this spring. He is hitting .286 with an OPS of .869, and he plays 3B. What? A hitting third baseman? I thought that was impossible. Indeed, it seems the massive drought of bats in the hot corner may be coming to an end with Catricala, Alex Liddi and Francisco Martinez coming through the system. This could create a logjam situation. Which is better than a drought, I guess. But look for Catricala to show up in September, and hopefully he is still dropping bombs.
Jesus Montero’s bat is as good as advertised
So yeah, Montero was supposed to be one of the best hitting prospects in the game according to many people. And he has not proved them wrong. He leads that team in RBI’s and has 2 home runs. He is hitting over . 300 and has an OPS of .936. Yay! A hitting catcher for the future! That’s awesome right? And apparently Michael Pineda is struggling for the Yankees. His fastball has dropped down to 91-92, which is pretty significant. I feel bad for the guy and hope he turns it around, but feel zero pity for the Yankees. Is this how all those teams who swindled Bavasi for all those years felt? No wonder they loved doing that to him.
Hong-Chih Kuo is not very good and no longer has a job
The Mariners broke one of Bud Selig’s secret MLB rules that nobody knows about and have cut Hong-Chih Kuo. This means that the M’s will not have a mentally unstable person on their roster, unless Tom Wilhelmsen goes through amnesia and thinks he is a bartender in the bullpen of SafeCo who is supposed to make drinks for the other relievers. That would be awesome though, not like Milton Bradley’s crazy. But Kuo pitched poorly and got cut, huge surprise.
Michael Saunders will make the Mariners to start the year
Boom goes the dynamite! It is pretty much a guaranteed fact now. Barring injury (there is no wood where I am, shit. Michael Saunders if you get injured I’ll take full responsibility). But anyway, he is still hitting the ball very well and according to my sources, is looking gazelle-like in center field. He is hitting .400 and his OPS is above 1.000. He will be the starting center fielder in Japan. He is also Canadian so the distance from home plate to the outfield walls being measured in meters shouldn’t perplex him as much. Mike Carp and Casper Wells are a different story though.
Lucas Luetge has a chance to make the team
Who is Lucas Luetge? That’s a fair question; he was a pick up in the Rule 5 draft from the Brewers. If he does not make the MLB roster with us, he goes back to Milwaukee or some minor league affiliate. He is also a tall lefty who has been pitching very well in Spring Training. He has seven K’s and one walk in 5 innings of work. With the exodus of Kuo, he could be competing for a spot with lefties Charlie Furbush and Cesar Jimenez for a spot in the bullpen. Probably not going to happen, but he still could make the trek across the pond since the roster only needs to be at 30 for that series.
So do Alex Liddi and Carlos Peguero
I am less optimistic about these two for exactly the same reason because they are remarkably similar players. Both can hit the ball really hard and far. Both also strike out more often than Chone FIggins got a hit last year. Liddi was one of the best hitters for Tacoma last year with 104 RBI’s but he also struck out over 25% of the time. Realize that we have been down this road with Peguero before and it doesn’t end well. If he can cut down on the K’s, I will lovingly accept him in Seattle but I hate it when teams make the same mistake twice. Peguero is the same guy from last year. Ugh….
Brendan Ryan is just as fragile as last season
So, not only did Brendan Ryan have something wrong with his back and shoulder before the spring, which he then fixed, now he has some tightness in his quad that made him miss a few games. This is kind of frustrating; he is an awesome fielder and seems like a good guy. But come on! I feel like I’m taking crazy pills! Please stay healthy! I don’t care how; do some weird voodoo thing like burning a lock of Carlos Peguero’s hair mixed with pine resin. However, my sources say Muenori Kawasaki, the guy backing up Ryan, is pretty awesome, both offensively and defensively, so hopefully there isn’t a huge drop off between the two.
So the Mariners head off to Japan to play the A’s. Am I the only one who finds this matchup stupid? I understand the Ichiro appeal, but the A’s? Very few Americans care about the A’s let alone the Japanese. Couldn’t we have shown off some good teams, like the Rangers? Also, since I’m a much more dedicated fan than Patrick, and will be on spring break, I will be watching the games in Japan live. Hopefully I’ll be mentally alert enough to live tweet them or something. Go M’s.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Odd Man Out: Mariners' Rotation Edition
Today is March 19th. Maybe that seems like just a regular day to you, but to me and I hope most of Mariner Nation (does that exist?), this day means that we are officially nine days away from Opening Day. Nine days! The Mariners will play games that will count in nine days! Wow. Can't wait (Bart Scott voice).
Unfortunately, the Mariners have not solidified their rotation yet. Felix Hernandez and Jason Vargas will head the arms, but beyond that lies uncertainty for a whole myriad of reasons. The M's have pretty much boiled the rotation down to four remaining candidates for the final three spots however. I'm going to evaluate each one in order of where they should fit into the rotation as well as their likelihood of occupying the odd-man-out sixth spot.
3. Hisashi Iwakuma
The M's plucked Iwakuma from Japan this offseason with the intention of using him as a solid mid-rotation solution until Danny Hultzen and James Paxton are ready to start next season. He's 30 years old and won the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award in 2008. However, shoulder problems plagued him in 2011, so his health poses a major concern. So far this spring, Iwakuma has pitched three times for a total of nine innings and posted an ERA of 5.00. In his most recent appearance on March 16th, he got hit hard by the A's, who scored five runs on eight hits against him. However, the M's wouldn't have signed Iwakuma without the full intention of starting him barring an injury. Therefore, Iwakuma is almost a lock to make the rotation, and I think he will fill the three spot comfortably. Chances of being the sixth man: 5%
4. Blake Beavan
Many thought that Beavan, who struggled to close out the year after posting six straight quality starts to begin his career, would miss the rotation and head back to Tacoma for some fine tuning. But this spring, Beavan has made strides towards locking up a spot in the M's rotation for 2012. He has logged 15.1 innings so far in Arizona, and his ERA is an enticing 2.35. Sure, Beavan faced a lot of minor leaguers, but the consistency he showed in all four starts presents him as an attractive option as the M's number four starter. I think of him as the Doug Fister of this year's staff. Just consistent, stop-gap pitching that can produce wins if the team hits. Chances of being the sixth man: 15%
5. Kevin Millwood
The final spot poses a toss-up situation that will cause a lot of intrigue. On one hand, Hector Noesi could be ready to tear up the majors as a starter and play the dark horse role in the M's rotation. But why take that chance and throw him into the fire like that? Kevin Millwood brings veteran leadership and past success to a team that immensely lacks both. Eric Wedge loves him from their time in Cleveland, where Millwood led the Indians to one game shy of the World Series. The real question is, does Millwood have anything left in the tank? If he does, he needs to be in the rotation. If not, cut him. It's easy as that. So far this spring, Millwood appears to have a little left in him. After a rocky first outing and a decent second start, Millwood allowed just one hit in four innings against Kansas City on March 14th. That start probably will suffice for Jack Z and Eric Wedge. Millwood still has shutout stuff, and your fifth starter doesn't need to wow you consistently. He just needs to pitch fairly well, and Millwood still can do that. Chances of being the sixth man: 20%
The Sixth Man: Hector Noesi
This one hurts me to write. I really want Hector Noesi to absolutely star right away and prove that the Mariners "won" the Michael Pineda trade. But Noesi might not be all the way ready yet. Hector has only pitched five innings with the A team this spring, but in those five innings, he only allowed one run on a solo homer. Promising, yes. Guaranteed to translate to the bigs right away? No, not at all. I like Noesi, and he could fill the void of fourth starter behind Felix, Hultzen, and Paxton in the coming seasons, but this year he can take his time. Two ideal scenarios for Noesi: he starts in Tacoma, but by June, Kevin Millwood has struggled mightily and elects to hang up his cleats. Or, the M's rotation looks solid but Jack Z decides to continue to build with young talent and trades Jason Vargas at the deadline for hitting prospects (I would cry) and Noesi steps up to fill the void in the rotation. Noesi is one of the M's brilliant young arms, and he should provide rotation security for years to come. Just not yet. Chances of being the sixth man: 60%
There is a possibility that all four of these pitchers could make the 25-man roster. If the M's feel good enough about Hector Noesi as a starter, they could move Hisashi Iwakuma to the bullpen to add some depth to a 'pen facing tons of questions. Hong-Chih Kuo has struggled and George Sherrill has had injury issues, and so guys like newly healthy Shawn Kelley and unproven Tom Wilhelmsen will play big bullpen roles in 2012. Adding Iwakuma to this thin group of relievers could provide just the spark the M's need in the late innings. Go M's
Unfortunately, the Mariners have not solidified their rotation yet. Felix Hernandez and Jason Vargas will head the arms, but beyond that lies uncertainty for a whole myriad of reasons. The M's have pretty much boiled the rotation down to four remaining candidates for the final three spots however. I'm going to evaluate each one in order of where they should fit into the rotation as well as their likelihood of occupying the odd-man-out sixth spot.
3. Hisashi Iwakuma
The M's plucked Iwakuma from Japan this offseason with the intention of using him as a solid mid-rotation solution until Danny Hultzen and James Paxton are ready to start next season. He's 30 years old and won the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young Award in 2008. However, shoulder problems plagued him in 2011, so his health poses a major concern. So far this spring, Iwakuma has pitched three times for a total of nine innings and posted an ERA of 5.00. In his most recent appearance on March 16th, he got hit hard by the A's, who scored five runs on eight hits against him. However, the M's wouldn't have signed Iwakuma without the full intention of starting him barring an injury. Therefore, Iwakuma is almost a lock to make the rotation, and I think he will fill the three spot comfortably. Chances of being the sixth man: 5%
4. Blake Beavan
Many thought that Beavan, who struggled to close out the year after posting six straight quality starts to begin his career, would miss the rotation and head back to Tacoma for some fine tuning. But this spring, Beavan has made strides towards locking up a spot in the M's rotation for 2012. He has logged 15.1 innings so far in Arizona, and his ERA is an enticing 2.35. Sure, Beavan faced a lot of minor leaguers, but the consistency he showed in all four starts presents him as an attractive option as the M's number four starter. I think of him as the Doug Fister of this year's staff. Just consistent, stop-gap pitching that can produce wins if the team hits. Chances of being the sixth man: 15%
5. Kevin Millwood
The final spot poses a toss-up situation that will cause a lot of intrigue. On one hand, Hector Noesi could be ready to tear up the majors as a starter and play the dark horse role in the M's rotation. But why take that chance and throw him into the fire like that? Kevin Millwood brings veteran leadership and past success to a team that immensely lacks both. Eric Wedge loves him from their time in Cleveland, where Millwood led the Indians to one game shy of the World Series. The real question is, does Millwood have anything left in the tank? If he does, he needs to be in the rotation. If not, cut him. It's easy as that. So far this spring, Millwood appears to have a little left in him. After a rocky first outing and a decent second start, Millwood allowed just one hit in four innings against Kansas City on March 14th. That start probably will suffice for Jack Z and Eric Wedge. Millwood still has shutout stuff, and your fifth starter doesn't need to wow you consistently. He just needs to pitch fairly well, and Millwood still can do that. Chances of being the sixth man: 20%
The Sixth Man: Hector Noesi
This one hurts me to write. I really want Hector Noesi to absolutely star right away and prove that the Mariners "won" the Michael Pineda trade. But Noesi might not be all the way ready yet. Hector has only pitched five innings with the A team this spring, but in those five innings, he only allowed one run on a solo homer. Promising, yes. Guaranteed to translate to the bigs right away? No, not at all. I like Noesi, and he could fill the void of fourth starter behind Felix, Hultzen, and Paxton in the coming seasons, but this year he can take his time. Two ideal scenarios for Noesi: he starts in Tacoma, but by June, Kevin Millwood has struggled mightily and elects to hang up his cleats. Or, the M's rotation looks solid but Jack Z decides to continue to build with young talent and trades Jason Vargas at the deadline for hitting prospects (I would cry) and Noesi steps up to fill the void in the rotation. Noesi is one of the M's brilliant young arms, and he should provide rotation security for years to come. Just not yet. Chances of being the sixth man: 60%
There is a possibility that all four of these pitchers could make the 25-man roster. If the M's feel good enough about Hector Noesi as a starter, they could move Hisashi Iwakuma to the bullpen to add some depth to a 'pen facing tons of questions. Hong-Chih Kuo has struggled and George Sherrill has had injury issues, and so guys like newly healthy Shawn Kelley and unproven Tom Wilhelmsen will play big bullpen roles in 2012. Adding Iwakuma to this thin group of relievers could provide just the spark the M's need in the late innings. Go M's
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Grading the 2012 Mariner Commercials
By Patrick
Yesterday, the Mariners released their five commercials for 2012 season, and for the most part, I lightly chuckled at best. Only one of the five, "Impressions," genuinely made me laugh out loud, and that probably happened because I watched that one last and needed a laugh. For the most part, the comedy was pretty awkward and forced, but then again, baseball players don't need to make people laugh, they need to hit the ball and throw shutouts. Just in case you haven't seen them yet, I'll recap them here.
"Timber"
A few Mariners, surrounding Ichiro's bat, talk about how Ichiro got his bat direct from Japan. They then ask Justin Smoak how he got his bat. Smoak has a sort of flashback moment, and it shows a clip of him "punching" a tree, felling it and getting his bat from it. Smoak then says "same as everybody," and walks away.
Smoak's comedic timing is pretty average, and the whole concept of the commercial plays off of his country roots. I'm not a huge fan of it, partly because I feel like Smoak hasn't done enough to introduce himself to casual fans. The M's are taking a chance, hoping that Smoak will start raking and that this commercial will make sense. Overall, I'll give it a C-.
"Mickey Loves You"
Dustin Ackley begins working with a new trainer, who happens to look and talk just like Rocky Balboa's trainer Mickey, except Dustin really doesn't seem to buy into the whole Rocky thing. He awkwardly comments after everyone of Mickey's comments, and the commercial becomes more about Mickey at the end.
I get the Rocky joke, but Mickey's like the fifth most memorable character in that movie, which came out in the seventies (behind Rocky, Adrian, Pauly, and Apollo Creed). Moreover, Ackley probably acted the worst of any Mariner in a starring role in the five new ads. He didn't show any acting chops, and the commercial didn't make me laugh at all. Bringing in someone outside the M's organization for the commercial deviated from the Mariner commercial idea, and I feel like it fell flat. Overall, it gets a D from me.
"Nobody's Perfect"
Felix Hernandez sits in a meeting with Eric Wedge, who complements him for being so multi-talented, but says he isn't sure about his latest project. Felix then shows off his ventriloquist act with his new puppet friend, Little Felix. Felix is a terrible ventriloquist however, and Eric Wedge continues to doubt him as Felix keeps going at it. At the end, Felix shows off his puppet friend's alter ego, Little Larry, and Eric Wedge says "Bernandez" skeptically.
This commercial, based on the fan response I have seen, seems underrated. I like anything with Larry Bernandez in it, so Little Larry definitely made me laugh. Additionally, Wedge and Felix have great chemistry, and Felix loves laughing at himself. You can tell he knows what he's doing is pretty ridiculous, and he thrives off of that notion. Overall, I liked "Nobody's Perfect." I'll give it a B+.
"A Seattle Welcome"
Jesus Montero is watching the game from the top step of the dugout, when Mariner vets Jason Vargas and Brandon League come up behind him. The pitchers throw on full Pike Place Fish Market gear and open up a cooler with a giant salmon in it. They get Montero's attention, and toss the fish at him, which he catches, surprised. League explains himself by saying, "welcome to Seattle." Then Carl Willis walks by and asks Jesus if he caught that fish, to which the befuddled Montero replies, "I guess."
This commercial is simple and effective. The fish toss definitely serves as a Seattle initiation, and I like how League and Vargas did it so matter-of-factly. It just doesn't inspire many laughs. Using Jesus Montero will be a good way to acclimate him to the fan base. Ill give this one a B.
"Impressions"
Brendan Ryan imitates Robert De Niro in the clubhouse, but none of the M's can figure out who he's impersonating. They guess random other celebrities, and Ryan gets frustrated. Suddenly, Ichiro walks in, gives a terrible imitation of Sean Connery, and the guys get it right away. Ryan can't believe it. Ichiro finishes with a James Bond imitation that George Sherrill calls "awesome."
Ichiro, for all of the stress he caused Mariner fans last season, manages to hit another home run with his commercials. My favorite part of the commercial is when Mike Carp guesses Justin Bieber while somehow maintaining a straight face. Gotta love my boy Carp. Ichiro does a great job with his bad impressions in the same way that Brendan Ryan does a pretty solid De Niro. This commercial will surely be the fan favorite, and for good reason. I give it an A.
On a slightly different note, the slogan "get after it" is terrible. First of all, it clearly implies that we have no hope for 2012. Seventy wins here we come! Secondly, it reminds me too much of John McLaren's tirade from 2008. His direct quote was "we gotta fucking buckle it up and get after it." Not a good press conference to reference. Go M's.
Yesterday, the Mariners released their five commercials for 2012 season, and for the most part, I lightly chuckled at best. Only one of the five, "Impressions," genuinely made me laugh out loud, and that probably happened because I watched that one last and needed a laugh. For the most part, the comedy was pretty awkward and forced, but then again, baseball players don't need to make people laugh, they need to hit the ball and throw shutouts. Just in case you haven't seen them yet, I'll recap them here.
"Timber"
A few Mariners, surrounding Ichiro's bat, talk about how Ichiro got his bat direct from Japan. They then ask Justin Smoak how he got his bat. Smoak has a sort of flashback moment, and it shows a clip of him "punching" a tree, felling it and getting his bat from it. Smoak then says "same as everybody," and walks away.
Smoak's comedic timing is pretty average, and the whole concept of the commercial plays off of his country roots. I'm not a huge fan of it, partly because I feel like Smoak hasn't done enough to introduce himself to casual fans. The M's are taking a chance, hoping that Smoak will start raking and that this commercial will make sense. Overall, I'll give it a C-.
"Mickey Loves You"
Dustin Ackley begins working with a new trainer, who happens to look and talk just like Rocky Balboa's trainer Mickey, except Dustin really doesn't seem to buy into the whole Rocky thing. He awkwardly comments after everyone of Mickey's comments, and the commercial becomes more about Mickey at the end.
I get the Rocky joke, but Mickey's like the fifth most memorable character in that movie, which came out in the seventies (behind Rocky, Adrian, Pauly, and Apollo Creed). Moreover, Ackley probably acted the worst of any Mariner in a starring role in the five new ads. He didn't show any acting chops, and the commercial didn't make me laugh at all. Bringing in someone outside the M's organization for the commercial deviated from the Mariner commercial idea, and I feel like it fell flat. Overall, it gets a D from me.
"Nobody's Perfect"
Felix Hernandez sits in a meeting with Eric Wedge, who complements him for being so multi-talented, but says he isn't sure about his latest project. Felix then shows off his ventriloquist act with his new puppet friend, Little Felix. Felix is a terrible ventriloquist however, and Eric Wedge continues to doubt him as Felix keeps going at it. At the end, Felix shows off his puppet friend's alter ego, Little Larry, and Eric Wedge says "Bernandez" skeptically.
This commercial, based on the fan response I have seen, seems underrated. I like anything with Larry Bernandez in it, so Little Larry definitely made me laugh. Additionally, Wedge and Felix have great chemistry, and Felix loves laughing at himself. You can tell he knows what he's doing is pretty ridiculous, and he thrives off of that notion. Overall, I liked "Nobody's Perfect." I'll give it a B+.
"A Seattle Welcome"
Jesus Montero is watching the game from the top step of the dugout, when Mariner vets Jason Vargas and Brandon League come up behind him. The pitchers throw on full Pike Place Fish Market gear and open up a cooler with a giant salmon in it. They get Montero's attention, and toss the fish at him, which he catches, surprised. League explains himself by saying, "welcome to Seattle." Then Carl Willis walks by and asks Jesus if he caught that fish, to which the befuddled Montero replies, "I guess."
This commercial is simple and effective. The fish toss definitely serves as a Seattle initiation, and I like how League and Vargas did it so matter-of-factly. It just doesn't inspire many laughs. Using Jesus Montero will be a good way to acclimate him to the fan base. Ill give this one a B.
"Impressions"
Brendan Ryan imitates Robert De Niro in the clubhouse, but none of the M's can figure out who he's impersonating. They guess random other celebrities, and Ryan gets frustrated. Suddenly, Ichiro walks in, gives a terrible imitation of Sean Connery, and the guys get it right away. Ryan can't believe it. Ichiro finishes with a James Bond imitation that George Sherrill calls "awesome."
Ichiro, for all of the stress he caused Mariner fans last season, manages to hit another home run with his commercials. My favorite part of the commercial is when Mike Carp guesses Justin Bieber while somehow maintaining a straight face. Gotta love my boy Carp. Ichiro does a great job with his bad impressions in the same way that Brendan Ryan does a pretty solid De Niro. This commercial will surely be the fan favorite, and for good reason. I give it an A.
On a slightly different note, the slogan "get after it" is terrible. First of all, it clearly implies that we have no hope for 2012. Seventy wins here we come! Secondly, it reminds me too much of John McLaren's tirade from 2008. His direct quote was "we gotta fucking buckle it up and get after it." Not a good press conference to reference. Go M's.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Three Mariners We Disagree On
By Patrick and Anthony
Follow the blog on twitter @PTLeary21 and @JollyRedGiant93
Patrick: Sorry I was late. A certain one of our friends (who shall remain anonymous) decided to have a ten minute conversation with a homeless man in QA Dick's about Marijuana.
Anthony: That sounds like a great conversation. I was listening to a Coptic Christian testify in some commission about the abuse the Muslim Brotherhood has inflicted on Coptics.
P:I don't even know what that means. Sounds like we both had great nights
A:Its egypt. You can say that, I also did some Green's theorem work. It was solid.
P: I don't know what that is either. I don't take math anymore.
A: Line integrals... double integrals.
P:I haven't integrated for about a year now. I don't miss it.
A:You should, never know when you need to calculate the work a function does when traveling through a vector field.
P:Yeah, wow that makes my head hurt just reading it. Can we get to the M's we disagree on please?
A:Sure, just showing the readers how I'm always right and am studying much more advanced things than you.
P:What you have in facts, I have in flowery persuasion.
A:And I have obscene levels of manipulation and stubbornness.
P:I can't argue with either of those.Who do you want to fight about first?
A:Lets do Napkin Boy.
P:By Napkin Boy, I assume you are referring to my favorite Mariner, Jason Matthew Vargas.
A:Yes sir. And Since you love him so much. You can go first.
P:Vargas is great because he shows flashes of amazing pitching. He threw a two hitter against the Phillies and out dueled Cole Hamels on father's Day. Not many pitchers can do that, only one other current Mariner can. You won't see Millwood, Beavan, Noesi, Furbush, anybody doing that. If he can limit the bad outings and avoid his late season swoon, he will be a great No. 2 starter this year. And he signed my napkin. Thoughts?
A:The reason you like him is the exact reason I hate him. Last year he had 5 starts where he did not make it 5 innings. That is 5 starts where he was ineligible for the decision. He had 11 starts where he gave up 4 or more runs. And guess what, we only won 1 of those games. He can be a solid #2 pitcher, he has his moments. He also can give up 8 runs to the blue jays. And 9 to the White Sox.
P:And 10 to the Indians. Actually, some of that was Wilhelmsen. But yeah those were bad
A:It was 7 to the Indians. He had a streak of 7 starts in July where he did not win.
P:Neither did the Mariners...
A:Its not that he swoons down the stretch, in september he went 3-1. And it should have been 4
P:He swoons in August.
A:n August he was 1-2. In July he was 1-5
P:You can't count July, because nobody won in July.
A:Why was that? He gave up 0 runs, 2,4,4,5,5 in his july starts. The M's offense cannot be expected to score that much. And that shut out was against the Padres. So it loses all value to your argument.
P:You're telling me they can't score four runs a game?
A:I'm not saying they can't I'm saying they didn't. Consistently. All year.
P:Right but that puts so much pressure on Vargas. He should be able to win games where he gives up 4 runs in 7 innings occasionally. How do you think Ivan Nova went 16-4?
A:He plays on a team with an offense.
P:Exactly! It's not Vargas' fault he struggled. It was the offense. If the offense comes back to Vargas' level, then he will be a good No. 2.
A:That expectation is really high for a team that is playing Chone Figgins, Brendan Ryan and Kyle Seager. And Vargas is our only valuable trade chip so he could be gone pretty soon.
P:I might cry. He does deserve better though. I mean, we lost a game he threw a shutout in this year.
A:Yes, against the Orioles.
P: The fucking Orioles!
P: Anyway, agree to disagree on Vargas?
A:Did we think there would be any other outcome?
P:No. But I though maybe my passionate rhetoric could sway you.
A: How long have you known me?
P: Five years.
A:And how many times have I been swayed by passionate rhetoric from you?
P:Hmmmm. I'll probably have to go with zero.
A: I would agree with you there. So now who do you want to talk about?
P: Lets fight about the Condor, Michael Saunders, next.
A:Alright, I'm going to have to pull a you. His stats aren't super great.
P:No they are not.
A:Would you like me to go first?
P:Sure. Since you seem to support him.
A:I do support the condor. He has the talent to be a 4 or 5 tool player. He has displayed the skills in AAA. But when he comes to Seattle he plays like crap. Nobody can deny that. However, this year is different. He finally got a swing coach, he's shortened his stride. He's sped up his hands. He has changed his swing and so far it is paying off. He is currently playing himself onto the 25 man roster. He has shown durability, speed and some power. Plus he's Canadian and he has a cool nickname. Now you may tear him apart.
P:Well I'll be nice for a bit. The elephant in the room for me is that .149 batting average in the majors last year. That's bad even by Mariners standards. He proved to me that he could not handle being the regular center fielder. For me, I like to think that when a player steps into the batter's box, the have a chance of doing something great. Absolutely never did I ever feel that about Saunders. It wasn't a matter of if he would get out, but how it would occur.
A:15% of the time he did not though. Do you think he can turn it around this year and take advantage of his chance with Guti out?
P:He certainly has a shot to do so. I think he'll choke it away though. Just don't think he's got a good enough bat.
A:Well then that is where we disagree. What do you think about his strong Spring so far?
P:Spring doesn't count for a reason. But I'm encouraged by it. Trust me, I want him to turn it around. I just don't think he can or will.
A:Negative Nancy over here. Have some hope.
P:I'm sorry I'm down on a guy who hit .149 last year.
A: And struck out 1/3 of the time.
P:That's just the pessimist in me. God he was terrible.
A:Do you really not look at stats closely?
P: I hope he fixes it, but if he does, the M's need to cut him. And stats are great, but I like writing from pure impressions better.
A:Weirdo...
P:Yupp pretty much. Who's our last fight over?
A:Trayvon Robinson
P:MY GUY
A:Wasn't Vargas your guy?
P:I have multiple guys. But for purposes of right now, Tray is my guy. That shit Tray, ain't it J?
A:You already said you wouldn't do that again
P:You're right.
A:Lying to the readers...
P:Oops. My bad. I won't do it again after this
A:Sure...
P:Anyway, I love Trayvon Robinson's potential. He has a really high ceiling. His power and speed make him Barry Bonds-like. But he isn't anywhere near that yet. He should be the M's future leadoff hitter, and could turn into a nice balanced center fielder. He seems to have all of the pieces to be a superstar lead off center fielder, a Curtis Granderson or Grady Sizmore type. He just needs to watch his strikeouts.
A:He has a high ceiling, that is true. He has a bunch of tools. Yay for tools. But as a hitter, it is very important to hit the baseball. That is usually the goal of hitting. Carlos Peguero hit the baseball 64% of the time he swung. Miguel Olivo hit it 66%. Jack Cust had one of 67%. Trayvon Robinson had one of 65%. You know what the difference is between Trayvon and the other three? The other three are power hitters. They are supposed to swing and miss because they swing hard and hit the ball a long way. Trayvon is not a power hitter.
P: Fair enough. But I think he could be a power hitter. He just isn't built like a contact hitter at this time. But I like his potential to drive the ball. I wouldn't want him to sacrifice that.
A:He can hit for power, but he is fast so hitting for contact is also fun and should lead him to success. The weird thing about Trayvon is, unlike Carlos and Miguel who swing at bad pitches, he doesn't. His discipline is above league average. But he doesn't make contact with strikes. Strikes are supposed to be made contact with. That's what makes them different from balls, they are easier to hit. He has had poor contact rates throughout the minor leagues and it followed him to the Majors.
P: Yeah you're right about that. I don't like that he misses so many pitches, especially the strikes that you're talking about.
A: He also strikes out way too much. Like 3/7 of the time he hit.
P: You and your stats again. But that isn't good at all. I guess I just believe that he can change.
A:I want him to succeed and all that great stuff because he then makes the M's better. But to succeed you need to be able to hit the pitches you are supposed to. And Trayvon does not do that nearly enough.
P: Fair enough. He'll change, you'll see.
A:I'll call this round won by me. Go M's.
Follow the blog on twitter @PTLeary21 and @JollyRedGiant93
Patrick: Sorry I was late. A certain one of our friends (who shall remain anonymous) decided to have a ten minute conversation with a homeless man in QA Dick's about Marijuana.
Anthony: That sounds like a great conversation. I was listening to a Coptic Christian testify in some commission about the abuse the Muslim Brotherhood has inflicted on Coptics.
P:I don't even know what that means. Sounds like we both had great nights
A:Its egypt. You can say that, I also did some Green's theorem work. It was solid.
P: I don't know what that is either. I don't take math anymore.
A: Line integrals... double integrals.
P:I haven't integrated for about a year now. I don't miss it.
A:You should, never know when you need to calculate the work a function does when traveling through a vector field.
P:Yeah, wow that makes my head hurt just reading it. Can we get to the M's we disagree on please?
A:Sure, just showing the readers how I'm always right and am studying much more advanced things than you.
P:What you have in facts, I have in flowery persuasion.
A:And I have obscene levels of manipulation and stubbornness.
P:I can't argue with either of those.Who do you want to fight about first?
A:Lets do Napkin Boy.
P:By Napkin Boy, I assume you are referring to my favorite Mariner, Jason Matthew Vargas.
A:Yes sir. And Since you love him so much. You can go first.
P:Vargas is great because he shows flashes of amazing pitching. He threw a two hitter against the Phillies and out dueled Cole Hamels on father's Day. Not many pitchers can do that, only one other current Mariner can. You won't see Millwood, Beavan, Noesi, Furbush, anybody doing that. If he can limit the bad outings and avoid his late season swoon, he will be a great No. 2 starter this year. And he signed my napkin. Thoughts?
A:The reason you like him is the exact reason I hate him. Last year he had 5 starts where he did not make it 5 innings. That is 5 starts where he was ineligible for the decision. He had 11 starts where he gave up 4 or more runs. And guess what, we only won 1 of those games. He can be a solid #2 pitcher, he has his moments. He also can give up 8 runs to the blue jays. And 9 to the White Sox.
P:And 10 to the Indians. Actually, some of that was Wilhelmsen. But yeah those were bad
A:It was 7 to the Indians. He had a streak of 7 starts in July where he did not win.
P:Neither did the Mariners...
A:Its not that he swoons down the stretch, in september he went 3-1. And it should have been 4
P:He swoons in August.
A:n August he was 1-2. In July he was 1-5
P:You can't count July, because nobody won in July.
A:Why was that? He gave up 0 runs, 2,4,4,5,5 in his july starts. The M's offense cannot be expected to score that much. And that shut out was against the Padres. So it loses all value to your argument.
P:You're telling me they can't score four runs a game?
A:I'm not saying they can't I'm saying they didn't. Consistently. All year.
P:Right but that puts so much pressure on Vargas. He should be able to win games where he gives up 4 runs in 7 innings occasionally. How do you think Ivan Nova went 16-4?
A:He plays on a team with an offense.
P:Exactly! It's not Vargas' fault he struggled. It was the offense. If the offense comes back to Vargas' level, then he will be a good No. 2.
A:That expectation is really high for a team that is playing Chone Figgins, Brendan Ryan and Kyle Seager. And Vargas is our only valuable trade chip so he could be gone pretty soon.
P:I might cry. He does deserve better though. I mean, we lost a game he threw a shutout in this year.
A:Yes, against the Orioles.
P: The fucking Orioles!
P: Anyway, agree to disagree on Vargas?
A:Did we think there would be any other outcome?
P:No. But I though maybe my passionate rhetoric could sway you.
A: How long have you known me?
P: Five years.
A:And how many times have I been swayed by passionate rhetoric from you?
P:Hmmmm. I'll probably have to go with zero.
A: I would agree with you there. So now who do you want to talk about?
P: Lets fight about the Condor, Michael Saunders, next.
A:Alright, I'm going to have to pull a you. His stats aren't super great.
P:No they are not.
A:Would you like me to go first?
P:Sure. Since you seem to support him.
A:I do support the condor. He has the talent to be a 4 or 5 tool player. He has displayed the skills in AAA. But when he comes to Seattle he plays like crap. Nobody can deny that. However, this year is different. He finally got a swing coach, he's shortened his stride. He's sped up his hands. He has changed his swing and so far it is paying off. He is currently playing himself onto the 25 man roster. He has shown durability, speed and some power. Plus he's Canadian and he has a cool nickname. Now you may tear him apart.
P:Well I'll be nice for a bit. The elephant in the room for me is that .149 batting average in the majors last year. That's bad even by Mariners standards. He proved to me that he could not handle being the regular center fielder. For me, I like to think that when a player steps into the batter's box, the have a chance of doing something great. Absolutely never did I ever feel that about Saunders. It wasn't a matter of if he would get out, but how it would occur.
A:15% of the time he did not though. Do you think he can turn it around this year and take advantage of his chance with Guti out?
P:He certainly has a shot to do so. I think he'll choke it away though. Just don't think he's got a good enough bat.
A:Well then that is where we disagree. What do you think about his strong Spring so far?
P:Spring doesn't count for a reason. But I'm encouraged by it. Trust me, I want him to turn it around. I just don't think he can or will.
A:Negative Nancy over here. Have some hope.
P:I'm sorry I'm down on a guy who hit .149 last year.
A: And struck out 1/3 of the time.
P:That's just the pessimist in me. God he was terrible.
A:Do you really not look at stats closely?
P: I hope he fixes it, but if he does, the M's need to cut him. And stats are great, but I like writing from pure impressions better.
A:Weirdo...
P:Yupp pretty much. Who's our last fight over?
A:Trayvon Robinson
P:MY GUY
A:Wasn't Vargas your guy?
P:I have multiple guys. But for purposes of right now, Tray is my guy. That shit Tray, ain't it J?
A:You already said you wouldn't do that again
P:You're right.
A:Lying to the readers...
P:Oops. My bad. I won't do it again after this
A:Sure...
P:Anyway, I love Trayvon Robinson's potential. He has a really high ceiling. His power and speed make him Barry Bonds-like. But he isn't anywhere near that yet. He should be the M's future leadoff hitter, and could turn into a nice balanced center fielder. He seems to have all of the pieces to be a superstar lead off center fielder, a Curtis Granderson or Grady Sizmore type. He just needs to watch his strikeouts.
A:He has a high ceiling, that is true. He has a bunch of tools. Yay for tools. But as a hitter, it is very important to hit the baseball. That is usually the goal of hitting. Carlos Peguero hit the baseball 64% of the time he swung. Miguel Olivo hit it 66%. Jack Cust had one of 67%. Trayvon Robinson had one of 65%. You know what the difference is between Trayvon and the other three? The other three are power hitters. They are supposed to swing and miss because they swing hard and hit the ball a long way. Trayvon is not a power hitter.
P: Fair enough. But I think he could be a power hitter. He just isn't built like a contact hitter at this time. But I like his potential to drive the ball. I wouldn't want him to sacrifice that.
A:He can hit for power, but he is fast so hitting for contact is also fun and should lead him to success. The weird thing about Trayvon is, unlike Carlos and Miguel who swing at bad pitches, he doesn't. His discipline is above league average. But he doesn't make contact with strikes. Strikes are supposed to be made contact with. That's what makes them different from balls, they are easier to hit. He has had poor contact rates throughout the minor leagues and it followed him to the Majors.
P: Yeah you're right about that. I don't like that he misses so many pitches, especially the strikes that you're talking about.
A: He also strikes out way too much. Like 3/7 of the time he hit.
P: You and your stats again. But that isn't good at all. I guess I just believe that he can change.
A:I want him to succeed and all that great stuff because he then makes the M's better. But to succeed you need to be able to hit the pitches you are supposed to. And Trayvon does not do that nearly enough.
P: Fair enough. He'll change, you'll see.
A:I'll call this round won by me. Go M's.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Three Mariners We Hate
By Patrick and Anthony
For daily updates about the blog and the Mariners, follow us on Twitter @PTLeary21 and @JollyRedGiant93
Patrick: Before we get started, any thoughts on the brackets?
Anthony: Nope, i have not looked at one yet.
P: Seriously? What kind of sports fan are you?
A: All i know is UW didn't make it.
P: Fair enough. Marquette will be running to the final four. Just to let you know
A: I woke up from a nap about 45 minutes ago and then started my homework. And thats nice, good for you.
P: Yeah. We can do bracketology later. Its time to talk about the three Mariners we hate first
A: Yay
P: Care to let the readers know who we hate?
A: Figgins, Adam Moore and Ichiro right? My memory isn't the greatest right now.
P: Correct sir. Great hangover memory
A: Huzzah. Im not hungover. I played two games of frisbee this morning, hungover. Exercise helps you recover
P: Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, lets start from most obvious and go to less predictable. Figgins first.
A: Yay Figgins. He spells his name weird.
P: Yeah he does. Chone? Really?
A: His Ops was .484 last year. Albert Pujols slugging was .541
P: Yeah thats pretty much the whole story of last year for him. The Mariners put him on the DL so they didn't have to have him on the roster.
A: He was Carlos Silva-ed. I will point out he wasn't terrible in 2010. He stole 42 bases apparently
P: Perfect analogy. Really?
A:Yeah, I am quite surprised by that.
P: Ok thats decent, but he still didn't get on base enough to make a difference.
A: His OPS was .646. But he was around league average. And got paid way more than league average
P: But 2010 is a distant memory. 2011 was pitiful
A: Yeah, it is irrelevant. He hit below the Mendoza line.
P: He completely let us down. He redefined awful, disappointing, and infuriating.
A: His average was 20 points away from Adam Dunn. And Adam Dunn was terrible last year. He was a giant black hole of suckiness and bad attitude. His attitude in interviews sucked and he did not seem like a team player.
P: Didn't he fight Wakamatsu in 2010?
A: Fight? He was pissed he was batting 9th or something like that.
P: I thought he tried to attack him in the dugout.
A: A google search confirms this.
P: Told you so.
A: That sucks.
P: Yeah what a dick. I liked Wak as a person and sort of as a manager. He had no right to call him out like that.
A: Yeah, that was not a cool move. Russell Branyan was on the team at that point. I miss him.
P: I think the biggest reason we hate Figgins is that we pay him so much and we thought we had the answer when we signed him, and he has been pure horribleness.
A: He was the one Jack Z move that completely backfired. Especially after watching him be really good for the Angels for a few years.
P: Yeah he killed us for years and then we get him and he continues to kill us.
A: Yeah, at least he's easy to make fun of and is only with us for two more years.
P: Yeah I'm counting down the days. Screw Figgins. Time to pick on Adam Moore, someone more our own size.
A: He is very bad at hitting the baseball away from the other team. His unofficial nickname is 6-4-3
P: Did he inherit that from Rob Johnson?
A: Who got it from Kenji Johjima who got it from a bunch of scrubs starting with Ben Davis. That one good year for Johjima was an aberration.
P: Pretty much every catcher after Wilson.
A: He's also really injury prone. He has played 72 MLB games
P: Yeah that part is the worst for me. We have been waiting for him to take the next step and he looks decent but then gets hurt.
A: Catchers can only catch for so long before they start breaking down, Moore started breaking down really early.
P: Yeah before his career started
A: Now he has a chipped bone in his hand or wrist or something so hes out another few weeks or something
P: It just continues with him.
A: Yeah, he's another prospect that flopped.
P: The Mariners have never had a better than league average catcher in franchise history. And when Moore came along, we thought for a second that he could've been that guy for us. And now it looks like his ceiling is league average catcher
A: We thought he would make the Rob Johnson/ Jeff Clement pain go away. He just made it worse
P:It looks like Jack Z has given up on him too, since he brought in Montero and Jaso.
A: Also, on your previous point about the M's not having better than a league average catcher. Bob Stinson in 1977 was pretty solid. Yeah, you just got googled
P: I don't care about Bob Stinson.
A: Neither do I, except his nickname was Scrap Iron. Which is pretty awesome. Anyway, back to Moore. His time looks done, Montero is the new sexy catching prospect. If he flops, I think the M's should consider not having a catcher. Go with 4 OF's.
P: Yeah they can't find a good catcher. Here's to Jesus as the catching savior.
A:Littlewood and Baron are in the system but a long way off.
P: Don't even know those guys. But I'll take your word.
A:Know your prospects dude.
P:Let's just agree Moore is a bust and we hate him.
P: Here comes the toughest subject. Why do we hate Ichiro?
A: He does some things that are really stupid but we put up with it for 9 years because he was guaranteed for 200 hits and great defense. Now thats gone, his eccentricities have been exposed. And they suck. Running through stop signs, trying to steal at terrible times, stealing live baseball's from the field when he's sitting along the front row right field seats.
P: Yeah what angers me is that while Ichiro has done so well for ten years, the Mariners really haven't. So how can you blame that on the whole team after a while. He's just selfish, and doesn't help the rest of the team.
A: He's so talented and its very frustrating to watch when he isn't willing to make a sacrifice for the team. When he had to play CF for a year, his hitting sucked. Sucked in relative Ichiro terms
P: He's never been willing to adjust to have us win. I'm surprised Wedge got the authority to move him to number 3 in the order.
A:Yeah, I'm very curious to see what happens with that. Especially if he sucks and Figgins does pretty good.
P: I actually think Ichiro will do better this year, but until he does, last season is unforgivable.
A: Hopefully his new swing works.
P: Yeah maybe he'll groundout to first base less.
A: Or swing at pitches in the dirt less. You see the lookout landing about the 5 worst swings the M's had in 2011?
P: Yeah I did. It was like Ichiro and Peguero.
A: Was he on there once or twice?
P: I think it was twice.
A: Well done for him.
P: Yeah we need to expect more from him.
A: He's a perennial all star who will be the first Mariner in the hall of fame. But he needs to step up his play this year.
P: Griffey will get in first.
A: Thats true.
P: And yes he needs to take a step forward to where he was before 2011 happened. Otherwise we will continue to hate him. And rightfully so.
A: Yep.
P: Any final thoughts?
A: Taijuan Walker hit 96 last night and 72 with a curve.
P: Damn. He's so good.
A: M's are still in the race for the Championship of the Cactus League.
P: Lost again today though.
A: Stupid giants.
P: Alright tune in Tuesday for part three of our live chat series, three players we disagree on.
A: Yeah, heres a hint. I'm always right.
P: We'll see about that. Go M's.
For daily updates about the blog and the Mariners, follow us on Twitter @PTLeary21 and @JollyRedGiant93
Patrick: Before we get started, any thoughts on the brackets?
Anthony: Nope, i have not looked at one yet.
P: Seriously? What kind of sports fan are you?
A: All i know is UW didn't make it.
P: Fair enough. Marquette will be running to the final four. Just to let you know
A: I woke up from a nap about 45 minutes ago and then started my homework. And thats nice, good for you.
P: Yeah. We can do bracketology later. Its time to talk about the three Mariners we hate first
A: Yay
P: Care to let the readers know who we hate?
A: Figgins, Adam Moore and Ichiro right? My memory isn't the greatest right now.
P: Correct sir. Great hangover memory
A: Huzzah. Im not hungover. I played two games of frisbee this morning, hungover. Exercise helps you recover
P: Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, lets start from most obvious and go to less predictable. Figgins first.
A: Yay Figgins. He spells his name weird.
P: Yeah he does. Chone? Really?
A: His Ops was .484 last year. Albert Pujols slugging was .541
P: Yeah thats pretty much the whole story of last year for him. The Mariners put him on the DL so they didn't have to have him on the roster.
A: He was Carlos Silva-ed. I will point out he wasn't terrible in 2010. He stole 42 bases apparently
P: Perfect analogy. Really?
A:Yeah, I am quite surprised by that.
P: Ok thats decent, but he still didn't get on base enough to make a difference.
A: His OPS was .646. But he was around league average. And got paid way more than league average
P: But 2010 is a distant memory. 2011 was pitiful
A: Yeah, it is irrelevant. He hit below the Mendoza line.
P: He completely let us down. He redefined awful, disappointing, and infuriating.
A: His average was 20 points away from Adam Dunn. And Adam Dunn was terrible last year. He was a giant black hole of suckiness and bad attitude. His attitude in interviews sucked and he did not seem like a team player.
P: Didn't he fight Wakamatsu in 2010?
A: Fight? He was pissed he was batting 9th or something like that.
P: I thought he tried to attack him in the dugout.
A: A google search confirms this.
P: Told you so.
A: That sucks.
P: Yeah what a dick. I liked Wak as a person and sort of as a manager. He had no right to call him out like that.
A: Yeah, that was not a cool move. Russell Branyan was on the team at that point. I miss him.
P: I think the biggest reason we hate Figgins is that we pay him so much and we thought we had the answer when we signed him, and he has been pure horribleness.
A: He was the one Jack Z move that completely backfired. Especially after watching him be really good for the Angels for a few years.
P: Yeah he killed us for years and then we get him and he continues to kill us.
A: Yeah, at least he's easy to make fun of and is only with us for two more years.
P: Yeah I'm counting down the days. Screw Figgins. Time to pick on Adam Moore, someone more our own size.
A: He is very bad at hitting the baseball away from the other team. His unofficial nickname is 6-4-3
P: Did he inherit that from Rob Johnson?
A: Who got it from Kenji Johjima who got it from a bunch of scrubs starting with Ben Davis. That one good year for Johjima was an aberration.
P: Pretty much every catcher after Wilson.
A: He's also really injury prone. He has played 72 MLB games
P: Yeah that part is the worst for me. We have been waiting for him to take the next step and he looks decent but then gets hurt.
A: Catchers can only catch for so long before they start breaking down, Moore started breaking down really early.
P: Yeah before his career started
A: Now he has a chipped bone in his hand or wrist or something so hes out another few weeks or something
P: It just continues with him.
A: Yeah, he's another prospect that flopped.
P: The Mariners have never had a better than league average catcher in franchise history. And when Moore came along, we thought for a second that he could've been that guy for us. And now it looks like his ceiling is league average catcher
A: We thought he would make the Rob Johnson/ Jeff Clement pain go away. He just made it worse
P:It looks like Jack Z has given up on him too, since he brought in Montero and Jaso.
A: Also, on your previous point about the M's not having better than a league average catcher. Bob Stinson in 1977 was pretty solid. Yeah, you just got googled
P: I don't care about Bob Stinson.
A: Neither do I, except his nickname was Scrap Iron. Which is pretty awesome. Anyway, back to Moore. His time looks done, Montero is the new sexy catching prospect. If he flops, I think the M's should consider not having a catcher. Go with 4 OF's.
P: Yeah they can't find a good catcher. Here's to Jesus as the catching savior.
A:Littlewood and Baron are in the system but a long way off.
P: Don't even know those guys. But I'll take your word.
A:Know your prospects dude.
P:Let's just agree Moore is a bust and we hate him.
P: Here comes the toughest subject. Why do we hate Ichiro?
A: He does some things that are really stupid but we put up with it for 9 years because he was guaranteed for 200 hits and great defense. Now thats gone, his eccentricities have been exposed. And they suck. Running through stop signs, trying to steal at terrible times, stealing live baseball's from the field when he's sitting along the front row right field seats.
P: Yeah what angers me is that while Ichiro has done so well for ten years, the Mariners really haven't. So how can you blame that on the whole team after a while. He's just selfish, and doesn't help the rest of the team.
A: He's so talented and its very frustrating to watch when he isn't willing to make a sacrifice for the team. When he had to play CF for a year, his hitting sucked. Sucked in relative Ichiro terms
P: He's never been willing to adjust to have us win. I'm surprised Wedge got the authority to move him to number 3 in the order.
A:Yeah, I'm very curious to see what happens with that. Especially if he sucks and Figgins does pretty good.
P: I actually think Ichiro will do better this year, but until he does, last season is unforgivable.
A: Hopefully his new swing works.
P: Yeah maybe he'll groundout to first base less.
A: Or swing at pitches in the dirt less. You see the lookout landing about the 5 worst swings the M's had in 2011?
P: Yeah I did. It was like Ichiro and Peguero.
A: Was he on there once or twice?
P: I think it was twice.
A: Well done for him.
P: Yeah we need to expect more from him.
A: He's a perennial all star who will be the first Mariner in the hall of fame. But he needs to step up his play this year.
P: Griffey will get in first.
A: Thats true.
P: And yes he needs to take a step forward to where he was before 2011 happened. Otherwise we will continue to hate him. And rightfully so.
A: Yep.
P: Any final thoughts?
A: Taijuan Walker hit 96 last night and 72 with a curve.
P: Damn. He's so good.
A: M's are still in the race for the Championship of the Cactus League.
P: Lost again today though.
A: Stupid giants.
P: Alright tune in Tuesday for part three of our live chat series, three players we disagree on.
A: Yeah, heres a hint. I'm always right.
P: We'll see about that. Go M's.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Three Mariners We Love
This is part one of a three part series of chats between Anthony and I about how we feel about certain Mariners. We did this so we can establish more of our personal opinions and so that the readers can understand us a little bit better. Let's be honest though, we also did this so we could rant and rave about the M's. It's what we do best. Part two, three Mariners we hate, premieres Monday, and part three, three Mariners we disagree on, goes up Tuesday.
Patrick: Ok. lets get started. I might go to dinner though
Anthony: Ive already eaten dinner. What the fuck dude? Isnt it like 930 there?
P:I had class till 8. And had to wait until one of my buddies cut somebodies hair. Long story
A:Boooooooooo
P: Shut up.
A:I will boo when I want thank you
P:Anyway, lets talk about three Mariners we love.
.A:Ok. Felix, Carp, and Ackley.
P: Right. Felix first.
A:Hes awesome.
P:Do we even have to talk about it?
A: Not really. He's dependable for 200+ innings and 200+ K's and can shut the door on anyone at any time. Whenever he pitches we will probably win.
P:Unless we don't hit for him. But you're right.
A: He says he wants to stay in Seattle his entire career. He hit a grand slam. He has his own cheering section.
P:We love him because he is the only player on our team that we can brag about to other fans. He has an alter ego named Larry Bernandez.
A:He gives hilarious interviews. He lost like 20 pounds in the offseason.
P:He cheers harder than anyone even when he hasn't played the whole game.
A:He packs fat lips.
P: Unabashedly. He doesn't try to hide it.
A:Theres not much really to talk about why. He's just fucking awesome.
P: Couldn't agree more. All hail the king.
A:The players we love are hard to talk about because they are players almost every fan loves.
P:Well maybe not. Not everybody likes mike carp
A:I contest that part. He IS the starfish.
P:True. While the M's couldn't stop losing, he couldn't stop hitting.
A:He is a good guy (giving out Halman t-shirts to the team).
P:Yeah and a personable guy (see his press conference a month ago).
A:He took advantage of the opportunity given to him by Wedge.
P:He had a 20 game hitting streak.
A:He isn't the best defensively, similar to Raul Ibanez.
P: Probably the only reason that Baseball Tonight talked about the M's in a positive manner last season.
A: He's a left-handed power hitter who can take advantage of the short porch in right.
P: He cranked doubles last year. The mariners don't get many extra base hits.
A: That's pretty much it. The advanced stats aren't very beneficial to him.
P:He's got that "it" factor that fans like though.
A: It factor?
P: He just goes out and does work night in and night out.
A: You're reaching for stuff now.
P: Carp is the man though.
A:Yeah, but you don't need a bunch of flowery sentences describing subjective things like it factor and doing work.
P:You're right. It's a bad habit. Anyway, Ackley now?
A:Sure. He is an actual offensive threat from second base, a position that rarely has an offensive impact without steroids.
P: See Bret Boone.
A: Yes.
P:Gotta love the threat he provides though no doubt. Only a few second basemen can produce like he potentially could.
A:He is a patient hitter, which is a nice change from Jose "swing at anything I want" Lopez
P:Jose Lopez was such a fatty. Terrible shape for second base. He did score the winning run in an all-star game though.
A:He went to an all-star game? That's depressing. He also had braces one year.
P: Wow. That's weird. We learn something new everyday i guess. Anyway, Ackley. He has great facial hair, something I respect.
A: And cannot achieve.
P: Ouch. I grow a mean chinstrap.
A: Call me when your cheeks get some.
P: Thanks asshole, will do.
A:No problem.
P:Ackley also has been better than Stephen Strasbourg so far. A definite plus, since we choked away the number one pick that year.
A:Strasbourg looked pretty good in his first start though. Could be a bounce back player.
P:Notice the "so far." I think we ultimately love Ackley because we have had zilch for offense the last three years, and he gives us hope offensively. Agreed?
A: Yeah, he is the leadoff/second hitter of the future. He is a draft pick that has actually produced.
P:He is the biggest piece in Jack Z's plan.
A:Do you count the three headed monster of a future rotation as a piece?
P:Yeah, but thats phase two. Ackley was the key part of phase one.
A: Watch out for the sophomore slump.
P: Let's hope not.
A:It happened to Smoak and Heyward.
P:I think Ackley's different.
A:I want him to adjust to how pitchers are pitching him. Early in the year, he was patient and then they adjusted and got ahead of him early which screwed him. He has to be aggressive when the ball is in the zone and not just want to work long counts.
P:I agree with that. He definitely tapered off late in the year. I think he's different though. He's a lot less "all or nothing" than Heyward or Smoak.
A:That's true. Also his batting stance oozes swag.
P:He oozes swag in general.
A:His fielding is lacking swag.
P:Well who knows, he could be a left fielder in a few years.
A: Let's hope not
P: Alright that's good for now. Check back in on Monday for part two, three Mariners we hate. Go M's
A: Go M's
Patrick: Ok. lets get started. I might go to dinner though
Anthony: Ive already eaten dinner. What the fuck dude? Isnt it like 930 there?
P:I had class till 8. And had to wait until one of my buddies cut somebodies hair. Long story
A:Boooooooooo
P: Shut up.
A:I will boo when I want thank you
P:Anyway, lets talk about three Mariners we love.
.A:Ok. Felix, Carp, and Ackley.
P: Right. Felix first.
A:Hes awesome.
P:Do we even have to talk about it?
A: Not really. He's dependable for 200+ innings and 200+ K's and can shut the door on anyone at any time. Whenever he pitches we will probably win.
P:Unless we don't hit for him. But you're right.
A: He says he wants to stay in Seattle his entire career. He hit a grand slam. He has his own cheering section.
P:We love him because he is the only player on our team that we can brag about to other fans. He has an alter ego named Larry Bernandez.
A:He gives hilarious interviews. He lost like 20 pounds in the offseason.
P:He cheers harder than anyone even when he hasn't played the whole game.
A:He packs fat lips.
P: Unabashedly. He doesn't try to hide it.
A:Theres not much really to talk about why. He's just fucking awesome.
P: Couldn't agree more. All hail the king.
A:The players we love are hard to talk about because they are players almost every fan loves.
P:Well maybe not. Not everybody likes mike carp
A:I contest that part. He IS the starfish.
P:True. While the M's couldn't stop losing, he couldn't stop hitting.
A:He is a good guy (giving out Halman t-shirts to the team).
P:Yeah and a personable guy (see his press conference a month ago).
A:He took advantage of the opportunity given to him by Wedge.
P:He had a 20 game hitting streak.
A:He isn't the best defensively, similar to Raul Ibanez.
P: Probably the only reason that Baseball Tonight talked about the M's in a positive manner last season.
A: He's a left-handed power hitter who can take advantage of the short porch in right.
P: He cranked doubles last year. The mariners don't get many extra base hits.
A: That's pretty much it. The advanced stats aren't very beneficial to him.
P:He's got that "it" factor that fans like though.
A: It factor?
P: He just goes out and does work night in and night out.
A: You're reaching for stuff now.
P: Carp is the man though.
A:Yeah, but you don't need a bunch of flowery sentences describing subjective things like it factor and doing work.
P:You're right. It's a bad habit. Anyway, Ackley now?
A:Sure. He is an actual offensive threat from second base, a position that rarely has an offensive impact without steroids.
P: See Bret Boone.
A: Yes.
P:Gotta love the threat he provides though no doubt. Only a few second basemen can produce like he potentially could.
A:He is a patient hitter, which is a nice change from Jose "swing at anything I want" Lopez
P:Jose Lopez was such a fatty. Terrible shape for second base. He did score the winning run in an all-star game though.
A:He went to an all-star game? That's depressing. He also had braces one year.
P: Wow. That's weird. We learn something new everyday i guess. Anyway, Ackley. He has great facial hair, something I respect.
A: And cannot achieve.
P: Ouch. I grow a mean chinstrap.
A: Call me when your cheeks get some.
P: Thanks asshole, will do.
A:No problem.
P:Ackley also has been better than Stephen Strasbourg so far. A definite plus, since we choked away the number one pick that year.
A:Strasbourg looked pretty good in his first start though. Could be a bounce back player.
P:Notice the "so far." I think we ultimately love Ackley because we have had zilch for offense the last three years, and he gives us hope offensively. Agreed?
A: Yeah, he is the leadoff/second hitter of the future. He is a draft pick that has actually produced.
P:He is the biggest piece in Jack Z's plan.
A:Do you count the three headed monster of a future rotation as a piece?
P:Yeah, but thats phase two. Ackley was the key part of phase one.
A: Watch out for the sophomore slump.
P: Let's hope not.
A:It happened to Smoak and Heyward.
P:I think Ackley's different.
A:I want him to adjust to how pitchers are pitching him. Early in the year, he was patient and then they adjusted and got ahead of him early which screwed him. He has to be aggressive when the ball is in the zone and not just want to work long counts.
P:I agree with that. He definitely tapered off late in the year. I think he's different though. He's a lot less "all or nothing" than Heyward or Smoak.
A:That's true. Also his batting stance oozes swag.
P:He oozes swag in general.
A:His fielding is lacking swag.
P:Well who knows, he could be a left fielder in a few years.
A: Let's hope not
P: Alright that's good for now. Check back in on Monday for part two, three Mariners we hate. Go M's
A: Go M's
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Jim Bowden lauds M's future
By Patrick
Jim Bowden wrote a great article today for ESPN insider about the Mariners being the next Rays. For those of you who don't have insider, first of all, get it, because it's definitely a worthy purchase. But if you don't want to shell out the sixty bucks for the two year membership, I'll give you a quick summary.
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-gms-office/post?id=3560
Bowden thinks that the Mariners could easily contend by 2014 because of the brilliant plan put together by Jack Zdurencik. Specifically, he points out how the M's, like the Rays, have built up their system through great young pitching. Behind the cornerstone, Felix Hernandez, the M's have a smattering of young pitching that could take them to the playoffs in a few years. Danny Hultzen and Taijuan Walker show the most promise, but James Paxton and Erasmo Ramirez also offer hope.
Bowden says he has only seen three other rotations comparable to what the Mariners have in the works:
1. The Rays current staff
2. The Braves rotation with Glavine, Smoltz and Maddux
3. The A's rotation of Mulder, Zito, and Hudson (which we all remember so well)
He also touches on Ackley and the recently acquired Jesus Montero as more key pieces for their future contention. He calls Montero what Evan Longoria was for the Rays.
Overall, Bowden, a former GM himself, praises the M's for exactly what all of us in Seattle are hoping will come to fruition. It's great to know someone else believes in Seattle again. Go M's.
Jim Bowden wrote a great article today for ESPN insider about the Mariners being the next Rays. For those of you who don't have insider, first of all, get it, because it's definitely a worthy purchase. But if you don't want to shell out the sixty bucks for the two year membership, I'll give you a quick summary.
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-gms-office/post?id=3560
Bowden thinks that the Mariners could easily contend by 2014 because of the brilliant plan put together by Jack Zdurencik. Specifically, he points out how the M's, like the Rays, have built up their system through great young pitching. Behind the cornerstone, Felix Hernandez, the M's have a smattering of young pitching that could take them to the playoffs in a few years. Danny Hultzen and Taijuan Walker show the most promise, but James Paxton and Erasmo Ramirez also offer hope.
Bowden says he has only seen three other rotations comparable to what the Mariners have in the works:
1. The Rays current staff
2. The Braves rotation with Glavine, Smoltz and Maddux
3. The A's rotation of Mulder, Zito, and Hudson (which we all remember so well)
He also touches on Ackley and the recently acquired Jesus Montero as more key pieces for their future contention. He calls Montero what Evan Longoria was for the Rays.
Overall, Bowden, a former GM himself, praises the M's for exactly what all of us in Seattle are hoping will come to fruition. It's great to know someone else believes in Seattle again. Go M's.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Jason Vargas
By Patrick
On Tuesday, Anthony talked about the five promising young starting pitchers in the Mariner organization. However, at most, three of those five will pitch for the M's in 2012, and so the rotation for this year is a little more important for now. That's where Jason Vargas comes in.
After the M's dealt Michael Pineda to the Yankees, they found themselves without a bonafide number two starter. After Felix, all of the pitchers seem like back-end guys or wild cards. Unfortunately, complete teams cannot have an ace and four number four starters. Baseball doesn't work that way. So naturally, someone will have to step up and fill the void in the number two spot in the rotation. Jason Vargas needs to be that someone.
Before last season, nobody thought much of Jason Vargas. He dwelled at the back end of the Mariners' rotation, and the casual Mariner fan didn't really know or care about the difference between him and Doug Fister. Last year, Vargas changed that, and I would like to take a little credit for that change.
You see, last April, after a half day of school, a few of my friends and I were enjoying a fantastic burger at Red Mill, when a familiar face took a seat with his family in the booth next to us. After some discreet (not discreet at all) whispering with my friends, we confirmed that this man was in fact Jason Vargas. Fortunately, I wore my Mariners hat that day (not really that fortunate, since I wore it pretty much every day of high school), and so after we finished up, I went up to Jason and asked him to sign my napkin (I had nothing else for him to sign). He replied with a respectful "Sure, buddy," and that napkin has hung from a tack on my wall in my bedroom ever since (its tacked over the corner of my Mark McLemore poster. No big.).
Since that encounter, Jason Vargas became my favorite Mariner. I was lucky enough to witness the beauty of his two-hit shutout on Father's Day, and I backed him up through all of his great games where the offense wouldn't do enough for him to secure the victory. Jason turned his game around after our chance meeting in Red Mill, and I felt that, as his new number one fan, I deserved some of the credit.
Then summer happened. The Mariners spiraled into a seventeen game losing streak, and no pitchers won any games for a while, let alone Vargas. But even after the streak ended, Vargas couldn't snap out of it. He struggled into August, failing to eradicate the stereotype that he fades late in the year.
This season must be different. Outside of Felix and Vargas, the Mariners have massive question marks, from young and untested Hector Noesi, to struggling veteran Kevin Millwood, to unknown entity Hishashi Iwakuma. Vargas needs to provide stability, not volatility.
Vargas enters his fourth season with the Mariners in March, and he must take the step from flashes of brilliance to steady effectiveness. He needs to get rid of games like last season's home opener when Cleveland tagged him over and over again and consistently provide solid, inning-eating work at the front of the M's rotation.
If consistency means he sacrifices some of his incredible shutouts in favor of more 2 or 3 run quality starts, than so be it. He can't be an ace for two starts, a number three for the next start, and then lob gopher balls for the next two after that. That helps no one. A number two starter has to give you a quality start almost every time out, and so Vargas needs to show that kind of consistency regularly.
I believe that Jason can do that. He has shown such promising flashes for two-week periods that he certainly has the talent to accomplish what I have been describing. If Vargas can provide consistency behind Felix in the rotation, the Mariners can turn some heads in 2012. Go M's.
On Tuesday, Anthony talked about the five promising young starting pitchers in the Mariner organization. However, at most, three of those five will pitch for the M's in 2012, and so the rotation for this year is a little more important for now. That's where Jason Vargas comes in.
After the M's dealt Michael Pineda to the Yankees, they found themselves without a bonafide number two starter. After Felix, all of the pitchers seem like back-end guys or wild cards. Unfortunately, complete teams cannot have an ace and four number four starters. Baseball doesn't work that way. So naturally, someone will have to step up and fill the void in the number two spot in the rotation. Jason Vargas needs to be that someone.
Before last season, nobody thought much of Jason Vargas. He dwelled at the back end of the Mariners' rotation, and the casual Mariner fan didn't really know or care about the difference between him and Doug Fister. Last year, Vargas changed that, and I would like to take a little credit for that change.
You see, last April, after a half day of school, a few of my friends and I were enjoying a fantastic burger at Red Mill, when a familiar face took a seat with his family in the booth next to us. After some discreet (not discreet at all) whispering with my friends, we confirmed that this man was in fact Jason Vargas. Fortunately, I wore my Mariners hat that day (not really that fortunate, since I wore it pretty much every day of high school), and so after we finished up, I went up to Jason and asked him to sign my napkin (I had nothing else for him to sign). He replied with a respectful "Sure, buddy," and that napkin has hung from a tack on my wall in my bedroom ever since (its tacked over the corner of my Mark McLemore poster. No big.).
Since that encounter, Jason Vargas became my favorite Mariner. I was lucky enough to witness the beauty of his two-hit shutout on Father's Day, and I backed him up through all of his great games where the offense wouldn't do enough for him to secure the victory. Jason turned his game around after our chance meeting in Red Mill, and I felt that, as his new number one fan, I deserved some of the credit.
Then summer happened. The Mariners spiraled into a seventeen game losing streak, and no pitchers won any games for a while, let alone Vargas. But even after the streak ended, Vargas couldn't snap out of it. He struggled into August, failing to eradicate the stereotype that he fades late in the year.
This season must be different. Outside of Felix and Vargas, the Mariners have massive question marks, from young and untested Hector Noesi, to struggling veteran Kevin Millwood, to unknown entity Hishashi Iwakuma. Vargas needs to provide stability, not volatility.
Vargas enters his fourth season with the Mariners in March, and he must take the step from flashes of brilliance to steady effectiveness. He needs to get rid of games like last season's home opener when Cleveland tagged him over and over again and consistently provide solid, inning-eating work at the front of the M's rotation.
If consistency means he sacrifices some of his incredible shutouts in favor of more 2 or 3 run quality starts, than so be it. He can't be an ace for two starts, a number three for the next start, and then lob gopher balls for the next two after that. That helps no one. A number two starter has to give you a quality start almost every time out, and so Vargas needs to show that kind of consistency regularly.
I believe that Jason can do that. He has shown such promising flashes for two-week periods that he certainly has the talent to accomplish what I have been describing. If Vargas can provide consistency behind Felix in the rotation, the Mariners can turn some heads in 2012. Go M's.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Evaluating the Mariners' young pitching talent in terms of Will Ferrell movies
By Anthony
Pitching is important in baseball. I would say more so than hitting, but since I haven’t watched a real offense is a few years I could be biased. Young pitching is also very good, not only as trade bait (sorry Michael Pineda) but also because it is cheap, and the pitchers can improve with more playing time. It just so happens that the M’s have a plethora of young pitching in their farm system. While all five of the players I’ll describe won’t wear a Mariner uniform in 2012, their development could be the most important part of the 2012 season. Sorry Chone Figgins, nobody cares if you suddenly learn not to suck. The five names you should commit to memory are Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, Hector Noesi and Erasmo Ramirez. I will break these five down, and rank them. Since we are Way Out in Left Field, I will rank them based on Will Ferrell movies, it will make sense when I explain my choice for each player.
Danny Hultzen LHP
The second overall draft pick in 2011 is the only player on the list that I’ve had the pleasure of watching in person. Of course, it was the Arizona Fall League, but still, he looked good. I don’t recall the exact line he had that day but what I do remember is his maturity. Many young, talented pitchers want to strikeout every batter they face. They want to make the hitter look stupid and often will go deep into counts with that goal in mind. Hultzen is different; he beat hitters by making them hit the pitch he wanted them to. This resulted in quick innings and a low pitch count. Of course, his stuff is good enough to get tons of strikeouts, (he holds the career record at University of Virginia), but he loves to pound the zone and change speeds. His change up is excellent and his fastball sits in the low 90’s, but with his arm angle, it has some movement and deception, which makes it much better. While this is his first year in the M’s system, he is one of the more developed arms they have and could make an appearance in Safeco by the end of the year if he doesn’t get shut down in fear of over-working his arm.
The Will Ferrell movie I would compare Hultzen to is Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. How does that work you ask? Well he is the safe pick and while his ceiling isn’t as high as some, he should make the MLB club and make an impact as a second or third starter. Ricky Bobby is a reliable movie; NASCAR is really easy to make fun of and while it isn’t up to the standard of Anchorman, it’s always good for some laughs. How can you not enjoy Will Ferrell thinking he is paralyzed playing wheelchair basketball and getting stabbed with two knives? How can you not enjoy a tall lefty with plus off-speed stuff who could make the major leagues by the end of the year?
Taijuan Walker RHP
What is there to say about Taijuan Walker that is negative? He throws hard, he is big and he is developing some nasty off-speed stuff. Oh right, he is only 19. He is only in single A ball, but watch out for him. He has all the tools that make up a dominant number one starter. His command hasn’t been great, with over 3.5 walks per nine innings in his two years in the system. But he also struck out 10.5 batters per nine innings last year. Of course, at 19, he still has plenty of room to grow and mature so we probably won’t see him in Safeco for a while, but in 2014 or 2015 look for his name. His height can make his command difficult to maintain, but if he can do that, he will be excellent.
This Will Ferrell movie has to be Anchorman. An instant classic that has almost no down side, Walker has the potential to be one of the best pitchers in the league, much like Ron Burgundy was the best character Ferrell has ever played, Bill Ray “Rojo” Johnson excluded. Look it up on YouTube.
James Paxton LHP
Paxton was a draft pick that fell to the M’s after he went through some legal issues with the NCAA. Not Josh Lueke legal issues, but some weird thing about draft picks not signing and then going back to school. I tried to read an article on it but got bored, so you can look it up if you want to. Anyway, Paxton is another one of the tall power arms in the system. His fastball is in the mid-90’s, which is really good for a lefty. He has a pretty good change-up and curveball. Oh yeah, and he struck out almost 12 batters per nine innings last year in AA. I wouldn’t say that he should make the roster straight out of camp this year. But maybe mid-season if he dominates Tacoma like he has AA we could see him in Seattle. Of course, he does have a down side; like many tall pitchers his control is not excellent. He has averaged about 3 walks per nine innings at every stop on his minor league career. I’m not too worried about it; he has the stuff to be a dominant second starter and has drawn some comparisons to Michael Pineda.
Some of you may disagree with this pick, but I would call Paxton Blades of Glory. Chaz Michael Michaels is one of Ferrell’s greatest characters, and while Paxton isn’t addicted to sex (to my knowledge), he is a great talent. There are some problems, but its nothing a Rob Corddry cameo, a failed pick up attempt on Nancy Kerrigan and some mascot abuse can’t fix.
Hector Noesi RHP
The forgotten piece of the Pineda-Montero trade, Noesi isn’t too shabby a talent himself. When he came to the M’s, I wasn’t super excited about what I read about him. A tall righty with decent stuff and pretty solid command, he looked like a number three or four starter. His fastball was supposed to be in the low 90’s with an above average changeup, a slider and a curveball. Neither of his breaking pitches were supposed to be anything interesting. However, in his first start for the M’s in Peoria he consistently hit 96. There are a few interesting things about this. First of all, 96 is fast. He was not supposed to be able to throw 96 when we got him. Second of all, he was not throwing many pitches so this number could be inflated. Third of all, this is Spring Training, so he is supposed to be getting ready for the season, so this number could be low since he’s supposed to be getting his arm in game shape. Analyze however you will, I am going to look at it as a positive. I’ll reiterate, 96 is fast. I recently drove to and from Las Vegas and while respecting all traffic laws and whatever, I only came close to 96. I really want him to start the year in Seattle as a back of the rotation guy. Of course, Wedge could have different plans. And since Patrick supposedly isn’t Eric Wedge, I can’t attest to this, I haven’t seen them in the same room at the same time, he could start the year in AAA. Hopefully he shows up before long and keeps throwing 96.
Noesi would be a pretty good Kicking and Screaming. I had low hopes for this movie; Ferrell yelling at kids and being racist looked promising, but I felt it would get old. When I first saw it, I wasn’t blown away, but it grew on me and it’s a pretty good movie in my mind. It also is a contributing reason why I don’t drink coffee. Noesi isn’t going to be a number one starter but he could be a reliable number four.
Erasmo Ramirez RHP
Yeah, there’s a guy named Erasmo in the M’s system. The first time I heard about him was when he put up an 85/1 strikeout to walk ratio in the Venezuelan League a few years ago. You may look at that and envision the next Randy Johnson and wonder why he’s not starting in Seattle right now. Well, the Venezuelan League is notorious for having free-swingers, like Carlos Peguero free-swinging. Also Ramirez’s stuff is pretty boring. Not boring like triple integrals in different coordinate systems, but boring like easily forgettable. Wait, so are triple integrals in different coordinate systems, damn you Erasmo. His fastball sits around 90, his changeup is above average and he has a slider. Now you may ask how he put up an 85/1 K to BB ratio. Well, his command is superb. And the Venezuelan league has a lot of free-swingers. Unfortunately, his command can fail him sometimes and he gets rocked since his stuff isn’t overpowering. I personally am not a big fan of his. But he can be an effective number five starter who eats innings and pounds the zone.
Ramirez is Land of the Lost, not very good on paper. Will Ferrell plus dinosaurs didn’t impress me at all. However, I would choose to watch this over any Colin Farrell movie. That’s not much of a ringing endorsement, since I don’t know if I would rather do triple integrals in different coordinate systems than watch a Colin Farrell movie.
So those are the five young prospects that the M’s hope will be able to inherit the legacy of King Felix and carry it on to better places. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, of course, and each could get injured or go Hong-Chih Kuo on us. Don’t worry; I’m knocking on wood, just ask the girl across the table from me. She looks pissed; I think I’ve knocked enough. Look for these names in 2012, 2013 and 2014. They will make an impact and could be one of the best rotations in baseball. Suck it Phillies, Rays, Rangers and Angels. I don’t know which rotation is going to be the best. And two are in the AL West, and the M’s have a terrible offense. I could use a hug from Snowflake right now. Go M’s.
Pitching is important in baseball. I would say more so than hitting, but since I haven’t watched a real offense is a few years I could be biased. Young pitching is also very good, not only as trade bait (sorry Michael Pineda) but also because it is cheap, and the pitchers can improve with more playing time. It just so happens that the M’s have a plethora of young pitching in their farm system. While all five of the players I’ll describe won’t wear a Mariner uniform in 2012, their development could be the most important part of the 2012 season. Sorry Chone Figgins, nobody cares if you suddenly learn not to suck. The five names you should commit to memory are Danny Hultzen, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, Hector Noesi and Erasmo Ramirez. I will break these five down, and rank them. Since we are Way Out in Left Field, I will rank them based on Will Ferrell movies, it will make sense when I explain my choice for each player.
Danny Hultzen LHP
The second overall draft pick in 2011 is the only player on the list that I’ve had the pleasure of watching in person. Of course, it was the Arizona Fall League, but still, he looked good. I don’t recall the exact line he had that day but what I do remember is his maturity. Many young, talented pitchers want to strikeout every batter they face. They want to make the hitter look stupid and often will go deep into counts with that goal in mind. Hultzen is different; he beat hitters by making them hit the pitch he wanted them to. This resulted in quick innings and a low pitch count. Of course, his stuff is good enough to get tons of strikeouts, (he holds the career record at University of Virginia), but he loves to pound the zone and change speeds. His change up is excellent and his fastball sits in the low 90’s, but with his arm angle, it has some movement and deception, which makes it much better. While this is his first year in the M’s system, he is one of the more developed arms they have and could make an appearance in Safeco by the end of the year if he doesn’t get shut down in fear of over-working his arm.
The Will Ferrell movie I would compare Hultzen to is Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. How does that work you ask? Well he is the safe pick and while his ceiling isn’t as high as some, he should make the MLB club and make an impact as a second or third starter. Ricky Bobby is a reliable movie; NASCAR is really easy to make fun of and while it isn’t up to the standard of Anchorman, it’s always good for some laughs. How can you not enjoy Will Ferrell thinking he is paralyzed playing wheelchair basketball and getting stabbed with two knives? How can you not enjoy a tall lefty with plus off-speed stuff who could make the major leagues by the end of the year?
Taijuan Walker RHP
What is there to say about Taijuan Walker that is negative? He throws hard, he is big and he is developing some nasty off-speed stuff. Oh right, he is only 19. He is only in single A ball, but watch out for him. He has all the tools that make up a dominant number one starter. His command hasn’t been great, with over 3.5 walks per nine innings in his two years in the system. But he also struck out 10.5 batters per nine innings last year. Of course, at 19, he still has plenty of room to grow and mature so we probably won’t see him in Safeco for a while, but in 2014 or 2015 look for his name. His height can make his command difficult to maintain, but if he can do that, he will be excellent.
This Will Ferrell movie has to be Anchorman. An instant classic that has almost no down side, Walker has the potential to be one of the best pitchers in the league, much like Ron Burgundy was the best character Ferrell has ever played, Bill Ray “Rojo” Johnson excluded. Look it up on YouTube.
James Paxton LHP
Paxton was a draft pick that fell to the M’s after he went through some legal issues with the NCAA. Not Josh Lueke legal issues, but some weird thing about draft picks not signing and then going back to school. I tried to read an article on it but got bored, so you can look it up if you want to. Anyway, Paxton is another one of the tall power arms in the system. His fastball is in the mid-90’s, which is really good for a lefty. He has a pretty good change-up and curveball. Oh yeah, and he struck out almost 12 batters per nine innings last year in AA. I wouldn’t say that he should make the roster straight out of camp this year. But maybe mid-season if he dominates Tacoma like he has AA we could see him in Seattle. Of course, he does have a down side; like many tall pitchers his control is not excellent. He has averaged about 3 walks per nine innings at every stop on his minor league career. I’m not too worried about it; he has the stuff to be a dominant second starter and has drawn some comparisons to Michael Pineda.
Some of you may disagree with this pick, but I would call Paxton Blades of Glory. Chaz Michael Michaels is one of Ferrell’s greatest characters, and while Paxton isn’t addicted to sex (to my knowledge), he is a great talent. There are some problems, but its nothing a Rob Corddry cameo, a failed pick up attempt on Nancy Kerrigan and some mascot abuse can’t fix.
Hector Noesi RHP
The forgotten piece of the Pineda-Montero trade, Noesi isn’t too shabby a talent himself. When he came to the M’s, I wasn’t super excited about what I read about him. A tall righty with decent stuff and pretty solid command, he looked like a number three or four starter. His fastball was supposed to be in the low 90’s with an above average changeup, a slider and a curveball. Neither of his breaking pitches were supposed to be anything interesting. However, in his first start for the M’s in Peoria he consistently hit 96. There are a few interesting things about this. First of all, 96 is fast. He was not supposed to be able to throw 96 when we got him. Second of all, he was not throwing many pitches so this number could be inflated. Third of all, this is Spring Training, so he is supposed to be getting ready for the season, so this number could be low since he’s supposed to be getting his arm in game shape. Analyze however you will, I am going to look at it as a positive. I’ll reiterate, 96 is fast. I recently drove to and from Las Vegas and while respecting all traffic laws and whatever, I only came close to 96. I really want him to start the year in Seattle as a back of the rotation guy. Of course, Wedge could have different plans. And since Patrick supposedly isn’t Eric Wedge, I can’t attest to this, I haven’t seen them in the same room at the same time, he could start the year in AAA. Hopefully he shows up before long and keeps throwing 96.
Noesi would be a pretty good Kicking and Screaming. I had low hopes for this movie; Ferrell yelling at kids and being racist looked promising, but I felt it would get old. When I first saw it, I wasn’t blown away, but it grew on me and it’s a pretty good movie in my mind. It also is a contributing reason why I don’t drink coffee. Noesi isn’t going to be a number one starter but he could be a reliable number four.
Erasmo Ramirez RHP
Yeah, there’s a guy named Erasmo in the M’s system. The first time I heard about him was when he put up an 85/1 strikeout to walk ratio in the Venezuelan League a few years ago. You may look at that and envision the next Randy Johnson and wonder why he’s not starting in Seattle right now. Well, the Venezuelan League is notorious for having free-swingers, like Carlos Peguero free-swinging. Also Ramirez’s stuff is pretty boring. Not boring like triple integrals in different coordinate systems, but boring like easily forgettable. Wait, so are triple integrals in different coordinate systems, damn you Erasmo. His fastball sits around 90, his changeup is above average and he has a slider. Now you may ask how he put up an 85/1 K to BB ratio. Well, his command is superb. And the Venezuelan league has a lot of free-swingers. Unfortunately, his command can fail him sometimes and he gets rocked since his stuff isn’t overpowering. I personally am not a big fan of his. But he can be an effective number five starter who eats innings and pounds the zone.
Ramirez is Land of the Lost, not very good on paper. Will Ferrell plus dinosaurs didn’t impress me at all. However, I would choose to watch this over any Colin Farrell movie. That’s not much of a ringing endorsement, since I don’t know if I would rather do triple integrals in different coordinate systems than watch a Colin Farrell movie.
So those are the five young prospects that the M’s hope will be able to inherit the legacy of King Felix and carry it on to better places. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, of course, and each could get injured or go Hong-Chih Kuo on us. Don’t worry; I’m knocking on wood, just ask the girl across the table from me. She looks pissed; I think I’ve knocked enough. Look for these names in 2012, 2013 and 2014. They will make an impact and could be one of the best rotations in baseball. Suck it Phillies, Rays, Rangers and Angels. I don’t know which rotation is going to be the best. And two are in the AL West, and the M’s have a terrible offense. I could use a hug from Snowflake right now. Go M’s.
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