Jerry Dipoto the general manager of the Seattle Mariners said they didn't plan on making too many moves this off-season. So far he is correct that is for sure. Whatever the writers who cover the Mariners they have had to be creative in their writing.
I am sure most fans and other writers would agree with me where the Mariners need to acquire another quality starter. I would like someone not only to be here in 2020 but next year as well.
Marco Gonzales and Yusei Kikuchi are the number one and two starters the Mariners having going into this spring. I am not saying they are a typical one and two starters but they are for the Mariners right now. The Mariners signed veteran pitcher Kendall Graveman as a starter whether he is a third, or four, or fifth not sure at this moment. He is someone coming back from injury though.
The other pitchers expected to start for the Mariners are Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn both considered in the top ten of Mariner prospects. Sheffield made seven starts for the Mariners in August and September. In those seven starts, he went 36 innings with an ERA of 5.50. I am sure the Mariners are hoping for better from him in 2020.
The innings do show that Sheffield averaged just over five innings per outing which is what you are hoping for a starter that is in the 4th or 5th spot in the rotation. I wonder if the Mariners find out that Sheffield would do better going three or four innings than bringing in the calvary or better known as the bullpen. In this case, the Mariners will need a long reliever who can go at least two if not three innings. I know this coming season has nothing to do with how many wins the Mariners have but they will need to see where the comfort zone is for him.
Now when it comes to Justin Dunn he may be in the same boat as Sheffield. How many quality innings can he go and be effective? In September he made four starts as an opener. He didn't pitch any more than two innings. In fact, in the four starts, he went 6.2 innings with an ERA of 2.20. His issue was having control where he ended up walking nine batters. It was his first taste of major league ball so I expect he will do better this coming season.
There is no guarantee that Dunn will be a starter coming out of spring training. He could be an opener or be in the bullpen as well. Right now though who else would start for the Mariners without Dipoto acquiring another starter.
The Mariners have Logan Gilbert first-round pick of 2018. Last season was his first in professional ball. He made three spots in the minor leagues end up at double-A Arkansas. He dominated all three places he pitched. Is he ready to begin the season in Seattle? If not then who will start in the place of either Sheffield or Dunn if they can't make it or do they throw them to the wolves? This doesn't count if Graveman relapses and gets hurt again or one of the other starters gets hurt.
Looking at their 40-man roster only Erik Swanson and Ricardo Sanchez have starting experience. Swanson started several games for the Mariners last year with not a lot of success. In fact, he is more what I said about Sheffield and Dunn if they can't have success as starters. The Mariners figure he will pitch out of the bullpen. Sanchez, on the other hand, hasn't pitched above double-A ball. He likely will be going back to double-A or advancing to triple-A. Also, he is only 22 years old.
This tells me the Mariners need to acquire another starter. We could hear anytime the Mariners could bring back TaiJuan Walker who was released by the Diamondbacks. He hasn't signed with anyone yet. He would be like Graveman coming back from injury. At the very least the Mariners should consider signing him. I would do so to add depth to the starting pitching.
I hope in the next week or two we will hear something from Dipoto about starting pitching. I don't want the Mariners having to overuse the bullpen. Go M's.
No comments:
Post a Comment