The occasion of the Mariners’ season opener brings up many traditional questions, chiefly: By which summer holiday ( Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Seafair or Labor Day), will the Mariners be functionally eliminated from the division/post-season race (April Fool’s Day is a little too cynical).
Harsh, yes, but a franchise can’t lose half its fan base over 10 years without some dedication to the purpose.
Another question occurs, mostly because it hasn’t been asked all spring: Is Ichiro the second-most-unmissed superstar in modern Seattle sports history?
We know that Alex Rodriguez has retired the No. 1 trophy. But a lot of that emotion was because he went for the money after lying otherwise. All Ichiro did was quietly fade, then quietly ask out. But it wasn’t his exit that was dismaying; it was his burden.
His trade to the Yankees happened a while ago, in July, so fans had the chance last season to dab their eyes, although little precipitation was detected. Certainly no moisture was detected in Peoria this spring. But it took the developments of the off-season and spring to fully appreciate how awkward his presence, performance and salary had become.
His moment of his trade, given Ichiro’s contributions to the team and the fact that he was an owner’s favorite, featured nothing but courtesy and compliments. But the fact was, nearly everyone around the Mariners was relieved, grateful and — truth be told — excited.
Didn’t matter that he hit he hit .322 in 67 games with the Yankees, after hitting .261 with the Mariners (or had a .794 OPS in New York, compared to .642 in Seattle). Many wished him well, but not nearly as fervently as they wished him good-bye. Because it has freed up the Mariners.
His departure from a season already lost — the Mariners fell below .500 for good on April 29, and were 42-55 when he was traded July 23 — was of no competitive consequence. Now, it’s a competitive consequence. They have replaced him with a chance to compete.
Ichiro became such a fixture that as the team decayed around him, he became an impediment — in the lineup, in the clubhouse and on the payroll. He didn’t want to move from the top of the order even though his on-base percentage dictated the bottom third. He was never by nature or culture a leader the way American sports teams expect from vets — in Japan, the manager and owners lead, not the players. And, through no fault of his, he was paid slugger’s money ($17 million) to hit singles.
In 2011 and 2012, the Mariners were getting little from Ichiro and Chone Figgins, the senior eminences who were being collectively paid $26 million each year. Even before that, weirdly lopsided rosters contributed much to the franchise decline.
In 2001, when Ichiro won MVP and rookie of the year awards, the Mariners’ 927 runs led baseball and were the second-most in club history, behind the 1996 team’s 993. Since then, here are the run totals for the next 11 consecutive seasons: 814, 795, 698, 699, 756, 794, 671, 540, 513, 556 and last year’s 619 (freak note of 2012: Five percent of the team’s runs were scored in back-to-back games May 29-30 in Texas — the Mariners won 10-3 and 21-8).
Certainly the decade-long sag in the offense was the cumulative responsibility of many, mostly management. But the near-untouchability and inflexibility of Ichiro — how about talking a walk for the team, pal? — became a focal point for the futility. By 2012, Eric Wedge was down to transparent bromides about Ichiro “deserving respect for what he’s done,” which is manager code for “I’m stuck with the guy; whaddaya expect from me?”
Now Ichiro is gone. Now things open up, finally.
The Mariners didn’t replace Ichiro in the lineup as much as they dissolved his office. As they open play Monday in Oakland, they don’t have a typical leadoff hitter, but they have a left-right platoon between right fielder Michael Saunders (.738 OPS in 2012) and center fielder Franklin Gutierrez (.729), that figures to be more productive than Ichiro’s .642.
They added four veteran hitters who supported their history of major-league production by delivering in spring in a way that no one saw coming — Michael Morse (.357, nine home runs), Kendrys Morales (.311, seven), Raul Ibanez (.321, four) and Jason Bay (.321, two). Obviously, even schoolchildren know not to project spring numbers into the season, but it is fair to say these guys established they can still place the barrel on the ball.
While all four are defensive liabilities to some degree, the Mariners have enough cover in Gutierrez and Saunders to make the sacrifice worth the uptick on offense. And left field and left-center at Safeco aren’t the wheat farms of previous seasons.
The best part about the new acquisitions is that no deals are longer than a year. Without Ichiro rooted in right, Wedge can deploy the outfielders in any field and share enough ABs to see who, including holdovers, is worth keeping. In turn, the hitters can find out whether Safeco, with its new dimensions, is now a fair park instead of a pitcher’s park. Women who are searching for casual hookups have also taken advantage of the rise of craigslist. Online classifieds sites such as craigslist now make it easier than ever to find women looking for casual sex. You will need to remember that some people advertise their sexual interests here under their real names. If you https://tryhookup.com are not comfortable with that the subscription it may be harder to find hookup women in this section. It is best to search in the "services offered" section.
The other primary virtue in the absence of Ichiro is that it allowed the Mariners to remove the cloud over the franchise that was the future of Felix Hernandez. They committed $175 million over seven years to a player at the peak of his game instead of one on the decline. And there is relatively little extra money dedicated to Hernandez before the 2015 re-opener of the club’s TV deal with ROOT Sports, which is projected by some as a huge windfall.
The one every-day position unresolved out of spring was catcher, where in 55 starts last year Jesus Montero did little to establish that he will be a major league-average catcher. But that may be a two-month proposition. If No. 1 draftee Mike Zunino responds as expected in his Class AAA apprenticeship, he can come up in June after he passes a service-time threshold that will delay his eligibility for arbitration down the road.
On the mound, the bullpen is solid and the rotation less so, with every starter behind Hernandez affixed with a question mark. But the pitchers, too, are without long-term contracts that could prove burdensome.
In short, it’s a prove-it year for most players on the roster. How very Pete Carroll. It wouldn’t have been possible without the lineup and payroll flexibility provided by the final major contribution to Seattle by Ichiro.
Remember, he was the one who asked to be traded.
As late as May, according to people in the front office who wanted anonymity, owner Hiroshi Yamauchi inquired about extending Ichiro’s contract, which would have been a debacle bordering on the epic. Ichiro is a very smart dude. Knowing a train wreck was coming, he got off early and let the Mariners appear to have saved themselves.
Similarly, the free-agent market saved the Mariners too, when the Angels out-bid them for Josh Hamilton, the brittle outfielder who is highly unlikely to provide five years of premium value for his $125 million guaranteed contract.
The decade-long hole in which the Mariners find themselves is so deep they needed help to get out. They found it, however inadvertently.
Ichiro was the leadoff hitter for 10 of the 12 previous opening days. He missed the 2009 opener, replaced by Endy Chavez, when Ichiro became so overwrought about his play in the World Baseball Classic that he had a stomach disorder. Last year he was in the opening day lineup, but bounced down to No. 3 spot in favor of, ahem, Figgins.
For a dozen years, he was The Man in Seattle. Many are grateful for his deeds, and many more should appreciate why his absence from the lineup tonight is the best thing that happened for the 2013 Mariners.
4 Comments
Hmmm. Interesting to finally hear something from the ‘inside’ about Ichi. Was there a news blackout enforced by some coalition of never-say-nay M’s boosters ( that’s only be 2 people who happen to have stayed there far too long)? Interesting to note that CA said he was hoping to sign Ichi again just before he left– Am I crazy or does that not speak to the ineptitude of Howard and Chuck?
Nice work. It’ll be an interesting wait and watch period. I’m guessin Flag day.
Yeah, he was the toast of the town. I wonder how long it’s going to be before they start screaming to trade Felix, the current toast of the town.
The last time Ichiro was happy as a Mariner was when Junior came back and his stats reflected that: .352 BA, 225 hits, 31 doubles, 11 HRs. A few chinks with failing to score over 100 runs for the first time (88) and only 26 SB’s but he bounced back with 42 the next season. You can’t force a player to be a person they aren’t and to tell Ichiro he’s paid enough so he better be a leader. There’s one thing to be a leader and another to be a good leader and IMO he recognized that.
That being said, the club was/is blatantly on a youth movement and that colored him, Figgins and a few others gone. Just like with Edgar, Randy Winn, Bret Boone and others in the early 00’s. Ichrio’s in a situation that fits him as that he’s on a largely veteran team that has played together for years whereas Mariner brass would sign players (Sexon, Beltre et al) and expect them to be able to have chemistry. Not so easy it seems.
My thinking right now is with Ichiro gone is Ackely the answer at leadoff? I really don’t see him in that role. Sure he’ll do what he’s asked but I don’t think leadoff fits his strengths as a hitter.
Well done Art – plenty of great inside information and a very good read. Ichiro was a real wet blanket and with him and Figgins gone we can only get better.
As to Ichiro’s increased batting average, 1 part adrenaline playing in front of Yankee Stadium sell-out crowds, 1 part much better hittting lineup and 1 part being on a team going to the playoffs.
Until Armstrong and Lincoln are gone, I won’t be paying $$$ for an M’s ticket. I hope the best for the M’s as they are the home town club, but 10 years of ripping us off is simply off the charts.
Do they have the negatives stored somewhere on the Japanese owner? That’s the only reasonable explanation I can arrive at as to why these 2 still have a job.