Ichiro!
Ichiro is a class act. It makes me realize how lucky I am to be a fan of the Mariners, and get to see him play every game.
Game 17, Indians at Mariners
C.C. Sabathia v Gil Meche
7:05, TV on FSN
Will Meche’s elbow swell and burst mid-pitch? Or will he grit it out through the pain and blossom into a beautiful flower? What position will Willie Bloomquist play tonight, sparking bitter division on the game thread? Can the team climb over .500 again?
Find out soon.
Rainiers: Rainiers host Sacramento again at 6:05… which I just missed. Doh. Please enjoy the fine broadcasting of Mike Curto on the internet or on KHHO 850 as you wait for the M’s. And then maybe keep it on, if you want.
Ichiro! v. Albert
Today on ESPN.com, Phil Rogers and Sean McAdam debate whether Albert Pujols or Ichiro! would be a better franchise cornerstone to build around. Actually, “debate” is the wrong word, since there’s no real direct engagement between the two pieces. Really, they are just paeans to two great players that happen to run beside each other.
McAdam, who takes the side of truth and justice, leaves out one of the best pro-Ichiro reasons: there’s no “Pujols 262 Bobblehead Night” for me to attend.
By the way, if someone pies Bud Selig, tonight, well, it’s not me — but I might be applauding from my seat and taking pictures.
Also, welcome back, Peter.
Hit the red-stitched, white sphere
Now when you see the following batting line, what do you think of?
539 AB, 74 R, 139 H, 26 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 72 RBI, 43 BB, 102 SO, 10 SB, 7 CS, .258/.318/.371
I’m thinking this looks like a full season of a featherweight middle-infielder. Not much patience at the plate. No power. Liability on the base paths. Actually, it reminds me rather of the 2004 version of Eric Hinske.
In fact, this line represents the collective offense of our 2005 Seattle Mariners (thru the Thursday’s Harden shutout). Still last in the American League in home runs. Tenth in the league in walks. Tenth in the league in runs scored.
Harbinger of things to come? Do I need to get worked up about this? Probably not. Not just yet. It is just the third week of April. It’s a long season. Three weeks a baseball season does not make.
But it gets me thinking other questions…
Like, at this rate, what other teams of Mariner-past does this offense resemble? And that got me digging around with some numbers. These are the hit distributions (that is, singles, doubles, triples and home runs as a percentage of total hits) for each of the lineups in the brief and inglorious history of our M’s:
Year 1B% 2B% 3B% HR% 2005 72.7 18.7 0.7 7.9 2004 72.0 17.9 1.3 8.8 2003 69.4 19.2 2.2 9.2 2002 69.4 18.6 2.0 9.9 2001 68.4 18.9 2.3 10.3 2000 64.6 20.3 1.8 13.4 1999 64.8 17.5 1.4 16.3 1998 62.5 20.7 1.8 15.1 1997 62.1 19.8 1.3 16.8 1996 62.6 21.1 1.2 15.1 1995 65.3 20.0 1.5 13.2 1994 63.4 20.2 1.7 14.6 1993 68.0 19.0 1.7 11.3 1992 69.2 19.0 1.6 10.2 1991 69.8 19.1 2.1 9.0 1990 72.9 17.7 1.8 7.5 1989 71.8 16.7 2.0 9.5 1988 68.1 19.4 1.9 10.6 1987 67.2 18.8 3.2 10.7 1986 68.2 17.5 2.9 11.4 1985 65.5 19.6 2.7 12.1 1984 71.5 17.1 2.4 9.0 1983 69.6 19.3 2.4 8.7 1982 70.5 18.1 2.3 9.1 1981 73.7 15.6 1.4 9.4 1980 74.2 15.5 2.6 7.7 1979 70.9 16.8 3.5 8.9 1978 72.6 17.3 2.8 7.3 1977 72.5 15.6 2.4 9.5
Some quick and dirty observations. As always, sample size alert on the ’05 numbers. So far, lots of singles, not a lot of home runs.
The Golden Age of Mariner offense, when they swatted at least one in every ten hits over the fence, is effectively over, and the M’s HR% has been in steady decline since ’99.
After three weeks this year’s offense resembles a bit the 1990 incarnation of the Mariners. That team was led by a 20-year-old Junior Griffey (22 HR, .300/.366/.487). They were second to last in the AL in runs scored and tenth in home runs. Only Junior (22), Alvin Davis (17), Edgar Martinez (11) and Jeffrey Leonard (10) reached double-digits in the longball. However, one thing that does distinguish the ’90 M’s from the ’05 M’s is their patience to take a walk. They walked (596) nearly as many times as they scored runs (640), which speaks volumes to their ability to scoot those runners around the bases with extra-base knocks.
Our current lineup contains more than four hitters that will hit at least 10 home runs. Cold streaks happen. Hot streaks happen. And by October 1 everything evens out. So far, Richie Sexson and Greg Dobbs are the only hitters carrying their weight with the extra base hits. That will change.
And sometimes a little historical perspective never hurt anybody. At least, not much.
Doyle update
Played the field yesterday for the first time this year (I believe). Hitting .476/.556/.571 in six games.
(If you don’t know who I’m talking about, please read this rather than ask in the comments. Be cool now.)
I know this is still small sample-size theater, but I’m glad to see him hitting well in the early going, all things considered. I should also have mentioned that Curto did a really cool interview with Doyle before the Tuesday game where he displayed his humor and even-keeled outlook on life and baseball, but also there was this ache in his voice when he talked about playing again that was affecting. Also, no accent.
Baek down
Baek, who’d been outstanding so far in his starts for Tacoma, is out. “Strained flexor bundle” is the word. He’s gone on the 15-day DL, but the word on the street is that he could be out a month or longer. Something should come out about expected return date soon.
From the Everett Herald:
Utility player Scott Spiezio, who went on the 15-day DL Wednesday because of a strained oblique muscle in his left side, also has been stricken with the flu bug that has swept the team. Spiezio, in fact, hasn’t returned from Southern California, where the Mariners played the Anaheim Angels early this week when he was hurt.
Uh huh. Somewhere in the greater LA area, there’s a nice hotel with a highly-paid backup corner infielder being held in a room by hired goons who make sure he’s fed, comfortable, and out of the lineup.
“But I’m feeling much better.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to have a setback if you don’t step back from the door, Mr. Spiezio. Would you like me to have someone bring up some magazines?”
“You’re not going to drive me out into the desert and tie me to a cactus to die so you can get out of my paying my contract, are you?”
“Uhhh… noooooo…”
Game 16, A’s at Mariners
The first place Mariners (!, 8-7) host the A’s. Harden pitches for Oakland, Franklin pitches for the Mariners. I’m sure tonight many fans will be surprised to find themselves handed a “KOMO 1000 News Mariners Window Cling” featuring the new Mariners slogan “What a Show!”
Tomorrow is Ichiro! bobblehead night. You should probably expect longer lines for that one.
TV: Fox Sports Northwest (“Where (region or team name) fans come first”), standard radio.
I have great hopes that this game will produce the finest comment thread of the day.
Interesting note: the M’s press notes today instructions for Jim Street: (“you, Jim Street, can register for the 2005 giveaway…”) I’m not sure if that’s intentional or not, but I did a double-take when I read it.
Rainiers: Rainiers host Sacramento (the “Riverrats” as Fairly called them last night) at 6:05. Andrew Lorraine starts against Jimmy Serrano. You can enjoy the fine broadcasting of Mike Curto on the internet or on KHHO 850.
PI bit on stealing bases
My weekly bit’s right here. Nothing you haven’t read here and elsewhere: depending on the situation, you need to steal bases with a high rate of success to make it worthwhile.
Feel free to email with article suggestions you’d like to see in the PI. Trying to find things to hit in a short form for a different audience while still trying to be informative and worth reading… whew. I’m thinking about writing about Bloomquist, generate some emails.
And as always, I’d like to mention that if you want these columns to keep going, or if you’d like to see this stuff in print, a totally random passer-by offered places you can write to express your opinions.
Investment tax numbers
On Yahoo, many other places. Based on initial projections, only two teams will be penalized for investing in their teams:
Yankees pay $30,637,531
Red Sox pay $969,177
And that’s it.
Important to note, as you see these numbers float around, is that “For the luxury tax, payrolls are based on the average annual values of contracts for all players on the 40-man roster and include benefits.”
Benefits is a huge, huge number. We’ve discussed this here before (and sorry, but I don’t have time right now to dig it up) and this is medical, pension, probably meal and other per-diem costs. So when you see Seattle on there at $109.3m — that’s not payroll.
Game 15, A’s at Mariners
Can Barry Zito look like the Zito of old against the M’s? Will Joel Pineiro pitch with the rage of an inflamed flexor bundle? We’re finding out as we speak. Use this as a game thread …