30 Man Roster for Japan Trip Announced
The M’s waited until the last possible minute to announce the group of 30 that they’re taking to Japan, but the roster is finally out. The group includes:
Catchers: Miguel Olivo, John Jaso, Jesus Montero, Guillermo Quiroz
Infielders: Justin Smoak, Dustin Ackley, Brendan Ryan, Chone Figgins, Kyle Seager, Munenori Kawasaki, Alex Liddi
Outfielders: Mike Carp, Michael Saunders, Ichiro Suzuki, Casper Wells, Carlos Peguero
Starting Pitchers: Felix Hernandez, Jason Vargas, Hector Noesi, Blake Beavan, Erasmo Ramirez
Relief Pitchers: Hisashi Iwakuma, George Sherrill, Tom Wilhelmsen, Shawn Kelley, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League, Steve Delebar, Charlie Furbush, Chance Ruffin
You’ll note that Kevin Millwood isn’t on the roster, as he’s not going to fly over to Japan. He’ll be added to the roster once the team gets back to the U.S. and prepares for their opener down in Oakland. That means that there will be a pitcher on the roster in Japan who will then get optioned out after they get back – my bet would be on that guy being Erasmo Ramirez, but they might not make that decision until they get over there.
In terms of guys flying over there who will only be in the exhibition games, you’re looking at Quiroz, Liddi, Ruffin, Delebar, and either Peguero or Wells. Let’s hope sanity carries the day and Wells ends up on the team.
Also, for those few remaining die hard Cesar Jimenez fans, the team announced that he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A today.
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Does anyone know if the exhibition games against the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants will be televised anywhere?
An interesting look between Wells and Peguero. It would have truly been insane to consider Peguero over Wells before camp opened up.. The age old “what have you done for me lately” question comes to mind tho. Not saying yay or nay on either of them.. Wells had a horrible spring though.. couldn’t hit the water from the boat kind of springs..
It surprised me to see Ruffin on that list, but not as much as Millwood staying here. If Ramirez is listed as a starter, and he’s not scheduled to start, is it safe to assume we wont be seeing him pitch?!
Glad Liddi’s going. Too bad Catricala doesn’t have outfield experience… I’d much rather see him in place of Peguero.
No much in the way of unexpected surprises. I’ve got a feeling they might want to keep Peguero on the 25-man, I hope not.
@Mekias
I checked the Root Sports site last night, to see if those games would at least be replayed. Neither are scheduled. I’d love to see those games. There might be a Japanese site streaming them, but I haven’t found one yet. The language barrier makes searching a little difficult.
@mariners101
To be fair, Wells didn’t see nearly as much time as Peguero, likely because he’s seen as more of a lock, especially with Guti out. Would have been nice to see him do a little more, but I don’t think there’s cause for alarm. The same could be said for Jaso.
I’m not sold on Peguero. He’s still inconsistent and I’d suspect that he’d be even more inconsistent facing better pitchers in the regular season.
Wedge loves Peguero, it seems, but Peggy can’t play center (or the corners, for that matter). I’d think Wells is a lock simply for that reason; at least until Guti is back. And after that, it’ll depend on whether Saunders manages to translate his newfound “I don’t have to pull the ball all the time to get a hit” ability into some level of success in the regular season – if not, Condor will probably go down and Wells will be up.
I know, I know – Figgy. However it seems like Wedge thinks in very regimented terms when it comes to roles, and I doubt he thinks of Figgy as an outfielder even if he has instructions to run him out there occasionally.
It would not be surprising to see Peguero on the initial active roster (for 2 games) because the team does not need 12 pitchers for a 2-game series. Assuming there is a need for a late inning two potential outcome pinch-hit appearance – Peguero will be there to fill the bill. After the team returns and adjusts the active roster, it would be equally non-surprising to see Peguero sent to Tacoma. If they decide to go with 10 active pitchers for the 2 game series, we could see both Peguero and Liddi on the initial active roster.
But yeah … logic is going to have to dictate that the better player (Wells) stays on the active roster once the 25 man roster is settled and the routine regular season begins.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to use Millwood’s spot on the 25 man roster for an extra bat? I don’t understand why you’d want 8 relievers for two games.
Expect either Liddi or Peguero to be active for the games that count. Or both, if they choose to leave Noesi inactive since he won’t pitch anyway.
I suspect Erasmo and Quiroz won’t make the final 28, since they’re not on the 40 man. Three names out of Beavan, Noesi, Furbush, and Delabar will probably be inactive to get them to 25. That still leaves them with an 8 man pen.
The idea that Carlos Peguero has had a good spring is laughable. He hit .256/.289/.535 with two walks and 14 strikeouts in 43 at-bats. A .289 OBP for a corner outfielder is a joke in the regular season, much more so when you consider the run environment of Arizona and the opponents he was facing.
If you think Carlos Peguero “earned a job” with his performance this spring, your ability to evaluate baseball talent should be seriously in question.
“Expect either Liddi or Peguero to be active for the games that count.”
It appears we were thinking the exact same thing, but my fingers were 1 minute faster.
I don’t believe the team will decide to use (and I see absolutely no reason for) a 12 man pitching staff for the first 2 games.
No, I don’t believe Peguero earned a roster spot, but it will not be surprising to me if he is on the roster. I don’t think anybody (above in this particular thread) is saying he had a good spring.
He’s not a major league caliber player either offensively or defensively … and he might never be.
“If you think Carlos Peguero “earned a job” with his performance this spring, your ability to evaluate baseball talent should be seriously in question.”
That’s the same thing I could think of some talent evaluator bloggers in case Liddi makes the 25.
^You could make a much stronger argument for Liddi than Peguero, as he showed a lot more consistency with his changes at the plate.
You could make a much stronger argument for Liddi than Peguero, as he showed a lot more consistency with his changes at the plate.
You can’t make an argument for Liddi on the 25-man in the first place, though, because the corpse of Figgins is clogging things up. A Seager/Liddi job share, with Liddi as more depth for 1b, might be tolerable… but the team is committed to getting Figgins playing time. So 3b is Figgins/Seager, and 1b shouldn’t be a regular job share with Smoak (if it could be, then the M’s have larger problems, as Smoak needs to be a healthy full-timer there). And there’s too many other people you’d want in the lineup as DH rather than Liddi, on days when Montero is catching.
So it doesn’t even become a Liddi v. Peguero argument. The true spot for Liddi (wish it were Catricala, but too soon…) will get vacated when Figgins is hopefully DFA’d by end of May.
If Peguero is on the opening day roster, I’m going to punch every single baby at Safeco Field when I go to my first game of the year on the 20th against Chicago.
@Mariners35
You read into my comment way too deep! But really, I can’t argue with much of that. I actually started to write the same thing, but decided to keep my point short and simple. I was simply putting Liddi up against Peguero. But yeah, it will be nice to have “that guy” currently occupying 3rd, out of the way. I look forward to the day that we can all start arguing whether Seager, Liddi, or Catricala should be the regular at the hot-corner.
Assuming there is a need for a late inning two potential outcome pinch-hit appearance
He was a less effective hitter than Brendan Ryan last year, and he projects to be a less effective hitter than Brendan Ryan this year. Any team that casts him as a potential pinch-hitter in a game that counts in the standings is doing something very, very wrong in either the roster construction or talent evaluation department.
Agreed. In a pinch hitter, you are looking for someone who is likely to 1. Get on base or 2. drive a run in, and who is more likely to do so under the circumstances than the person he is replacing. Is Peguero good at getting on base? No. Is he good at driving a run in? He rarely drives in anyone, and when he does, it’s usually only himself.
At the end of last year, during August and September, Casper Wells struck out 41 times in 101 ABs. This spring he’s struck out 10 times in 36 ABs and has six hits, all singles.
There’s been an injury that he might not be able to come back from. If I were the Mariners I would be looking at other options instead of just handing Wells the job.
“Any team that casts him as a potential pinch-hitter in a game that counts in the standings is doing something very, very wrong in either the roster construction or talent evaluation department”
No argument here. However, based on the 30 players they are taking to Japan and the potential for the team to not carry 12 pitchers on their opening day roster (for the 2 game series in Japan only), Peguero and Liddi might both “fill” this role.
If I read the schedule right, the first exhibition game in Japan will be broadcast on the radio at 8 PM Saturday night, Seattle time.
Is that right?
To say that Wells had a more deserving spring is absolute lunacy. I’m not sure the point you were trying to make Dave, no body said that. And wouldn’t you consider the performance of those around him when it comes to “earning a job”, if other did worse, the numbers themselves mean very little.
I feel like those things become relative based on personelle.
@stevethemotivaier, Wells actually played in more games and had just about the same amount of plate appearances.
Here’s an idea – stop making decisions based on spring training stats.
Casper Wells has some talent and might be a good Major Leaguer some day. Carlos Peguero is awful and will not be.
I don’t make the decisions, The team makes those based on their own processes, Maybe you should tell that to Wedge not me.
You seem angry, everything ok?
M’s101, you seem awfully snippy and argumentative for someone who a) likely knows full well who Dave is talking to and what the context is, and b) is basically using their handle on this website to get free advertising for a cheap SB Nation knockoff.
If the way you’ve presented yourself in the last week or so is a sample of the writing or analysis on Mariners101 or your network in general, I’ll give it a miss and stick with USSM, LL, Stone, Drayer, etc.
I bet you felt really good when you sent that huh Mariners35? 🙂
I’m sure Dave probably likes you a lot more too now..
Honestly I’d be happy to change my handle if it makes you feel better.
My intention was for people to have another source for Mariners info thats all. I’m a fan I love the game. I’m willing to put the ego aside and forgive those who are so ignorant.
Your judgment upon me is only useful feedback, the sole purpose of my joining this forum. That’s the only thing I’m “trying” to do, get feedback, not present anything or post the “best comment”
@mariners101
You’re right, I was off. Wells appeared in one more game than Peguero, though Peggy had seven more at-bats. It really doesn’t matter though, the point is still the same. Wells has at least shown some promise at the major league level. Peguero stunk in the regular season and didn’t do much for his resume this spring.
Would you like some additional feedback? You’re coming off like a know-it-all, yet you’re not contributing anything with substance. The arrogance and attitude isn’t helping any.
I appreciate the additional feedback Steve.
Honestly I felt “attackted” maybe misinterpreted. I was prepared to hold my ground. I never said Peggy over Wells or visa versa.. But what I saw this spring from Wells was a guy who looked lost… does that mean he’s doomed, no. Is Peggy always going to suck, maybe, but atleast there’s some improvement from what we’ve seen in the past.
I’m not sure what you mean by substance. Stats and all that I’ll leave to Dave. Doesn’t mean I don’t know my shit.. 😉 Just not my place.
@mariners101
“U.S.S. Mariner -Seattle Mariners blog for analysis, commentary, and Ichiro! admiration.”
This whole site is based on stats, so opinions and views without stats (or something solid) to back them up, don’t go very far.
You suggested that Peguero has performed better than Wells with the “what have you done for me lately” bit. I know you weren’t applauding either player, but you seem to be ignoring the fact that Peguero had a terrible spring. He hasn’t shown any improvement. A handful of at-bats where he laid off a pitch in the dirt and walked a couple times -isn’t a notable improvement. He has yet to show he can do anything at the ML level. Wells has at least shown ability during the regular season and offers decent defense.
Dave, Jay, and Marc know what they’re talking about. They put in the work so we all as fans can learn things that we can’t learn from standard news reports and opinionated journalists. Most of the blokes here do the same research, just not (nearly) to the extent that they do.
Advise: Tone it down, give people the benefit of the doubt, and show a little more respect for their comments. You can make valid points in the form of questions if you’re not interested or willing to do the research to back-up your opinions. Most of the people here get along well. If you want a better idea of how things generally roll, read the old posts and comments. This is a great site. You can learn something, contribute something, and have a lot of fun;)
I do realize I said “Advise” when I should have said “Advice”. Feel free to laugh at me.
That was a thoughtful comment Steve. I appreciate that.