Cactus League Game 24, Royals at Mariners

Jay Yencich · April 1, 2012 at 12:10 pm · Filed Under Game Threads, Mariners 

Last night’s game sure was a hoot. Some things I took away from erratically listening to the broadcast:

1) People were impressed with Brad Miller’s defense, which leads me to think that they may have fixed his throwing mechanics.
2) Chris Gwynn was talking minor leaguers for a while and mentioned that Guillermo Pimentel had won their “Control the Zone” award, which probably had something to do with the strikezone. This is interesting insofar as I look at Pimentel as being a bit of a hacker and not especially coachable, so, positives?

Larry Stone is reporting that, post-flight, the sick list is growing, with Ackley, Peguero, Saunders, and Sherrill all heading home with some kind of illness. And the regular season starts on Friday! I would hope that everyone’s recovered by then. Speaking of Stone’s work, I believe the season preview is up in the Times today.

LF Figgins
SS Kawasaki
RF Ichiro!
1B Smoak
DH Montero
C Olivo
2B Seager
3B Liddi
CF Wells

P Beavan

This one’s on TV and radio at 1 pm, as will be the next three games. Have at you.

Comments

33 Responses to “Cactus League Game 24, Royals at Mariners”

  1. Jay Yencich on April 1st, 2012 12:12 pm

    Stone also says that Heilman has been released. Previous tenure: one month, two and a half weeks. This tenure: two months, three weeks. I think that in 2015, he’ll have a chance to make the opening day roster.

  2. stevemotivateir on April 1st, 2012 12:56 pm

    There’s a line-up I never expected to see… Figgins, Kawasaki, Seager, and Liddi, all in the same game.

  3. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 12:57 pm

    Hey, Wells actually gets to play center!

  4. Jay Yencich on April 1st, 2012 1:20 pm

    Kawasaki does push-ups after being chased back to first on the throw. He is so delightfully ridiculous.

  5. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 1:58 pm

    Figgins appears to be in mid-season form.

  6. msfanmike on April 1st, 2012 2:05 pm

    If by ‘mid-season’ form, you mean high-school level bat speed, I am in complete agreement.

    And Kawasaki … I like him. “let the good times roll”

  7. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 2:31 pm

    Man, Peoria looks like a great place to be right now…

  8. Breadbaker on April 1st, 2012 2:42 pm

    Great effort by Figgins on that flyball.

  9. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 2:55 pm

    I am likin’ Kawasaki.

  10. Jay Yencich on April 1st, 2012 2:56 pm

    Miguel Olivo did that thing which somewhat redeems him.

  11. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 2:56 pm

    Nice to see them stringing a few hits together FINALLY.

  12. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 2:57 pm

    OLIVO!

  13. Jay Yencich on April 1st, 2012 2:57 pm

    I don’t expect Seager to do that, before this season at least, but okay.

    5-4 M’s.

  14. msfanmike on April 1st, 2012 2:57 pm

    Miggy ?! And hey, Seager. Nice!

  15. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 2:59 pm

    SEAGER!

  16. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 3:00 pm

    Wedge’s “tough decision” involves 9 million dollars.

  17. msfanmike on April 1st, 2012 3:06 pm

    Wells sure seems to be loading his hands “late” … Which I guess would be part of the guessing wrong problem that he is having.

    Assuming peguero is healthy jay – is the last non pitcher roster spot between him and Liddi?

  18. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 3:07 pm

    FIG-gins…

  19. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 3:08 pm

    KAWASAKI LETS THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

  20. msfanmike on April 1st, 2012 3:08 pm

    Still “letting the good times roll”

    Atta boy Muneee!

  21. msfanmike on April 1st, 2012 3:09 pm

    I am just glad someone else is old enough to remember that commercial. Thanks for being there, Westy.

  22. Westside guy on April 1st, 2012 3:11 pm

    hehe, yeah I was wondering if anyone else would actually remember that!

    (great minds think alike BTW…)

  23. Jay Yencich on April 1st, 2012 3:19 pm

    Assuming peguero is healthy jay – is the last non pitcher roster spot between him and Liddi?

    Probably. It’s a shame because, while Liddi has had a great spring, so have Kawasaki and Seager, both of whom could probably handle third, and the outfield situation is less certain. Liddi might lose out for that reason.

  24. msfanmike on April 1st, 2012 3:25 pm

    Yes, the outfield situation is a bit murky with two guys out on IR and with Saunders being “ill” at the moment Sir henry figgins can stand out there but he is already penciled in to stand out at third and not produce. The outfield needs to get healthy quickly and wells needs to get it together post haste.

  25. Paul B on April 1st, 2012 3:26 pm

    Kawasaki is probably replacement level. And yet, he is so much better than Figgins.

  26. msfanmike on April 1st, 2012 3:28 pm

    Paul: you nailed it

  27. shortbus on April 1st, 2012 5:16 pm

    I swear every time Seager hits a homer in Spring Training it’s to remind us not to get our hopes up after some other player has hit a home run.

    And for that reason he’s starting to become a guy I like to watch.

  28. DTC on April 1st, 2012 9:08 pm

    First game I have seen Kawasaki. Thought it was Ichiro at bat until I saw his number. Impressive.
    I am sad about Figs, but keeping him in seattle probably doesn’t help anyone. We need bats and he cant find one.

  29. neo-realist on April 1st, 2012 9:47 pm

    Jay, I believe Liddi may not be as much of a loser as you think–Assuming he can pick up an OF glove, why not only use him in the OF, but with his strong arm, spell Ichiro in RF on occasions.

    I’ve been impressed with Liddi’s ability to make adjustments to improve his hitting, particularly this spring; so I see him as having more upside than Peguero.

  30. Jay Yencich on April 2nd, 2012 12:57 am

    Liddi has played nearly seven hundred regular season games in the minor leagues and not one of those has led to an outfield appearance. Even if one ignores the fact that his speed is below-average, about what you’d expect for a career corner infielder, it would be presumptuous to think that he could learn routes and how to track balls right away without any prior experience doing so.

    Putting him at first is wasting his arm though… and that’s likely what will happen in Tacoma.

  31. paracorto on April 2nd, 2012 10:06 am

    Really surprised Liddi is still with the big club and even at 3B in today lineup vs the Rockies. Official minor league rosters should be announced tonight, isn’t it ?

  32. Jay Yencich on April 2nd, 2012 10:18 am

    Yes, minor league rosters should be out at any time now (I’ve already pieced together the rotations and a few other things with box scores). All the full season affiliates are starting on Thursday, whereas the big club won’t resume until Friday.

  33. Jay Yencich on April 2nd, 2012 11:22 am

    Larry Stone is now saying that rosters won’t be out until Wednesday after the last of the major league cuts are made. I did not need one more thing to do at the last minute. Oh well.

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