Seattle Mariners Preview

Seattle Mariners Preview

Summary: The Seattle Mariners provided little for fans to become exited about in . Seattle ended the season posting the rd worse record in the American League finishing up - which was only a game improvement from the previous year.

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Article Body: Overview:

The Seattle Mariners provided little for fans to become exited about in . Seattle ended the season posting the rd worse record in the American League finishing up - which was only a game improvement from the previous year. The Mariners also managed to only score a total of runs all season which ranked nd worse in the entire American League behind the Minnesota Twins.

The starting lineup for the Mariners offered very little in the way of offensive spark. Newly acquired st baseman Richie Sexson (. ) proved to become a fan favorite while Adrian Beltre (. ) also helped. But beyond Raul Ibanez (. ) and superstar Japanese import Ichiro Suzuki (. steals) there really wasnt much offense to speak of on the club.

The starting pitching also proved somewhat spotty with only Jamie Moyer (- .) and Gil Meche (- .) posting winning records for the season. Starters Ryan Franklin (- .) and Joel Pineiro (- .) failed to impress only winning a combined games between the two of them. The only real bright spot in the rotation beyond Moyer and Meche was rookie Felix Hernandez (- .). Hernandez was brought up in August and posted an impressive - record with a . ERA, striking out in innings while allowing a . ERA to left-handed batters in his debut month. Relief pitcher Eddie Guardado (- . saves) also posted decent numbers out of the bullpen by doubling his save total from .

Off Season Moves: Perhaps the biggest move during the off season for the Mariners was re-signing Jamie Moyer to help keep the starting pitching stable. The Mariners wasted no time by resigning Moyer on December th. Jarrod Washburn (- .) was also picked up in order to help the starting rotation while the Mariners added some offense as well by signing free agents Matt Lawton (. ) from Pittsburgh as well as Carl Everett (. ). Seattle also acquired veteran infielder Fernando Vina (. in games with Detroit in ).

Analysis:

New pitching coach Rafael Chaves looks to have Hernandez and Moyer provide some much needed stability to a weak starting rotation. Look for Hernandez to develop nicely with some much needed guidance. Everett and Lawton will help the lineup greatly. Both will provide better protection for Sexson, Beltre and Suzuki making the offense more fun to watch then the version. Expect Seattle to score more then runs with this lineup. The Mariners still lack much needed depth in their starting rotation. Hernandez should have a strong season and fans should be hopeful that perhaps a surprise or two can pull the Mariners from the basement. Kevin Appier was signed to a minor league contract in early January and if healthy may be just what the rotation has been looking for. Appier managed to post wins in , so the Mariners are optimistic that he has a chance to rebound.