U.S.S. Mariner

Over at the Replacement Level Yankees blog, check out this post which projects 2007 standings using Diamond Mind Baseball and a variety of projection methods for player performances. Short story: M’s look bad and win the AL West ~6% of the time. As always, please don’t take exercises like this too seriously.

Jim Bouton, of Ball Four fame, reviews the Cheater’s Guide to Baseball. It’s kind of a good review, and it’s also not really a review of the book, which he wants to get off his lawn. The whole thing’s a little baffling.
Like in the Billy Martin chapter, because Martin said that he’d play Hitler and [...]

Aaaaaaaand sometimes they slip between authors, and we don’t notice until mid-game. Sorry.
Jeff Weaver goodness.

Against the Cubbies! 7:15! On broadcast TV! I’m excited!
I’d also like to saw that so far, I find Dave Sims to be so far superior to the former alternate television broadcaster that it’s ridiculous. You can try and talk me out of it, tell me that he’ll wear on me eventually, but I’m loving it [...]

Hey, I’ve got a paperback copy of “Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game Is Wrong” edited by friend-of-the-site Jonah Keri, with a new afterward. Jonah did an awesome job with the book, it’s chock-full of good stuff, and it’s free. I’ll spring for postage and everything. Drop a comment here [...]

Opening day is two days away. Huzzah! The M’s start at 0-0, just like everyone else. So, in that vein, lets take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the 2007 Seattle Mariners.
Strengths
Felix Hernandez
The best arm of any starting pitcher in baseball along with an apparent dedication to hard work and [...]

Setting aside for a second that Hargrove and the front office are doing things like putting old, never-hit infielders on the active roster for no reason, there’s going to be baseball on! Woooo! The M’s again flout the rule that they’re supposed to take at least two recognizable regular players and one guy on top [...]

Nate Silver’s got the PECOTA projected standings for the AL West up, and… they sting. The raw numbers: Angels at 86 wins, Oakland and Texas at 80, Seattle at 73.
73.
Oh, and if his playoff predictions pan out, Bob Melvin will win a World Series this year.

that never even ever really even ends in the end.
Baker @ the Times: “Ordonez on verge of making Mariners”
“Saint” Rey Ordonez, age 36
2002: 460 AB, .254/.292/.324
2003: 117 AB, .316/.328/.487
2004: 61 AB, .164/.190/.262
2005: n/a
2006: n/a
Career: .246/.289/310
Willie Bloomquist, age 29
Career: /257/.312/.329
PI: “Burke appears set as M’s backup catcher”
Jamie Burke, 2006 in Oklahoma: 370 AB, .278/.323/.422
Rene Rivera, 2006 [...]

According to Geoff Baker, we’ve seen the last of Rene Rivera. Hallellujah.
Jamie Burke has made the team as the backup catcher. We’ll see how long he sticks, but anyone not named Rene Rivera is an upgrade.
Also, Jeremy Reed was optioned to Tacoma. The team apparently feels fine with Broussard as [...]