tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55141962011-04-21T10:55:07.065-07:00Cracking "The Safe": The Seattle MarinersEverything to do with the Seattle MarinersJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comBlogger691100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1150098585402587552006-06-12T00:19:00.000-07:002006-06-12T00:49:45.670-07:00Some guys are destined to be relievers. Maybe their fastball and changeup are lights out, but their curveball is out of the park. Maybe their control takes a vacation from time to time. For these men, the seventh, eigth, and ninth innings are their chance to go toe to toe with baseball royalty and play the hero or the goat. Relievers, by this rationale, must be forgiven for their unbridled Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1150054686916231902006-06-11T11:59:00.000-07:002006-06-11T12:38:06.966-07:00Out of hiatus, I'm back to the blogging. I've been following the M's closely this season and it's been really hard not to chime in the good, bad, and ugly.After last nights game, I had a couple of observations. Gil Meche held a good hitting Angels team in check despite horrible command of his fastball. Sound familiar? It should, Mariner starters have all had their bouts with "fastballitis". Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1077959439414554602004-02-28T01:10:00.000-08:002004-02-28T01:12:44.246-08:00One quick note that I hadn't seen mentioned elsewhere about Snelling's injury (sorry if somebody else already mentioned this) was that:
A Mariners spokesperson said the surgery went well and Snelling, who previously broke the hamate bone which never completely healed, could be sidelined for about six weeks.
So really, this isn't a new injury at all. Just like Snelling suffered a reaccurance Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1077958280778699182004-02-28T00:51:00.000-08:002004-02-28T00:53:25.030-08:00I couldn't pass up this lovely nugget from Baseball Prospectus' glossary of statistical terms....
Ugueto Effect
The Ugueto Effect is name given to the phenomenon in which very poor players are associated with very high Breakout scores. It is far easier for a player like Luis Ugueto, who would produce about 40 EQR over a full season, to improve upon that figure by 20% than it is for Alex Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1077882358069859952004-02-27T03:45:00.000-08:002004-02-27T03:48:01.543-08:00There is this dream I can't shake, it goes something like this.
All the Major League owners are sitting in a large conference room around a giant marble conference table. Marble? Maybe oak. Oak is more like it.
Bug Selig is MC'ing the whole shindig in a cheap suit that he bought from George Zimmer, smiling his slippery smile. Each owner scribble their team's name on a coaster from Hooters Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1077881250047350742004-02-27T03:27:00.000-08:002004-02-27T03:29:33.763-08:00Crack open a sixer and head on over to Olympia Mariner. Welcome, Welcome, drinks are on you guys!Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1077880206398483302004-02-27T03:10:00.000-08:002004-02-27T03:12:10.326-08:00While Bob Melvin sounds very optimistic that Soriano will be ready for Opening Day, I am not holding my breath. It took Dan Wilson longer to return than was originally expected after he suffered a similar injury last year.
The clearest beneficiary of this bad news would be anyone with a right arm, who talents preferably lie in the realm of shutting down two to three batters at a time. To all Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1077791141301303312004-02-26T02:25:00.000-08:002004-02-27T02:39:01.186-08:00I love Grand Salami, no matter what they say about me! =)Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1077790481977370082004-02-26T02:14:00.000-08:002004-02-26T02:16:44.810-08:00Here is the an early version of the new template....hope your eyes enjoy.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1077780002521098472004-02-25T23:20:00.000-08:002004-02-25T23:22:05.170-08:00I haven't dropped off the face of the planet, so don't stop checking back in. VERY soon I will start a new series of posts revolving around Spring Training.
Also keep an eye out for a whole new look to this blog....
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1077179049005904632004-02-19T00:24:00.000-08:002004-02-19T00:28:26.560-08:00Extreme Kudos to the St. Louis Cardinals for locking up Albert Pujols for the next 7 season for $100 million.
This is a great signing because:
A. Pujols is obviously one of the games rising stars. If not for Barry, he is the reigning MVP. With this deal, St. Louis has locked him up from age 24-31, all of his prime years.
B. This sets the price infostructure for any big deals that get Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1076568414472875982004-02-11T22:46:00.000-08:002004-02-11T22:48:42.686-08:00Pitchers and Catchers Report Soon.....
Which means that I will have something other than the Mariners Blogosphere Simulated Baseball League to write about.
Listening to Groz and Gas on 950 KJR this afternoon reminded me that February is the most boring month of the year for a sports fan. Is anybody excited about who gets a minor league invitation to try out for a major league team in Spring Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1076538405941305082004-02-11T14:26:00.000-08:002004-02-11T14:29:24.746-08:00The Mariner Optimist thinks my selection of Richie Sexson is odd. Surely I would take the best 2nd baseman available right? Well, my answer is that Jeff Kent (at least the 2003 version) is incredibly overrated.
Outside of Boone, Giles, Soriano, and Vidro, I didn't think that any second baseman warranted a high pick.
Jeff Kent posted a nice .860 OPS, sure, but his EQA last year was .284. Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1076407697310184682004-02-10T02:08:00.000-08:002004-02-10T02:12:55.293-08:00Gabe over at the "well worth your reading time" The Safe has my team ranked third out of 10 through 6 rounds. He likes my "underappreciated" stategy as well. He was a little baffled by my pick of Reggie Sanders though.
Well Gabe, quite simply, Reggie Sanders was the best RF prospect left. He mashes LHP to the tune of a 1.015 OPS. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough RH hitters so I Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1076405263403070202004-02-10T01:27:00.000-08:002004-02-10T01:34:20.076-08:00Taking a cue from The Mariner Optimist, I thought I might give my own predictions for what each team in the MBSBL Draft will pick. In a sense, I will be donning the "Draft Guru" hat.
Here we go:
Round 8
- Sodo Oh No just took Jeff Kent who I would have selected with my next pick. All the impact 2B are now off the board. Half the teams will now turn to secondary options to fill this spot.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1076121134606913932004-02-06T18:32:00.000-08:002004-02-06T18:33:57.903-08:00I sense a theme in my picks for the MBSBL. I think I am going to dub my team (at least through 5 rounds) "The All Under-Appreciated Team". With the possible exception of Halladay (but even he has had a recent coming of age), Delgado, Renteria, Huff, and Garret Anderson get nowhere near as much credit as others at their position.
The Mariner Optimist has my team ranked 9th out of 10 teams. IJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1075972575485974762004-02-05T01:16:00.000-08:002004-02-05T01:17:57.153-08:00I selected Edgar Renteria with my third pick. Some people might think that this is overvaluing him, but after A-Rod, I'll take Renteria over Tejada, Garciaparra, or Jeter any day of the week. He is a very solid defensive shortstop, hits for great average, gets on base and steals a lot of them too.
There were better players available but not at this position. IMHO, Mora isn't worth as much Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1075534639720870042004-01-30T23:37:00.000-08:002004-01-30T23:38:56.030-08:00A hearty blogosphere welcome to:
Sons of Buhner and
San Shin
Both of these blogs look to have quality contributors so take a gander....
Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1075530737144243862004-01-30T22:32:00.000-08:002004-02-05T01:18:48.403-08:00I'll post a running commentary of my picks for the Mariners Blogosphere Simulated Baseball League.
The first thing I should point out is, no, I am not a huge Blue Jays fan. My first two picks happen to play for them and I don't expect to pick anybody else (unless Vernon Wells slides down a few rounds).
My first pick, Carlos Delgado, wasn't a tough selection. He is only an average defensive Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1075425687778645222004-01-29T17:21:00.000-08:002004-01-29T17:34:18.170-08:00Oh Boy, Finnigan is running his mouth again....
I don't usually like to sling mud at baseball writers because, after all, this blog is hardly of professional quality. But just so often, I wonder how on God's Green Earth some writers got their jobs. Ok, not some, just Bob Finnigan.
If you are going to work as a Mariner beat writer, shouldn't you know a little bit about the team? Folks, Bob Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1075371507322512482004-01-29T02:18:00.000-08:002004-01-29T02:20:02.013-08:00M's Miss The Boat with Pudge
It should come as no shocker that the AP is reporting that Pudge Rodriguez is close to signing with the Tigers.
The deal is rumored to be for 4 years and $40 million. There may possibly be a five team option year involved for 2008 which would push this deal closer to $50 million. Are we M's fans surprised? Hardly.
Signing Pudge for 4 years borders on insanityJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1075191958622335852004-01-27T00:25:00.000-08:002004-01-27T00:27:31.140-08:00Cirillo in Pinstripes?
I love most of the stuff that Scott Rex over at ON Deck Baseball writes. He does a nice job of mixing in prospect news and rankings with MLB updates. Check his site out.
That being said, Scott posted an interesting (to be kind) idea about how the Yanks can fill their just opened hole at 3rd Base now that Little Boonie, Aaron Boone has blown out his knee playing hoops.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1075188424624036612004-01-26T23:27:00.000-08:002004-01-26T23:28:37.093-08:00According to Dave "Softy" Mahler on KJR this afternoon, the Associated Press is reporting that Kaz is in town today to finalize the termination of his contract....
Which means that barring a lot of drawn out formalities (can you imagine the red tape that Major League Baseball could run this thing through, "Uh we are in the process of filing the appropriate papers"), the M's will be $9.5 million Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1074851644108837242004-01-23T01:54:00.000-08:002004-01-26T00:17:21.090-08:00Steve at the Mariners Wheelhouse has a nice post about why Pudge might be a good fit for the M's. His theory is that if Ben Davis falls flat on his face this year, the M's will be in desperate need of a catcher next season.
Good catchers are obviously a hot commodity and since no one in our minor league system is ready to step up in 2005, the acquisition of a catcher makes sense. Steve Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1074736459818897512004-01-22T02:08:00.000-08:002004-01-22T02:08:07.873-08:00With the signings of Gil Meche and Joel Pineiro, the M's rotation (barring a trade involving Garcia) looks to be set for next season. Just out of curiousity, I checked to see what Dan Szymborski at Baseball Primer had tallied for our starting five in his 2004 ZiPS Projections.
Here's how it stacks up:
Freddy Garcia: 34 games - 15-10 W-L Record - 3.77 ERA - 217 IP
Jamie Moyer: 33 games - 15Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1074680842908128022004-01-21T02:27:00.000-08:002004-01-21T02:28:49.500-08:00Kaz's departure certainly raises a multitude of questions.
1. Who is the new closer?
The odds here favor Eddie Guardado for many reasons. First, Guardado has the most closing experience of any of the candidates. A solid track record gives him the edge. Hasegawa is a decent alternative but his versatility should not be wasted. This guy can wear any role like a custom suit. He'll be seeingJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1074331541335010792004-01-17T01:25:00.000-08:002004-01-17T01:27:03.983-08:00The Mariners have released their official 2004 Spring Training Invitee Roster.
One glance at this list confirms what many in the blogosphere and, slowly but surely, the Seattle media, have been surmising for awhile. This roster is unremarkable to say the least.
But one name did catch my eye. A name that I remember hearing from a few years back. 1B Bucky Jacobsen. Heck, anyone with the Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073984111131887542004-01-13T00:55:00.000-08:002004-01-13T00:56:29.420-08:00The Mariner Optimist has mentioned that perhaps we are the only two blogs in the Mariner Blogosphere who share optimism about the Mariner's chances in 2004.
I guess where I differ from some other blog writers is that I would rather focus on a scenario other than doom and gloom. I don't want to look at every possible way that Quinton McCracken or Raul Ibanez will cost us games. They may well Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073860470303633092004-01-11T14:34:00.000-08:002004-01-11T14:35:47.466-08:00Should we conceed the AL West to Anaheim now that they are
on the verge of landing Vlad?
If Vlad's back is healthy, this is a HUGE signing for them. In tandem with Jose Guillen, Bartolo Colon, and Kelvim Escobar, 2004 Angels team is a lot more stacked than their 2003 version. Arturo Moreno has taken a page out of Angelos' book in Baltimore and opened up his pocketbook in fine Steinbrenner Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073771368937353902004-01-10T13:49:00.000-08:002004-01-11T13:31:36.593-08:00Steve at Mariner's Wheelhouse couldn't disagree with me more about McCracken.
Steve says:
As can be seen, save for the fluke season of 2002, for the last six years McCracken has not had a batting average over .250, an OBP higher than .317, or a SLG greater than .324. Looking at his career stats as Jim urges, I don't see how you could reasonably expect McCracken to post the 270/.330/.360 line Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073727399836967372004-01-10T01:36:00.000-08:002004-01-10T01:37:54.920-08:00Before everyone decides to bash me for my post about McCracken, take the time to look at this guys career stats. When healthy, he not nearly half as bad a player as some would make him out to be. I think it reeks of ignorance when people say a player is bad just because they read it on a respected blog.
With that said....bash away!Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073726250258545502004-01-10T01:17:00.000-08:002004-01-10T01:18:45.590-08:00If you are absolutely convinced that Quinton McCracken is terrible baseball player, stop reading right now....
I'm going to give you a stat line that doesn't belong to Mr. McCracken....
.226/.251/.307 in 343 ABs for $6,000,000.
Ladies and gentleman, your 2003 stat line for former McCracken teammate Tony Womack. That is actually just as bad as McCracken's 2003 line. And Womack made more Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073641645128040032004-01-09T01:47:00.000-08:002004-01-09T01:48:39.606-08:00The 2004 Mariners Minus Carlos Guillen = +4-5 wins
I'm not going to blow you away with stats to back that up.
Let's just say that in my book, Aurilia and a less distracted Garcia equals a 4 to 5 game advantage on last season.
If only some of Trader Bill's other moves didn't reek of negatives...Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073558160487494532004-01-08T02:36:00.000-08:002004-01-08T02:42:08.686-08:00Introducing the Newest Mariner Rich Aurilia.
It really seems that folks should be more excited about this signing than they actually are. Are we so jaded about missing out on Tejada that we forgot that Aurilia is actually a real honest to goodness upgrade over Guillen? Are we fooled into thinking that Rich is just a minor upgrade?
When comparing Aurilia and Guillen's three year splits side byJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073519877773414552004-01-07T15:57:00.000-08:002004-01-07T15:59:11.500-08:00Bavasi and Melvin had some interesting bits to say about the Cirillo deal.
Melvin seems to think that Jarvis will be the flexible spot starter and junk time reliever out of the pen. Basically Giovanni Carrera part II. But if you read between the lines, barring miraculous career turn arounds in Spring Training, there is NO WAY that all three of the big league players we acquired will make Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073463141460462362004-01-07T00:12:00.000-08:002004-01-07T00:13:34.390-08:00Cirillo is officially out of Seattle
I'm definitely not excited about Kevin Jarvis or Wiki Gonzalez. But considering that the M's are saving money on this deal (despite the assertion that they wouldn't, check out Trident Fever for a good breakdown of the money involved), I think keeping Cirillo was a much worse option. Cirillo's attitude alone screams clubhouse cancer, even if he comes acrossJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073462120369456102004-01-06T23:55:00.000-08:002004-01-06T23:56:33.450-08:00Ah Petey
Like a lot of folks, I'm torn about Pete Rose.
As a player, Pete demonstrated fire, passion, and flair for the game like none other. His hits record will not be eclipsed anytime soon and may be just as untouchable as DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.
So without rehashing the semanitics (because I know you have heard them all), I'll state my position on Pete Rose as concisely as Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1073381325411465342004-01-06T01:28:00.000-08:002004-01-06T01:29:57.123-08:00Ok. I'm back from my extended break. It was nice to escape the madness of work and school for long enough to breathe. I've got some catching up to do apparently...
Carlos Guillen, Rich Aurillia, Pete Rose, Jeff Cirillo, Kevin Jarvis etc. will be on the docket later today...Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1072304188030592162003-12-24T14:16:00.000-08:002003-12-24T14:17:27.590-08:00As Rick so eloquently pointed out, Russell Branyan would be a nice Christmas stucking stuffer for M's fans, on the cheap.
Santa Bavasi should know that M's fans have been EXTREMELY nice for years....
Here's to something other than a big fat lump of coal!Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1072303870232291142003-12-24T14:11:00.000-08:002003-12-28T23:21:55.983-08:00Check out the update on the Cirillo No-Trade Clause piece I wrote....
Steve at the newly renamed Mariner's Wheelhouse gave me some interesting tidbits to add....Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1072302482659932982003-12-24T13:48:00.000-08:002003-12-24T13:49:01.763-08:00Merry Christmas to all out there in Blogger-Land. I am excited for the new year and the rise of Mariner-talk on the Internet. Due to the lack of activity in the baseball world over the next few days, I will take a short hiatus and be back after Christmas...
Thanks for reading!
JamesJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1072169600746625002003-12-23T00:53:00.000-08:002003-12-23T00:54:18.280-08:00If you haven't visited On-Deck Baseball, you are really missing out on a great baseball blog. This site stays very updated and mixes a nice amount of prospect reporting with ML News and commentary.
There are a couple nice updates about M's reliever George Sherill in there as well. I think that his dominance in the Puerto Rican League might make the M's more inclined to use their small budgetJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1072166445578708602003-12-23T00:00:00.000-08:002003-12-24T14:10:49.373-08:00Re-examining the No-Trade Clause
Jeff Cirillo remains a Mariner. Try as he may, Bill Bavasi can't seem to get him out of town. Which got me thinking about the ramifications of the no-trade clause on team's ability to make moves.
Let me start off first by noting that 10/5 guys really don't apply to this discussion because they are granted the right to vetoe any trade after 10 years of MajorJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1072128877747550332003-12-22T13:34:00.000-08:002003-12-22T13:35:35.076-08:00I've still gotta believe that the M's are going to actively shop Garcia until and maybe through Spring Training. Outside of the big name guys (Schilling, Colon, etc.) who changed teams this season, the market was and is now extremely light on top pitching talent. I agree with Bavasi's comment that Freddy would certainly have been the best pitcher non-tendered. The M's were wise to hang on to Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1072128451430180852003-12-22T13:27:00.000-08:002003-12-22T13:29:09.106-08:00Trident Fever has an interesting retort to my Guardado/Rhodes analysis. I still think that Guardado was a good pickup even at that price. He's still making less than Arthur this year. But Kudos to you John for your educated take.
I also agree with John that Julio Mateo is extremely underrated. The guy is in a similar position to what Ryan Franklin was two years ago. Mateo could probably Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071901590814229482003-12-19T22:26:00.000-08:002003-12-19T22:27:25.686-08:00I realize that John over at Trident Fever was trying to make a compeling argument as to why Arthur Rhodes was a more economical choice, but sadly he missed a few noteworthy facts.
#1. Oakland signed Rhodes to be their closer. Rhodes for his career TERRIBLE at saving games. For his career Arthur is 17 for 44 in save opportunities. That means he gets the job done about 39% of the time for his Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071898272506088102003-12-19T21:31:00.000-08:002003-12-19T21:32:07.263-08:00Steve's Mariners and Stuff is debating whether or not Richard Hidalgo would be a good acquisition for the M's.
The knee-jerk reaction to that question is a resounding "no" largely thanks to his huge $12 million contract in 2004. But let's say for the sake of this argument that the Astros picked up part of the tab.
Obviously, acquiring Hidalgo would make Randy Winn expendable. He's signed Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071884706056763642003-12-19T17:45:00.000-08:002003-12-19T17:46:00.466-08:00Last little Aubrey Huff soundbite and I will shut up.
Huff wrote a nice little article about managing the count as a hitter where he name drops two Mariner products, A-Rod and Edgar, as prime examples of classic line-drive hitters to emulate.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071884366062490602003-12-19T17:39:00.000-08:002003-12-19T17:40:20.560-08:00The Chi-Sox resigned Carlos Lee and Kelly Wunsch today.
Lee will get a two year deal worth $15 million to stay in Chicago. He will make $6.5 million in 2004 and $8 million in 2005 with a club option for 2006 at $8.5 million.
I like Carlos Lee. I think he is definitely not given the credit he deserves (mostly because he shares an outfield with Magglio). His second half numbers show him to Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071827023908782422003-12-19T01:43:00.000-08:002003-12-19T01:44:37.670-08:00Hell, Huff's line was even better than Nomar's last year.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071826937005744282003-12-19T01:42:00.000-08:002003-12-19T01:43:10.796-08:00How many guys can you name who hit .311 with 34 HRs and 107 RBIs last year while making $325,000?
Just one, Aubrey Huff.
Huff's season line was fantastic: .311/.367/.555
Sure, he played half his games at Tropicana. But he actually hit 19 of his 34 roundtrippers on the road. What makes Huff's 2003 line so incredible is what he did against LHP. You would be hard pressed to make a case that Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071824012001343022003-12-19T00:53:00.000-08:002003-12-19T00:54:25.606-08:00In Letterman-like fashion, I give you....
The Top Ten Reasons To Be Happy A-Rod Is Still A Ranger
Number 10: Maybe this means Magglio might come here...Oh Nevermind....
Number 9: Manny won't be lobbing balls onto Royal Brougham all year....
Number 8: The Texas fans might hate him as much as we do....
Number 7: Nomah...Nomah...Nomah....can you say Bo-Sox new clubhouse cancer?
Number 6: Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071783429795264952003-12-18T13:37:00.000-08:002003-12-18T13:38:03.200-08:00Will The Real Ben Davis Please Stand Up
Ah Ben. How's J-Lo...oops wrong Ben.
It's easy to forget sometimes that we have a catcher on our team not named Dan. Ben Davis was easily the biggest first half surprise and possibly the biggest second half flop of any Mariner in 2003.
How can the same person post a .294/.333/.490 line before the All-Star Break and a .140/.204/.204 line after?
Some Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071740319808756082003-12-18T01:38:00.000-08:002003-12-18T01:39:32.610-08:00Trident Fever posted a lovely breakdown of the projected 2004 lineup for Oakland with their 2003 OPS lines.
If you are having a hard time feeling good about the 2004 M's, take a look. Trust me, you'll feel better.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071694762703952372003-12-17T12:59:00.000-08:002003-12-17T13:00:14.686-08:00Boston sure is looking to add payroll....
A-Rod and Magglio.....hmm how 'bout non-tendering your RF Theo?Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071692177981386302003-12-17T12:16:00.000-08:002003-12-17T12:17:10.543-08:00Ooops....it's so hard to keep things straight sometimes. But the actual origin of the "King Felix" tag should be attributed to the fellas at the USS Mariner.
The Origin of King Felix
Sorry for the confusion.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071656204138749372003-12-17T02:16:00.000-08:002003-12-17T02:18:29.000-08:00Trot Nixon needs to be Bill Bavasi's idol this week.
I know, I know...he doesn't hit lefthanders. But Safeco is death to RH hitters and I don't see a ton of LH hitters who mash LHP anyway.
Trot's Splits at ESPN.com
Trot's 3 year Splits are pretty nice :
Overall: .279/.369/.514
Against LHP: .221/.303/.341
Against RHP: .295/.386/.560
And how did he hit in Safeco over that period?
.300/Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071651827661881752003-12-17T01:03:00.000-08:002003-12-17T12:14:35.936-08:00Prospect Watch 2004 Part II
Felix Hernandez.....say it to yourself.
Dubbed "King Felix" by the irreplaceable USS Mariner crew(check them out at USS Mariner), this kid (he will turn 18 at the beginning of the season) had a phenomenal debut.
Standing 6'2" and weighing in at 208 lbs, Hernandez has a nice build. He uses it to sling a mid to upper 90's fastball toward the plate. He uses the Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071649336194579512003-12-17T00:22:00.000-08:002003-12-17T00:23:08.186-08:00Thanks also to Jason at USS Mariner, the undisputed king of M's blogs. He also gets extreme bonus points for figuring out my Office Space reference.
If you don't know what we're talking about, rent Office Space, and get back to me....Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071644011221558662003-12-16T22:53:00.000-08:002003-12-16T22:54:22.700-08:00Huge thanks to Steve at Steve's Mariners and other Stuff as well as Paul at Ahoy The SS Mariner! for the links and shout outs!
The M's Blogging Community is going to take out Beantown and The Big Apple baby!Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071639509885286022003-12-16T21:38:00.000-08:002003-12-16T21:39:21.530-08:00The M's Blogosphere grows daily.... I'll do my best to keep up and link everyone under my links section. I know that I have been reading the good ones daily for awhile now...We have some serious writing talent in Marinerland, certainly a lot more interesting reading than what the Times and PI spit out.Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071639374211183722003-12-16T21:36:00.000-08:002003-12-16T21:37:05.890-08:00Pheww!!! Vizquel to Seattle got nixed!
This trade made no sense, looked a lot like a PR stunt, and would have been disastrous on the field.
Note to Bill Bavasi.... Use the friggin money to sign someone BETTER than what we already have. Got it? Sheesh....
I'll be back later to post my second installment of Prospect Watch 2004....Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071573432686023822003-12-16T03:17:00.000-08:002003-12-16T03:18:41.436-08:00Since most of the other blogs are focusing on the current disasterous state of affairs in Marinerland, I thought I might shift my focus to something positive for 2004 and beyond
Today marks the first in a string of Prospect Watch 2004 Reports.
My first candidate? Not a prospect anymore (oops!)
Rafael Soriano put that distinction to rest last year with a dominating second half series of Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071572423519418452003-12-16T03:00:00.000-08:002003-12-16T03:04:02.500-08:00Vizquel to the M's? For Guillen?
Larry Stone seems to think so....
Does this make any sense? Why would the M's want to acquire an older more expensive version of Carlos Guillen who they just locked up for the bargain price of $2.5 million a year ($3.4 million with performance bonuses). Omar will make $7 million next year.
I realize that Bavasi has pulled off some stinkers so far, but I Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071571956529434692003-12-16T02:52:00.000-08:002003-12-16T02:54:01.810-08:00Quinton McCracken. Not even in town yet, but already dogged.
Most sites point out that "Q" as Melvin likes to call him has posted only 1 good year in his last 5. I'd like to take the opportunity to point out that he has only really played a full year once in the last five years.
After his 155 game, 614 AB 1998 campaign with Tampa Bay, Q played a grand total of:
40 Games in 1999
15 Games in Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071474072133055622003-12-14T23:41:00.000-08:002003-12-14T23:42:01.856-08:00I stayed away while all the Miggy rumors flew around....
So the Orioles made a better offer. Not necessarily a smarter offer for the long term picture, but a great offer financially for Tejada.
The M's final offer of 5 years, $45 million is nothing to be pissed off about. The M's were ready to commit more money to Tejada than any other player currently under salary. That shows that they wereJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071190368080722532003-12-11T16:52:00.000-08:002003-12-11T16:55:43.746-08:00So the Yankees landed Kevin Brown today from the Dodgers for Jeff Weaver and prospects...
The Mariner community seems to think this means that the Dodgers will outbid us for Tejada with there newly freed-up funds. I don't necessarily agree with this.
The Mariners have, in all likelyhood, been VERY aggressive in their pursuit of Tejada. They no doubt told him, "you are the centerpiece Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1071132420941728222003-12-11T00:47:00.000-08:002003-12-11T00:47:46.670-08:00I'll be back soon to campaign for the additions of Miguel Tejada and Trot Nixon....Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5514196.post-1060074293608121432003-08-05T02:04:00.000-07:002003-08-05T02:04:53.623-07:00So the M's had a nice day off today...its off to Cleveland and then New York for a short road trip. Freddy Garcia has one last shot to keep his job. I think most Mariner's fans would like to see the dominant Freddy of old, but nobody, including Melvin and Price (if you ask me) are expecting too much. The public outcry for Rafael Soriano to start is beginning to reach a fever pitch.
---------Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06129417515088650471noreply@blogger.com