Your Thoughts Exactly

After Marmar's statless Red Sox preview below, it is only natural to follow his lead and discuss the gloriously underway Mariners season. I may have a somewhat higher appreciation for sabremetrics (and Mark Bellhorn) than Marmar, but since there are already enough M's blogs that know much more about it than I, I'll stick to the intuitive style of my fellow blogger.

ROTATION

Jamie Moyer - Craft knows no bounds. Especially when you are a lefty who throws anywhere from 55-82 mph. (No, that's not a stat). Moyer has possibly had the oddest career of any major leaguer. Failed as a starter, failed out of the pen, told to quit by his father-in-law, and traded for Darren Bragg, who I saw play for the Columbus Clippers last year. Finally in his mid-30s the American League forgot how to hit little league pitching and Moyer became arguably a top-flight starter for nearly a decade. Last year Tee-Ball lived up to his nickname from his Boston days (or at least Marmar's nickname for him from his Boston days) - I think he'll rebound almost completely this year. Lord knows we need him to.

Joel Pineiro - Will he ever put it all together? He really could be quite good, but that shoulder and elbow worry me. And how in the world does the pronunciation pin-YARE-oh come from that spelling? If healthy, I can see him using the shiny new defense and establishing himself as a year away from being a legitimate #1 starter. Of course, by then King Felix could be the ace of the staff.

Gil Meche - Will he ever put it all together? He really could be quite good, but that........yeah, pretty much the same as Pineiro. Perhaps a bit better stuff, but after the abuse Melvin put him through during the last two seasons, I just have no hope for him to have a healthy career. Shame on you Bob.

Bobby Madritsch - Maybe I should get the same medicine wheel tattoo on my neck - my knee has been bothering me lately, and my wrist acts up from time to time. Bobby could have the best year of the staff. However, I think all the praise is a bit much, and see him having a slightly worse season than Moyer and whichever of Pineiro and Meche stay healthy. My favorite pitcher in the rotation, I hope he surprises me.

Aaron Sele - Marmar, I see your John Halama, and I raise you....no, I'm all in.

BULLPEN

Desperately need Guardado to remain healthy. After that, it doesn't look so pretty. Villone and Thornton can't throw strikes, Hasegawa still owes the devil for 2001, and Putz has the benefit of a few saves next to name - like gold plating on a twig. Franklin could be alright - he was good enough out of the pen a few years ago before moving to the rotation. Hopefully his misguided belief that he shouldn't have had to compete for his spot in the rotation doesn't affect him. On the bright side, I think Mateo will finally blossom as a quality setup man. There are a couple good arms in the minors who hopefully will get the call this season, the sooner the better.

I refuse to acknowledge that J ff Nels n is in the pen.

LINEUP

Miguel Olivo - I like this kid. Good pop in his bat, cannon attached to his right shoulder, and impressive drive to improve, shown by his offseason workouts to cut down on those passed balls. He was off to a good season before we traded for him, but once here he became a poor man's Dave Valle. I think he'll figure it out this year and become a top 5 AL catcher for the next 5+ seasons.

Richie Sexson - Big Sex. Got off to a great start with 2 home runs today. This guy has a history of injury, a big smile, and a DUI - bet we don't send him to Detroit for 2 scrubs. I like Richie Sexson. Its fun to watch players mash the baseball. I think the signing was stupid, considering his arm fell off on a check swing last year, but I'm hoping we get to watch him mash for all four years of the contract. Maybe we'll finally see that 550 foot bomb onto Royal Brougham we have all been waiting for.

Brett Boone - Like Moyer, I'm expecting a rebound - but not to the 2001/2003 levels. Thankfully, we don't need him to do that this year. Any guesses as to how many sizes his jersey dropped this offseason?

Pokey Reese - Good thing we don't plan on winning anything this year, because this would likely spoil our plans. I am excited to watch him in the field in between stints on the DL, but you just can't send out a National League batting order unless you are actually in the National League.

Adrian Beltre! - Good god how did we sign him? Really, what in the world happened so we could sign Adrian Beltre? I see him in a Mariners Jersey, and I just don't feel like I'm actually watching the Mariners. After a horrible offseason last year, and seeing Seattle avoid star players (except Ichiro) like they are going to steal all the coffee in the city before knocking down some trees, putting recycleables in the regular garbage, and high-tailing it out of town in an SUV, I am simply in awe of this signing. I expect a big year here - maybe a slight decline from last year, but don't forget that the Dodgers play in a pitcher's park too.

Randy Winn - Ho-hum. He's ok. I have never seen someone at the plate look like they care less about getting a hit than Winn. He's had a few solid seasons for us, and should do the same this year. His biggest contribution could come via a mid-season trade.

Jeremy Reed - Fine young ballplayer, that Jeremy Reed. It is so fun to have a team with exciting players again. Olivo, Reed, Beltre, and Sexson really add a lot of anticipation and enjoyment. Reed will walk with the ROY.

Ichiro - you heard it here thirty-ninth: Ichiro will hit .400 this year. Well, maybe that's a bad number to choose, because its just a standard cut-off that fits with predicting records and such; he'll hit .430.

Raul Ibanez - I almost forgot about him.

BENCH

TO: Baseball Franchise Owners and General Managers
FROM: The Seattle Mariners
RE: Missing minor league team

If you own or run a baseball franchise, and you or somewone you know misplaced a minor league affiliate, we may have found it. Just call and describe your team to us (hint: must have an expected record of no higher than .500 to qualify), and if it fits this bunch, we'll gladly return them to you for a finders fee of no more or less than a firm handshake.

POTENTIAL

Bucky Jacobson comes off the DL in early June and should provide "hitting" off the "bench." That's right, Mariners, you can keep players on a so-called "bench," players who don't start and can be used from time to time to swing a bat and have it make contact with the baseball, and have it then go out into the field and find a nice quiet place to land, or, better yet, have it go completely over the field. This is what the "bench" is for. I'm sure you've heard that term from time to time, at winter meetings or elsewhere. Don't worry - a lot of people are afraid to ask when they don't know something.

Felix Hernandez, King Felix, The Future. Could get called up mid season, especially with the lack of skill/health on our staff. (See Sele/Franklin and Pineiro/Meche respectively). Though he may not dominate right away, I wouldn't miss a start. God bless MLBtv.

There you have it - your 2005 Seattle Mariners. I predict an 83-79 season, out of it by September but not mathematically eliminated until the last 10 games or so. I hope for everything to go right, 88 wins, an AL West that beats up on itself a bit, and that Oakland's young arms are not quite ready and the Angels rotation is actually as bad as I expect it to be, letting us slide into the playoffs.