Spring training madness!
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 of that they can point to and claim is a recognizable regular player, putting only Vidro in the early game.
Mariners at San Francisco! 7:15! FSN! In San Francisco!!! Fun note: the Giants are charging $90/seat for premium field club seats to this game. Really. And they’re available.
I was so excited I accidentally queued this up to run yesterday at this time, to briefly hilarious results.
For your game thread discussion: if the M’s spend $110 million and only (as seems to be the consensus prediction) win 73 games, what other teams since the start of free agency will have spent so much so poorly? And I’m not looking for cheap teams who sucked – I’m trying to think of massive spending done to so little effect. Right off the bat, a couple candidates: the 1999-2000 Cubs and Orioles teams.
Ow, ow, ow
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.
The universe works on a math equation
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 in Seattle: 99 AB, .152/.184/.253
PI notebook on cuts.
Cut: C Rivera, RHP Green, LHP O’Flaherty, RHP Small, OF Reed
Players left in camp: 33
Cuts remaining: 8
Felix: 100% ready