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    Home » Can The Mariners Possibly Escape Last Place?
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    Can The Mariners Possibly Escape Last Place?

    SPNW StaffBy SPNW StaffMarch 29, 2012Updated:October 8, 20126 Comments4 Mins Read
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    Jason Vargas delivered an outstanding performance against Oakland Thursday, but the offense managed just three hits and the bullpen imploded in a 4-1 loss. / Drew Sellers, Sportspress Northwest

    As Sportspress Northwest’s Art Thiel pointed out in a recent post from Tokyo, where the Mariners both thrilled (Game 1) and disgusted (Game 2) their fan base, Seattle is a young team following a plan (the plan, we assume, did not include Shawn Kelley serving up a hanging slider that Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes slammed for a game-winning home run Thursday, but, hey, stuff happens).

    In a conversation with Jack Zduriencik, the Mariners’ GM told Thiel that the plan, bridging the end of 2011 and the start of 2012, primarily involved filling four jobs.

    “We wanted to acquire a veteran starting pitcher (Kevin Millwood), a left-handed reliever (converted starter Charlie Furbush), a big bat in the middle of the lineup that would be with us as we grew (Jesus Montero), and another infielder (Munenori Kawasaki), Zduriencik told Thiel. “We accomplished all those things.”

    To which Thiel responded, “Perhaps, but none are close to a lock regarding 2012 performance. And most of the rest of the roster is a collection of unprovens.”

    The hope — not the plan — is that several miracles will wind up leaning on lamp posts as the 2012 season unfolds. Specifically:

    • That Ichiro, the new No. 3 hitter in the Seattle order who went 4-for-5 in the season opener and then 0-for-4 in the second game, will play closer to his 2009-10 form than his 2011 form. Or, to borrow from horse racing, the Mariners pray that Ichiro becomes a stakes runner again instead of the claimer he was last season.
    • That Chone Figgins, who has endured two perfectly dreadful seasons after inking a four-year, $36 million contract, can, with a move into Ichiro’s old leadoff role, re-discover the stroke he had with the Angels, which enabled him to get that $36 mil out of Mariners. Two games isn’t much of a sample, but Figgins is hitting .125 (a drop from his .188 last year).
    • That Justin Smoak takes big strides toward becoming the sort of slugger the Mariners envisioned when they acquired him in 2010 in the Cliff Lee deal (Smoak went 1-for-9 in Japan, but that hit was a home run).
    • That Alex Liddi, the Italian-born first baseman who led the Mariners in spring batting average, isn’t Casey Kotchman in disguise (Liddi has yet to play)
    • That there is “expected improvement” from a variety of young players, most especially including Dustin Ackley (2 RBIs in the opener, 2 K’s in Game 2), Mike Carp (just placed on the DL) and Casper Wells (hasn’t yet played) among position players, and Hector Noesi and Blake Brevan among the pitchers.
    • That none of the major veterans — Felix Hernandez (eight effective innings Wednesday) Brandon League (one save) to name just two — pitch to their historical form, and especially don’t blackslide.

    The Mariners have finished last in a four-team AL West six times in the past eight years and lost 100 or more twice in the past four. Or, to slice it another way, they have lost at least 93 games in five of the past eight.

    Of more consequence is that the Mariners have gone 22-54 over the past two years against division foes Rangers and Angels, which means that, over the past 24 months, 27 percent of Seattle’s losses have been administered by those two clubs.

    Both Texas, coming off back-to-back American League pennants, and Los Angeles, coming off a huge free agent signing in Albert Pujols, are expected to battle for the AL West title. Oakland is expected to adopt the battle cry, “Hey, at least we’re not Seattle.”

    But, as Zduriencik told Thiel, the Mariners have a plan. The question involves how long it will take for that plan to start delivering consistent, positive results. Or, given the paths taken by the Rangers and Angels, will it ever?

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    6 Comments

    1. RadioGuy on March 30, 2012 7:33 am

      Let’s take a really DEEP breath, guys.  Yes, it was embarrassing to see Seattle hitters’ knees buckling from pitches by Bartolo “They Should Pay Me By The Pound” Colon, but for goodness sake, there are 160 games to go.  Can you at least wait until April to write the Mariners off?  Or at least get a refill on the prozac before you write sky-is-falling pieces like this?

    2. RadioGuy on March 30, 2012 6:33 am

      Let’s take a really DEEP breath, guys.  Yes, it was embarrassing to see Seattle hitters’ knees buckling from pitches by Bartolo “They Should Pay Me By The Pound” Colon, but for goodness sake, there are 160 games to go.  Can you at least wait until April to write the Mariners off?  Or at least get a refill on the prozac before you write sky-is-falling pieces like this?

    3. thekellygreenandwhite on August 6, 2012 11:14 pm

      I’m not looking forward to this…

    4. jafabian on August 7, 2012 12:10 am

      Does he still have his reality show?  Maybe the Hawks will be on MTV now?  Will Snooki show up at training camp?

    5. RadioGuy on August 7, 2012 6:47 am

      Terrific.  Why not bring in Rae Carruth?  Who cares if the locker room ends up resembling Shiloh or Antietam…there’s TALENT in there.  Bob Whitsitt must feel vindicated.

    6. Matt712 on August 7, 2012 10:17 am

      I haven’t heard any quotes from Pete yet, but I imagine it will go something like, “Oh gosh he’s such a tremendous athlete and a phenomenal talent and so experienced and the way he prepares himself and gosh just a really great guy and a handsome man and….”

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