I missed today’s game because I was out playing baseball (ahhhh), but I wasn’t surprised to see Franklin’s line, because it’s what he does almost every start: not a lot of Ks, not a lot of walks, gives up the long ball at least once, and relies on his defense to get him through the game. It worked for a couple years, right?
Instead of re-hashing the last couple of games (like many of you, I’m sure, this season I’ve been no less a fan of the team and what’s going on in general, but I’m a lot less fanatical about making sure I see or listen to every game).
So how do the 2005 Mariners shape up as we head into the All-Star Break?
Lineup:
C: Miguel Olivo
C2: — but probably Dan Wilson because I’m going to be forced Dan Wilson for the rest of my life
1b: ?
2b: Bret Boone, unless they can trade him or bench him and his not-producing self immediately so his option doesn’t vest
SS: – open –
3B: Leone? Dobbs? Lopez?
LF: ?
CF: ?
RF: Ichiro!
DH: Jacobsen?
UTs: W.F. Bloomquist (arrgghhh), Ugueto
Some of this depends immediately on what the team can move. Right now the team’s got two veterans who might take over at first in Spiezio/Ibanez.
If they can find a taker (any taker) for Spiezio’s deal (3 years! $9m!), for instance, that opens up third and keeps first for Ibanez. If they can find a taker for Ibanez’s nutty deal (3 years! $12m!) that opens left field and keeps first for Spiezio. If they move both, well, that’d be pretty sweet.
Similarly, Randy Winn’s trouble unless they can dump him and his heating-up bat ($11m for 3 years — does anyone know the details of his option year in 2006?). Would he play left or a bad center? Reed’s not a natural centerfielder, as Dave notes, but I can’t imagine he’s worse than Winn out there. But if Winn doesn’t move, is the team willing to pay him $3.3m to be a pretty good 4th OFer?
The move we’d really like to see, of course, is signing Beltran to the monster deal. But there are other interesting options. Carlos Delgado is a tremendous left-handed power hitter who will almost certainly face a huge cut in salary on the free agent market. Plus, he’s cool. Con, he’s 32, and this is not a team that needs to invest a lot of money in declining veterans unless it’s a good value.
Magglio Ordonez plays right, he’s only 30, but a right-handed hitter. Still…
Third we’ve got some interesting options. Glaus may be available, if his career’s not ended by his injuries, or may play first. Or there’s Koskie, who has been underrated defensively and offensively (and isn’t hitting quite as well this year)… buuut 31.
It’s all Beltran when it comes to the lineup. As for the other positions (like SS) I’ll get to that in a second.
The other real danger we’re going to have is that the M’s fall prey to the same trap that many, many other clubs do, and reward Jolbert Cabrera/Hiram Bocachica for being useful players with multi-year deals. If you can find them in the discount bin, there’s always more where that came from. It’s harsh to say, but it’s true: those are not the kind of players teams should expend their resources retaining.
SP1: Moyer
SP2: Pineiro
SP3: Soriano if he’s healthy, maybe King Felix.
SP4-5: ??
Here’s Derek’s Strategy of Doom: See if anyone bites on Franklin, and stock the rotation with Blackley and the rest of the Tacoma guys: Madritsch, Nageotte. If we can’t get Beltran, find the best glove man available and stick him in center. (Cameron!!) Find the best glove man to pick it at short, and run him out there. If Boone’s still here, that’s fine.
These guys can come cheap, too.
Play stellar defense. Make those guys trust in their stuff and willing to go after batters. Rack up the Ks, turn the balls in play into outs. Make these guys look like aces. Even Ryan Franklin, who doesn’t have the strikeout stuff of some of these guys, racked up a ton of wins and guady ERAs with the defensive star Mariners.
Then trade them. Oh yes. Someone nibbles on the line for one of these guys you don’t think is coming around (say, isn’t improving their changeup and doens’t want to ), you trade them for decent prospects to restock the farm system.
Or don’t trade them: hopefully this way they’ll develop as pitchers and become the young core of a dominant M’s rotation (um, though frankly I don’t see that in these guys).
And the bullpen: punt. Hasegawa’s gone if we can unload him: he’s Ryan Franklin without the stamina to start. Guardado’s gone if there’s a taker. Don’t spend much and re-stock.
Even with Beltran, this isn’t a team that’s going to win 90 games next year unless Delgado signs for $1, Koskie signs for $1, Beltran signs for $1, and Rafael Palmerio agrees to DH for $1. But it’s a better team that offers potential for the future and hope to the franchise, rather than some kind of abstract treadmill-running road to nowhere.
I’d also like to warn our dear readers in advance that I will be even more agitated and unreachable from July 3-25th, and may be dropping bike racing references here. Go Lance! And go Tyler!
If my middle name wasn’t “Milhous”, it would be “Customer Service”. By popular request, for your desktop wallpaper purposes:
Full-sized Safeco Field shot, 7/1/2004, 1600×1200
Slightly reduced Safeco Field shot, 7/1/2004, 1024×768
And when you speak of me, speak of me kindly.
Consider it confirmed. Tui signed. Details to follow.
Hot rumor: the Mariners signed Matt Tuiasosopo, as predicted by our own Dave Cameron.
Blackley’s first pitch, for your enjoyment
Here’s a shot of Blackley mid-delivery (I have ~30 of these, his delivery early in the game was smoooth).
Remember fans, with Mariner group discounts, you and your friends can enjoy prime Safeco Field seating…
I love afternoon games. I think the M’s should play them all the time. My wider shot of the game. Note 3rd base ump Laz Diaz is straddling the lines, in perfect position to call foul/fair… actually, there’s a lot to notice in this one. I’ve got the full version as my desktop background.
News from around the minors…
In his Tacoma debut, Jeremy Reed started in center and went 2-4 with a homer.
You already heard about King Felix, but here’s his complete line: 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 1 HR.
After taking a one month sabbatical, the Future Forty is back. I’ve updated my rankings of the Mariners 40 best prospects, and will resume doing so at the beginning of each month. Some notes from this update:
Felix Hernandez takes the #1 position. He won’t lose it unless he gets hurt, promoted, or the M’s acquire David Wright.
George Sherrill cracks the top ten, just two years after being signed out of an independant league. Heck of a lot of hard work from George paid off. Congrats.
I wanted to move Casey Craig higher, but just couldn’t justify anything above #19. People are raving about this kid though.
If Scott Atchison had a legit path to Safeco, he’d be ten spots higher. He’ll be a nice reliever for someone next year at the league minimum. Hopefully the M’s give him a shot.
There are three shortstops on the list. I don’t think any of them are going to play more than a handful of games at the position in the majors. It’s the glaring hole in the organization, despite the fact that we keep drafting them.
Speaking of shortstops, Michael Garciaparra waives goodbye, likely to not be heard from again. What an abysmal selection. Completely undefendable, even at the time. They’d have been better off lighting $2 million on fire in downtown Seattle on a cold winter night. At least that would have kept some folks warm for a while.
Bucky Jacobsen makes an appearance. I know some folks want him a lot higher, but there are a ton of Bucky Jacobsen’s in the minors. He just happens to be ours.
Overall, the farm system still isn’t very good. Picking up Reed gives it a boost, but its still among the bottom ten in the game. Not many guys who are impact major leaguers, but a lot of depth in servicable replacement level types.
All hail King Felix.
In his Double-A debut, Felix Hernandez shut down the Frisco Roughriders, allowing just one run, a solo homer, over 6 innings of work. He gave up seven hits, two walks, and struck out eight. I think this kid is good. Friend of USSM Jamey Newberg was at the game tonight, and I’ll get a full report from him tomorrow. The Missions lost after the bullpen surrendered the lead, but Felix just keeps on rolling. At this point, it’s a pretty easy case to make that he’s the best pitching prospect in the game.