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| 2010 was a simpler time. Also, Carlos Silva and Ryan Langerhans. |
The Mariners embarked up their 35th season in franchise history with little hope of contending, and early on in the year, the team dashed what small hopes they had. By the end of June, the team was 12 games under .500, and not a threat to contend. Chone Figgins went from opening day starter to situation pinch runner. Felix Hernandez struggled, and Hector Noesi and Blake Beavan still looked like AAA pitchers. The offense hit well on the road, but went ice cold at home in the thick, marine air.
However, things changed in July, about a week or so after the all-star break. In a month where the Mariners had dropped a franchise record 17 straight games just a year before, the team surged. The Mariners embarked on a stretch of a little over a month where they had multiple seven-game winning streaks, won 15 out of 16 at home, and nearly clawed back to .500. Jason Vargas was AL pitcher of the month in July and following his perfect game, Felix Hernandez won the same award in August. The M's played five games over .500 in the two months. Jesus Montero, Kyle Seager, Michael Saunders and the boys started to swing the bats, and fans got a glimpse of what a successful, young baseball team looks like. Ironically, this all happened after the Mariners traded away the face of the franchise, Ichiro, to the Yankees for two prospects who may never see the majors.
In September, the team came back to earth, going 11-18 after September 1. The young team became discouraged with losing once again, and the contenders in the division that had a real chance at a playoff spot fought for it and took it from the M's. Incredibly, Justin Smoak hit the crap out of the ball in the season's final month, rescuing a doomed .185 average and raising it 30 points. The M's finished with eight double-digit home run hitters for the first time in a decade, and Seager posted a respectable .259/20/86 season in the triple crown categories. Felix limped to the finish, knocking himself out of Cy Young contention with four horrible starts in the season's final month. The Mariners finished 75-87, winning eight more games than in 2011, the first year of the Eric Wedge era.
Overall, the 2012 season was a step in the right direction for the Mariners. The young players like Seager, Saunders, Montero, Smoak and Ackley got another season under their belts, and regardless of how shitty it might have been for some of them, they at least got to see a full season of major league pitching. John Jaso was an absolute delight, leading the team in batting after coming from the Rays in exchange for everybody's friendly neighborhood sodomist, Josh Lueke. Vargas had the best season of his career, Felix threw perfect game and nearly won his second Cy Young, Hisashi Iwakuma shined as a starter in the second half, and even Blake Beavan went 11-11 (that's real. check it.). The team found out that Brandon League couldn't close and Tom Wilhelmsen and his nasty hammer curve could. They also debuted young bullpen arms like Carter Capps, Stephen Pryor, and Lucas Luetge, who all appear to have bright futures with the franchise.
The Mariners also found out a few things the hard way. Chone Figgins helped the Mariners realize he's not a major league baseball player any more. The entire offense helped the Mariners to see that the fences need to come in if home runs are to be a part of April and May baseball at Safeco. Miguel Olivo reminded the franchise that he's, well, Miguel Olivo, and .222/12/29 is what he's been doing his entire career. Carlos Peguero, Luis Jimenez, and Alex Liddi reminded the franchise why they've been in AAA for so long. Mike Carp made the organization forget about last August by being hurt all year and sucking when he seemed healthy. Hector Noesi absolutely tanked all year, and doesn't look like a major league starter. Kevin Millwood somehow made it through the season at 6-12, even though he came out of about five games with injuries and had almost zero upside at 37 years old.
The question then becomes, where do the Mariners go from here? 75 wins is only acceptable if it becomes a number in the 80's the next season. The team needs to keep improving. Sure, the youngsters will get better as they approach their primes, but for 2013, just relying on Seager, Ackley, and Montero to kick it up a notch won't be good enough. The team needs to pursue quality, veteran free agents that will bring a culture of winning back to Seattle, and eventually put some more butts in the Safeco Field seats, which were filled about half as much in 2012 as they were in 2002.
The Mariners can win 80 games in 2013, but only if they show a strong commitment to continue this upward trend of wins from within and outside of the organization. That requires everyone involved, from the players to the manager to the GM all the way up to Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln, to give their best effort to make this team into a winner. Frankly, I don't know if that's going to happen. But if it does, some great things could happen in Seattle in 2013. Go M's.
Here are my 2012 season awards:
MVP: Felix
Pitcher of the year: Felix
Hitter of the year: Seager
Reliever of the year: Wilhelmsen
Rookie of the year: Iwakuma
Captain Clutch: Jaso
Most Inspirational: Munenori Kawasaki
LVP (L is for least): Figgins
Worst Pitcher: Noesi
Worst Hitter: Figgins
Worst Reliever: Steve Delabar
Least Inspirational: Figgins
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