2013 Seattle Mariners

[12]

New dimensions at the Safe... Will it lead to a much better offensive ball club?

Not sure, but I do know this... I feel like this organization is without a doubt on its way up.

A system that is widely regarded as being in top five in baseball coupled with young players who could be primed to break out... This is a young team with a lot of talent, but it remains to be seen if they can put it together.

I think Dustin Ackley becomes one of the best all-around second basemen in the game this year. I still think this kid is a .300 hitting machine and learned a lot from last year's massively frustrating season. Hopefully the problem truly was bone spurs and nothing else. He needs to improve on his approach and get back to what made him one the most sought after hitters in the 2010 draft...

Justin Smoak... We all know this year is it for him. Sink or swim, get made or get broke. I've always believed in him, so hopefully something truly clicked last year and his finish to the 2012 season wasn't some sort of fluke. If he can get on track to the tune of .275/25/80, his future looks bright... But he's 26 and it's time to get it rolling. The leash should be short.

Michael Saunders is here to stay. He'll never be a superstar but this kid can play. I could easily see a line of .270 with 25+ home run pop.

Jesus Montero... I love the potential. You can't run and everyone knows that, but that's not why you were brought here. Edgar couldn't run, either. Just do me a favor and become the beast that I believe you can be with the bat. Keep the seat warm for Zunino in mid 2013 or early 2014 and you'll be our DH moving forward. Some don't believe that you're the elite hitting prospect once thought of, but I'm not one of them. At 23, and with the new dimensions, you're primed for a big year.

Kyle Seager can flat out hit. I expect a repeat of last year, except for a better average (.280 or so).

King Felix will have his best season ever. Yeah, new dimensions and all - I said it. He'll win 20 games this year and lock up his second Cy Young Award. I believe him when he said he will become better. A better team around him should only make him better, obviously - and he's elite.

Our bullpen will be filthy... I love Capps/Pryor/Furbush/Bartender. That is as formidable as it comes.

Our starting rotation, outside of Felix, is suspect and worrisome. Iwakuma is solid, but not great. Beavan, Saunders, and the rest don't impress me. What does is our crop of young arms down on the farm. My hope is that we get two of the Big Four (yes, Maurer is in their company) in the rotation by July. I think it will be Hultzen and Maurer. I know many might not think Hultzen's command issues were an aberration last year, but I do. This kid can pitch and his ceiling as a legit #2 is still very likely for him. I also think it could be likely that we see Paxton up as well, at some point. Erasmo Ramirez will be the most pleasant surprise of our pitching staff, cementing himself as our #3 starter. I could see anywhere from 10-14 wins and an ERA of about 3.75. What a boost that would be from a very capable arm.

Stefen Romero is a name that every M's fan knows by now. If he gets off to a hot start in Tacoma, look for a promotion. This kid can hit.

I am optimistic (for once). There's massive amounts of help coming. I mean, when you look at our top 10 prospects, it's hard to not get excited. Zunino, Walker, Hultzen, Franklin, Paxton, Romero, Maurer, Miller, Capps, Pryor... Those are all guys that are not that far away.

I think this year's team is an 85-win club with the possibility of 90. That's a far cry from what we have expected previously. The young players that we have must step up... Ackley is 25, Smoak is 26... Not old by any stretch, but the time to show massive leaps and bounds is now - which really, shouldn't be hard considering their 2012 campaigns... This is a club that could be going places, and while I have no allusions of grandeur about the playoffs, it's worth being excited.

2013 is going to be a very exciting and telling year for M's fans.

I hope the discussion here is solid, like it was last year. Please keep it civil and respectful of others and their opinions...

Go M's!

[ParisB]

As an Angels fan, I'm on board that Seattle has been A LOT better than what they seem. They're a stingy team and not your typical "last place" team. The AL West in general has been the best division the last couple of years (AL East gets all the hype) with the best winning percentages outside their division. They haven't had the typical cannon fodder (until now with the Astros) to beat up on and pad their records. Even when Oakland was last place, they always had great pitching and defense and were never easy wins.

I do think 90 wins is being overly optimistin, along with your player by player breakdown. Lots of ifs there and it's never wise to look at all the potential positive ifs. If we did that with the Angels, they will win 110 games.

Mariners can probably finish .500 this year with 81 wins. A couple extra games with the Astros and they will be right there.

Heck, I think if they were in the Central, they can give Detroit a run for their money. Seattle's road splits were pretty solid actually, and they would beat up on Minn, KC, Cle, and ChiS.

[seanjeezy]

I can see the M's with a mid-80's win total. They were absolutely dreadful against the AL East last year, and they only won two games combined against the White Sox and Padres... If they would've split with the Padres, O's and White Sox instead of going 3-21 combined, they are 83-79 with three deadweights and a bunch of underperformers (but I guess if they would've won those games they wouldn't be underperforming lol)... Their savings grace this year is that the 19 games against the Astros means less AL East, less White Sox, and less Padres. I think they play the AL Central roughly the same amount next year, although I think they play the Tigers less (don't see them losing 83% of their games against us next year so that's still a good thing).

I just don't see how a team with no Figgins, Olivo, and starting Noesi could be worse than last year... Do I see a drastic improvement of 90+ wins? only if the chips fall perfectly (aka Smoak, Ackely, and Montero turning into studs), but a modest improvement isn't out of the question.

[thaima1shu]

90 is a stretch. I don't have confidence in any of the starters beyond Felix. I think we'll hover right around .500, which would be a pretty great season, relatively to what we've seen before. That's really all I'm hoping for this year.

[12]

Quote: Originally Posted by ParisB

I do think 90 wins is being overly optimistin, along with your player by player breakdown. Lots of ifs there and it's never wise to look at all the potential positive ifs. If we did that with the Angels, they will win 110 games.

Agreed, but I don't think it's too outlandish. Look what Oakland did last year... If the young guys have a big turnaround, it could happen. Not likely, but could. Which really doesn't matter because 90 wins will not get them in the playoffs.

I give a 90-win season about a two in 10 chance of happening. This club could win 90, or they could win 75.

A lot needs to happen with the youngsters, that's for sure.

[seanjeezy]

So how 'bout those M's lol. Normally I wouldn't get so excited about some meaningless spring training games, but something feels different this year... Most encouraging thing I've heard is the players saying they're just trying to hit the ball hard and the they just happen to go over the fence. It's not like the HR's are cheap shots either, most of them have been well over the fence or rockets that get no higher than 30 ft off the ground. Hoping the power carries into the regular season!

[MachoMyers]

Is it a three man booth now for M's broadcasts or is that just for Spring Training? It seemed like Blowers was trying to fight to get involved in the discussion.

[seanjeezy]

Quote: Originally Posted by MachoMyers

Is it a three man booth now for M's broadcasts or is that just for Spring Training? It seemed like Blowers was trying to fight to get involved in the discussion.

It was a joint broadcast with the Rockies since both teams' games are televised by Root Sports. I think Huson (the Rockies guy) actually played for the Mariners for a bit, probably with Blowers lol