An 11-1 roadtrip and the best record in baseball justifies a more lengthy posting, but this team is absolutely rolling right now. We can complain about the contracts given to Wilson, Cirillo, and Sasaki, pointless acquisitions like Carrara and White, the uselessness of Bloomquist and Mabry, and still not avoid the fact that this team really doesn’t have any holes.
There are 3 legitimate MVP candidates who take the field every day (okay, Edgar doesn’t field, but you get my point). Jeff Cirillo and John Olerud are the only two players in the line-up who aren’t league average hitters for their position, and both are such outstanding fielders that you can live with it. Ichiro’s jumped his average nearly 100 points in a month, which is ridiculous this far into the season.
Jamie Moyer’s having one of the best seasons ever by a 40-year-old pitcher. Gil Meche’s arm has stayed in tact long enough for him to become one of the better young pitchers in the AL. Ryan Franklin has embodied steadiness. The fact that Pineiro and Garcia have been the weak links in the rotation tells you how strong the rotation has a chance to be. The bullpen is among the best in the league, and they have four relievers who could be the best pitcher coming out of most bullpens.
There are chinks in the armor (bench, mopup relievers, ability to improve the team), but they haven’t manifested any real harm yet. I’m still worried about the effects of a serious injury to any of the regulars, and there isn’t a playoff contender with as little organizational depth as we have, but if they keep this line-up healthy, that won’t matter. Barring a collapse from Boone or an injury to Martinez, its hard to see the M’s not winning 95 games this year.