2008 Seattle Mariners

[Bat9th]

The Mariners needed some representation in this forum.

I love getting Bedard but the offense is worrisome. Sexson coming off a terrible season has bursitis in his shoulders. Beltre has a tore tendon in his wrist. I expect Ibanez to contribute as his usual, but he is only getting older.

This lineup seems to me lacking a true 3 and 4 hole hitter. Thats a pretty big deal. The starting pitching should be much improved, but the bullpen looks alittle weak at the moment also.

The Mariners best take advantage of the Angels injuries early if they want a chance at winning the division.

[ty5oke]

I really like the M's team this year. I expect big things from Beltre 35 HR 100 RBI but I always say that. Sexson may be done, I really hope he can give a .250 avg and 35 HR. I would be very pleased with those numbers for the big SEXY. Ibanez "steady as he goes" will be solid. I keep waiting for Lopez to break out, it looks like he will be slotted in the 2 hole which should give him confidence and hopefully he will produce.

I see no reason why we shouldn't be an average to above average Hitting squad. I hope Bloomquist will see playing time, he can play pretty much anywhere and has great speed (something M's lack besides Ichiro).

The pitching side of things is where we will win games. Bedard has proven he has "Ace" material, although he hasn't looked sharp this spring. I expect him to be fine once season starts. Felix needs to be more consistent, another year of maturity might help. Washburn I'm not a big fan of, but he gets the job done. I expect 10-15 wins from him, Silva, and Batista. I really like the addition of Silva, heavy sinker will go very well with the M's infield defense.

If the bullpen stays healthy it will be a great pen. Morrows health really concerns me. I like the two leftys with Rowland-Smith and O'flarrety(sp). It's too bad Rhodes couldn't make the team, he looked very good this spring but no room for a third lefty.

[Coug00]

IMO, the key to the whole season is health. The M's have such a fine line for success because their depth is awful. Right now they're better than the Angels, due to their injury issues. If the same injuries strike Seattle the M's are in a HUGE mess.

The starting rotation is very good and arguably the best they've ever had. I hope Felix starts throwing his 2-seam fastball a little more often...that is one nasty pitch. I'm interested to see how Stottlemyre's approach of throwing inside more often helps. I'm glad he's going to make Washburn mix up his pitches more.

I like the bullpen and I'm glad they sent Morrow down to AA. He needs time to work as a starter, even though I doubt they're patient enough to do that with him. As mentioned Putz, O'Flaherty, RRS, Green, and Lowe make a pretty dang good backend.

I'm really iffy on the offense. Its only realistic to expect a bit of a slide from Ibanez. No more Guillen and instead replace with Wilkerson. Lopez is basically in a do or die mode at 2b. If he doesn't produce this year I don't know how he remains in Seattle next year with his bad work habits and sloppy approach at the plate. I might be the happiest person in the world that this is the last year Vidro is under contract. A slap hitting, slow DH with no power. Its amazing how much money comes off the books next year (Ibanez, Sexson, Vidro, Washburn, etc).

The defense is upgraded slightly with Wilkerson instead of Guillen. Ibanez is still a pretty big liability (as well as Sexson). The rest of the infield should be solid again. I hope Johjima can keep it up, but he's starting to get to that age for a catcher though.

The bench is brutal. I know ty5oke like's him, but I can't stand Bloomquist (mostly because of his ego). He and Cairo make the weakest hitting pair to come off the bench in baseball. Willie has some value as a pinch runner as he runs the bases very well. Cairo doesn't and I don't know why he's on the team. I'm excited to see them finally give Morse some playing time against lefties to see what he can do.

All in all, I like the M's chances of winning the West due to the Angels bad luck. If the same bad luck strikes Seattle they're probably no better than a 75-80 win team.

[snepp]

Quote: Originally Posted by Coug00

He and Cairo make the weakest hitting pair to come off the bench in baseball.

The Twins' futility infielder duo of Nick Punto and Matt Tolbert won't go down without a fight.

Let's just say I can sympathize with terrible bench construction.

[Coug00]

Quote: Originally Posted by snepp

The Twins' futility infielder duo of Nick Punto and Matt Tolbert won't go down without a fight. Let's just say I can sympathize with terrible bench construction.

Twinkies win the futility bench tag team belts. Cairo is now in the starting lineup (for the time being). Let's see, the M's have now lost Putz, Bedard, and Beltre. Sweet! Only time before Felix pulls up lame and Ichiro goes blind.

The team had to stay healthy to have any shot at all and 3 of the top 5 guys are out. And Bedard's looks to be very significant. I still can't believe they traded Jones and Sherrill for a guy who has pitched only 1 full season in his career. The M's sure couldn't use those two right about now.

With the Angels and M's injury woes the AL West might be one of the worst divisions in recent history.

[Blazerfan07]

Damn It Richie Sexon How Did Throwing Your Batting Helmet At Kason Gabbard Help The Team Out Again We Don't Need Suspensions We Need W'S .

[Coug00]

Quote: Originally Posted by Blazerfan07

Damn It Richie Sexon How Did Throwing Your Batting Helmet At Kason Gabbard Help The Team Out Again We Don't Need Suspensions We Need W'S .

The 2008 Seattle Mariners



I pray this means the end of Lincoln, Armstrong, Bavasi, and McLaren.

[Blazerfan07]

Why Mack Is A Good Skipper.

[ChrisPaul_3]

Seattle 2-8 in the last 10, hope Texas can beat them today.

[Lester206]

we suck =(