Seattle Mariners - How are They Succeeding?
The Seattle Mariners - where do these guys get off having 59 wins? These guys have to be the worst contending team in all the land! Are Texas and Oakland really that bad that they just scalp wins off them? I don’t think so, but we’ll look at the data to be sure.
First some background. Contrary to what most people think, the old Seattle Pilots team is NOT the Mariners team of today. The Mariners were a pure expansion team starting in 1977. The Pilots were bought by Bud Selig after just one season in 1969 and started playing in Milwaukee in 1970.
The Mariners were a great team a few years ago - they had their historic 116 win season in 2001 and then won 93 games in 02 and 03… But that was their last winning season. They have slipped into mediocrity recently and its not hard to see why.
This year, they are really taking advantage of home field. They have won 36 games at home, tied for best in the AL (with Boston) and just one behind the Brewers in all of baseball. They are also beating up on the AL East where they are 16-10. This includes back to back sweeps of the Sox and Jays in June/July. I say they are due for some regression this weekend though!
They also have probably the most overpaid, under performing team that I can remember. Let’s look at some examples:
- Richie Sexson - making $15.5 million this year and hitting .198. 17 HR and 54 RBI is moderately decent, but not for your cleanup hitter who is supposed to be leading your team. Bottom line is that he is a huge waste of money as well as space. He is striking out at an Adam Dunn like pace as well (79 thus far).
- Adrian Beltre and his gigantic contract that is paying him $12.9m this year. He did have his MVP season for the Dodgers, but that shouldn’t have meant that they pay him that much. That year turned out to be a fluke and Beltre is more or less dead weight. At least his numbers are better than Richie Sexson at .275, 16 HR and 62 RBI. Still nothing special and another average player.
- Jeff Weaver - biggest mistake signing this guy they have made in a while. He’s on the books for over $8m this year and is 2-10 with an ERA of 6.32. hitters are hitting .317 off him, which is downright awful.
- Why are they even signing guys like Jose Vidro and Jose Guillen? Both of those players have been nothing but trouble anywhere they’ve gone and have been ushered out of town as soon as possible… And they both make the most they ever have with Seattle this year.
- They do have some good players, but I don’t see how Ichiro, King Felix and Jose Lopez are enough to be in contention for the division. J.J. Putz is a lights out closer, but even he has struggled in recent weeks.
In the end, they should be winning if they are spending $100m+, but I really don’t see how they are doing so with this team. They just recently gave Ichiro way too much money as well. Since when do we push managers out of town so we can give Japanese men way too much money? Is that really the way to run your ballclub? The Mariners have all the signs of a failure but are still in it somehow.
The Sox never win in Seattle either - maybe its just too far away, who knows. But they got out there early yesterday, and face not Felix Hernandez so we should have a chance to win all 3. I’ll concede Washburn in tomorrow night’s game just becuase we never hit lefties (usually because it means Wily Mo is playing) but I still expect 2 out of 3. Horacio Ramirez is incredibly mediocre, and Miguel Batista should be an easy pitcher to push out with patient hitting and lots of walks.
Lets go Sox - show those Mariners who really sucks!
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