As the weather is getting warmer and the winter blues are disappearing it must be time for baseball season. The Seattle Mariners open their season April 1, in Oakland with Felix Hernandez taking the mound.
No matter what off-season moves the Mariners have made with their roster they are sure to improve with the addition of the Houston Astros in their division. Another change they made that was not a roster move was bringing in the fences. We will see if that helps the offense with out hurting the Mariners pitching staff.
The two key off-season acquisitions were first baseman Kendrys Morales from the Angels and left fielder Michael Morse from the Nationals. Both players career batting averages are over .300 and Morse just finished his Spring training with 9 home runs, second only to Barry Bonds with 10 for most all-time home runs in the Cactus League.
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Third time could be a charm for Raul Ibanez who is back with the Mariners for the third time in his career. He will bring a veteran's presence to the locker-room. One player that will be missed is Jason Vargas who was as a steady solid second starter who could get the wins and eat up some innings. Vargas was traded to the Angels for Morales.
The Mariners starting rotation will be Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, Joe Saunders, Brandon Maurer (jumped up from double A to become a starter) and Blake Beavan. While the projected starting line-up looks like this:
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1. CF: Franklin Gutierrez
2. RF: Michael Saunders
3. DH: Kendrys Morales
4. LF: Michael Morse
5. 3B: Kyle Seager
6. 1B: Justin Smoak
7. C: Jesus Montero
8. 2B: Dustin Ackley
9. SS: Brendan Ryan
They are going to need Gutierrez and Morse to stay healthy and Justin Smoak to keep his hot bat going. Smoak ended Spring training with a .407 batting average and 24 hits in 19 games.
The Seattle Mariners are holding a free Open House at Safeco Field on Monday, April 1 with gates opening at 6 PM. This is a chance for fans to see the improvements and new big screen scoreboard. The Mariners/A's game will be shown on the new big screen.
The Mariners will have to over come the offensive powerhouses of the Rangers and Angels in order to win the West. When I look at the Mariners I see a good all around team. Good pitching (both starting and closing), good defense and if their offense can just pick up a little they will be able to win those close games. I am shooting for a 90 win season and a playoff birth. Go Mariners!