Mariners' Zduriencik Sticking With Plan - Gary Armida's Blog

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Gary Armida's Blog

Mariners' Zduriencik Sticking With Plan Stuck

Posted on December 3, 2012 at 07:46 PM.

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(Nashville, Tennessee) �Jack, get a bat! You need a bat! Everyone knows what I need to do. I know, you know, and the fans know,� said Seattle Mariners General Manager Jack Zduriencik. The Mariners� head man is quite honest when assessing his team as he heads into his final year under his own current contract. With that environment in place, one would expect Zduriencik to be overly aggressive, to show that he is addressing the team�s immediate needs. But, that wouldn�t quite fit with how Zduriencik operates.

�I can�t even pay attention to that (the final year of his deal). I was brought in here for my skillset, player development. I�m going to continue to operate that way,� stated Zduriencik.

Zduriencik�s club comes to the Winter Meetings in the middle of their development. They fielded a lineup that had an average age of 27 years old. They have a farm system that does have some highly regarded prospects such as Nick Franklin, Brad Miller, and Mike Zunino. Although there is some promise, the 2012 Mariners ranked last in the American League in runs scored, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. They were the worst offensive club in the Major Leagues. Zduriencik believes in his young players, but would love to bring in the bat everyone knows he needs. �I�d love to bring in a veteran to take some of the pressure off of the younger players. But, that veteran comes at a price and it has to be at our price.�

While he is committed to letting his young team develop, he is open to a trade, even his young prospects. �I never like to say that anyone is untouchable. We are open to things for sure. Would I want to trade those kids? No, I�d be tickled pink if they came up and played their whole career in Seattle,� said Zduriencik. �I mean trading Felix isn�t a smart move, but we�d have to listen to offers on anyone else.�

The Mariners core offense revolves around a young trio of players, Jesus Montero, Kyle Seager, and Dustin Ackley. The 22 year old Montero did hit 19 home runs during his rookie season, but he disappointed with a slash line of .260/.298/.386. Picked by many to win the Rookie of the Year Award before the season, Montero had difficulty hitting in his new park and showed little patience at the plate. Dustin Ackley struggled through the season and finished at just .226/.294/.328. The 24 year old Seager surprised with 20 home runs, but he did that with a .316 on base percentage. Michael Saunders launched 19 home runs, but he also had a poor on base percentage (.306).

The results are poor, but Zduriencik does caution not to write this group off. �You look at Montero and you see that he hit the most home runs by a young player for us since ARod. He projects to be a much more complete hitter. Ackley played on a bad ankle all year. Seager got better as the year went on. How many were writing off Saunders before last year?�

There is truth to that. The 2012 Mariners were inexperienced. �We had 13 players on our Opening Day roster who had less than a year�s experience. That grew to 19 players before the end of the season,� stated the fourth year General Manager. If Zduriencik was brought in to develop the farm system and see that talent on the Major League level, there is a certain level of patience that has to be involved. Growing a barren farm system into one that does have some interesting talent takes time. Zduriencik is already towards the end of that time. It is also the reason why he won�t overpay to add a bat. �Every club has strengths and weaknesses, let�s not kid ourselves. Every team has a flaw. You have to make the most of your strengths.�

The Mariners� strengths lie on the other side of the field. Felix Hernandez is one of the best pitchers in the sport. Zduriencik has elite level pitching prospects almost ready to flank his elite ace. They also have a solid bullpen. The pitching staff finished third in the American League with a 3.76 ERA and third in walks per nine. The Mariners� defense was also one of the best in the league, ranking fourth in UZR and sixth in DRS.

Their strength could be rooted in a farm system that Zduriencik and his staff built through the marriage of advanced statistical analysis and traditional scouting. They need time to develop. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that Montero was a rookie and that Ackley doesn�t have two full seasons in yet. And, there are players who could help, according to Zduriencik, this season. �Who knows? Maybe Franklin is ready? Miller isn�t that far behind either. And, who knows what happens with Zunino? These guys could helps us soon. If that happens and our Major League guys develop, then you have something. You have a young, dynamic offense.�

Zduriencik believes that his offensive core can develop. He and the organization made the decision to help the young club by moving the fences in this season. �The reason we decided to move the fences was more psychological than anything else. We�d come back from a road trip where we�d sweep Colorado or slug with the Rangers and have a 10 game homestand. Our guys would feel like they have to change things to hit here. You can�t have that. We just wanted a more fair park.�

The 2012 Mariners hit .220/.291/.331 and scored just 257 runs while hitting 106 doubles, 8 triples, and 56 home runs at home. By contrast, they hit .247/.300/.403 while scoring 362 runs on 135 doubles, 19 triples, and 93 home runs. A shallow fence will definitely help the production as well as the psyche of the young offense. But, at what cost? Will it come at the expense of the pitching staff?

�I think our stadium will play fair and that it is easier for a pitcher to adjust to a park than it is for the hitters,� said Zduriencik.

When Jack Zduriencik first took over the Mariners, the team was coming off of a 61-101 season. Their clubhouse was in turmoil, they shrunk under the weight of expectations, and the farm system was one of the worst in the League. Perhaps the worst thing to happen to Jack Zduriencik was the surprising 2009 season when the Mariners won 85 games. The team vastly overachieved; they had a run differential of minus-52, but everything went their way. The organization went from one that was in dire need of an overhaul to one that was perceived as a real contender.

That one year was the aberration as the shaky foundation and oddities of 2009 predictably didn�t return in 2010. The real rebuild was necessary and taking effect. Since 2009, the Mariners have gotten younger, started to rebuild the farm system, and have cultivated a good pitching development program. The thing about prospects is that they need time. Not only do they need time to develop, but they need experience at the Major League level.

Jack Zduriencik was brought in to draft and develop that talent. With just a year left on his deal, he could make a couple of moves to get a winning season a new contract. Instead, he is continuing with his plan, even if takes a little while longer.