Jack Z Axed

No one in Mariner land was surprised that Jack Z. was fired but doing it on Aug. 28 I am sure made people surprised by the move. I know when I heard about it this morning after going out for breakfast I thought OK Mariners. I figured they would make the move after the season ended but I am glad the move is done now so the search can be in process. If the Mariners hire the new general manager in the next few weeks than he can watch the team to see what moves he may want to be made during the off season. On the other hand most likely the man to replace Jack Z. I am sure has seen the team play already.

 I have no idea who the candidates the Mariners will be looking at  but the positions likely be filled by mid-October. For the time being Jeff Kingston who was Jack Z assistant is now the acting General Manager. Also, he is a candidate for the position as well. The advantage of Kingston is that he knows the in workings of the Mariners which may help him; however, it could hurt him to.

Though he has been in the organization for a while Kevin Mather the President of the Mariners is finishing his second term, and he was not the person who was responsible in hiring Jack Z. that was the former President Chuck Armstrong. Now Mather will put his stamp of approval on the organization in hiring the next general manager. If the Mariners had not won eighty-seven games last season the chances Jack Z. would have been out then when his contract was up. According to Mather the responsibility of the Mariners season started at the top because he recommends that Lloyd McClendon be retained manager; however, it will be up to the new general manager if that happens or not.

Another moved surprised me was that the Mariners optioned catcher Mike Zunino to triple-A since their season ends on the weekend where he likely will be called up to finish the season. The reason could be the Mariners are letting Zunino know that he is on the block and they may look into going another direction next season. Thursday I thought the Mariners should sit Zunino for most of September to watch the opposing pitchers to learn what they are throwing. Since he has been up with the Mariners he was thrown into the fire so he had to learn how the pitchers on the Mariners threw pitches but no so much the other teams.  There is no question that Zunino is a very good defensive catcher but at this time he should not be the starting catcher of the Mariners.  Going into next season he will need to compete for the position and not just handed it. The Mariners likely will have to go outside the organization to get a catcher because none of the existing catchers in the organization are ready to take over as the full time catcher.

In the next few weeks I will give some ideas what the Mariners should do to the lineup. We can hope that the team and Lloyd will feel relaxed when playing the remaining thirty-four games. Of course, it will still mean changes will happen. Go Mariners!

Seahawks No.3 Running Back

Going into game 3 still wonder who the third running back will be for the Seahawks. Christian Michael had the inside track coming into training camp. I am sure the Seahawks would like him to be number two ahead of Robert Turbin.

According to Pete Carroll’s Monday press conference he said that Michael has the edge still to be the third running back. Thomas Rawls and Rod Smith are just hanging on. If this is the case than Michael may make the team but how much he will play will depend on the remaining two pre-season games.

Even if Rawls and Smith don’t make the team there will be running backs that will be released by other teams. So there could be a good one out there especially if one will be released by a team because of their salary cap.

The 3^rd string running back is important because no one really knows how long Marshawn Lynch will be able to perform at his high level. Lynch is twenty-nine years old which is close to when running backs run out of gas. Lynch is a running back that is different than NFL has seen in a long time if ever. We believe that Lynch could keep going for a couple more years but injuries could keep him out along with slowing him down so the Seahawks need the depth because we don’t know whether Robert Turbin can be a full time running back.

I am rooting for Christian Michael to be the third running back because we can see the talent he has but this is the time for him to perform at a high level. If he isn’t able to replace Turbin as the second running back could be it for him.  Regardless of how the backup running backs play the Seahawks will likely draft next year a running back in the early rounds. This would be true even if Lynch returns next year as well, and both Turbin and Michael perform well when they get some action. It could be the Seahawks will look into trading for a running back that is starting in the NFL like they did when they traded for Jimmy Graham during the off-season.

Coming up next time on the Seahawks will look at the receivers.  This will even be harder decisions. Go Hawks!

Wihelmsen Back at Closer

Was anyone else surprised to see the bartender closing the game on Sunday August 23? I certainly was though in the back of my mind I was hoping he would be closing. I thought it was time for Carson Smith to stop closing games for a while anyway.

Like most of the bullpen Wihelmsen has been struggling off and on all season. Right now he does look like he is in the right frame of mind to close game; how long that will last is anyone’s guess. Also, like most of the bullpen he spent some time down in Tacoma. He was there only for about ten days which is minimum time required staying in the minors before being recalled. You can only be recalled sooner because of some else being put on the disabled list. The time spent with the Rainiers did seem to do him some good and he has pitched better than the rest of the bullpen. Of course, we all know that is not very hard to do.

Wihelmsen is one of the few guys in the bullpen to have experience in closing besides Carson Smith since Rodney was released on Saturday.  Though I did say I like him as a closer he is still better being a setup man just like Smith.  Wihelmsen like everyone else in the bullpen is auditioning for next season; he is one of the few veteran pitchers the Mariners have in the bullpen now. Right now Joe Beimel and Charlie Furbush are on the disabled list; Beimel will be returning to the bullpen when the time is up soon from the disabled list but Furbush is out for the rest of the season.  

The Mariners still think highly of Wihelmsen otherwise he most likely would have been traded at the end of July trading deadline. In fact I read on twitter just before the Mariners traded J.A. Happ to the Pittsburgh Pirates that there was interest in Wihelmsen. I figured the Mariners didn’t trade him because no one was willing to give them good enough prospects in return.

I do really hope the bartender is around the Mariners for several more years; he is a nice guy with a great sense of humor to go along with Furbush but relief pitchers can lose it so fast we have seen that this year in Seattle.  So September will be interesting month for the Mariners regarding the bullpen along with the rest of the team. Go Mariners!  

Rodney is Out Who is Next?

On Saturday night the Seattle Mariners lost another game in the late innings.  They continue down a spiraling case, and is there any good news on the horizon. I have to say sort of because the Mariners announced after the game they designated for assignment Fernando Rodney. We all could say about time, and even Rodney was not surprised by the move. Not sure whose decision it was or it was a joint effort of Jack Z and Lloyd. I am sure Lloyd was tired of throwing Rodney out there to sink or swim or Jack was finally tired of it. Whatever the case is Rodney is no longer a Mariner. No more shooting the arrow that we haven’t actually seen in a while.  No more excuses about tipping the pitches or that Rodney can’t spot them anymore.  Whatever the case Rodney is gone the sad part he is actually very nice man, and he has never cause the Mariners any trouble at all off the field but his best days are behind him.

Another move the Mariners made on Saturday night was sending Danny Farquhar back to Tacoma.  After Carson Smith blew the save in the ninth inning they sent out Farquhar out in the tenth inning where he could not get any one out and the Mariners lost 6-3.  His problem is basically the same as Rodney’s but he could still have a future in Seattle if he can straighten things out.  Farquhar is not being paid the big bucks of Rodney and he won’t be a free agent after the season unless the Mariners decide to release him.  He could be an option for being the closer if he can make things right.

Speaking of the closer Carson Smith is just not ready to be one. He is better as a set up in the Mariner’s bullpen right now. I have mentioned before that he can get right handed batters out with his slider but can’t get left handers out on a regular basis as of yet. He either has to improve the slider or get another pitch to get out lefties. Until then other teams will throw out as many left handed hitters they can.

What other answers do the Mariners have for a closer?  I would say not much at this time; however, since they are out of the race unless 1995 miracle happens they might as well audition other pitchers or go with someone from the past like Tom Wihelmsen. I am sure the bartender will do an Ok job or we see other candidates.

The two pitchers the Mariners brought up to replace Rodney and Farquhar are Roenis Elias and Logan Kensing.  Both pitchers will start out in the bullpen; Elias could move back into the starting rotation. He hasn’t had a good season pitching for Tacoma but I like his attitude on the mound as long it hasn’t changed since he was sent down.  What I mean is that he likes going right after hitters, and that is crucial for a reliever.  He could pitch one inning, multiple innings, and my idea is he could be tried as a closer.  Why not we could find a gem right there, and another possibility is Nuno who has the same attitude as Elias but having a much better season.  In fact he pitched very well in relief before switching to starter when the Mariners traded J.A.Happ to the Pirates at the end of July.  Kensing I don’t know much about but I am sure the Mariners will try to see where he will fit in the bullpen. One thing for sure neither Elias nor Kensing can do worse than who have been in bullpen or can they?

We are not sure who the Mariner’s will have in the bullpen in 2016 but we do know that the pitchers there right now are auditioning for a spot. We can only hope pitchers like Wihelmsen or Farquhar can turn things around because the Mariners do need some veteran presence in the bullpen.  I would like to see both Elias and Nuno as two lefties in the bullpen, and we can only hope that Charlie Furbush can return.  Carson Smith could return as the closer or be the setup man in the eighth inning like he was before Rodney went bust.  It is amazing how things change in a year after the Mariners had one of the best in 2014. Like they say that’s baseball.  Go Mariners!

 

 

Mariners First Round Pick’s Under Jack Z.

When it comes to the top picks of the Mariners since Jack Z. became general manager in late 2008 his success hasn’t been very good; however,  he has done better than his predecessor Bavasi.  Of course, it is not hard to do that since Bavasi gutted the farm system all together.

The Mariners have had more success with players on the lower rounds than the first round under Z. The first pick that Jack made in his first year was Dustin Ackley who the Mariners finally gave up on just before the training deadline in July sending him to New York Yankees. As far as drafting Ackley he was the second overall pick that year, and any general manager would have selected him. 

The best player the Mariners drafted that year 2009 is gold glove third baseman Kyle Seager who was a third round pick and college teammate of Ackley’s. He is the player the Mariners thought Ackley would become. Though the Mariners struck out on Ackley they certainly got a great fit with Seager who signed a multi-year contract after last season. The thing about Seager he is durable and misses very few games for the Mariners. You can’t say that for some of the other draft picks the Mariners have had.

The same year the Mariners drafted Ackley they also drafted as supplemental picks in the first round were Nick Franklin who the Mariners sent packing last July to the Tampa Bay Rays. He hasn’t lived up to expectations yet, and most likely will be the same kind of player Ackley has turned out to be. Another supplemental player that year was Steve Baron who like Franklin was drafted out of high school. His career as a catcher started out slowly; however, this year he has spent almost the whole year with the Tacoma Rainiers sharing catching duties with John Hicks. Baron is the best defensive catcher in the Mariners farm system but his hitting started out slowly so it took him a while to move up the system spending a lot of time in Class A ball. With the Rainiers he has hit the ball with more authority; initially he started hitting over .300 for Rainiers.  However, he is now hitting in the .260 range. It is possible now that he could end up the backup catcher for the Mariners next season unless the Mariners go out and get a veteran catcher to either backup or start ahead of Zunino.

In 2010 the Mariners drafted in the first round with a supplemental pick  was high school flame thrower TaiJuan Walker. I expect other teams passed on Walker because he was an outstanding basketball player as well and many teams felt that he would go onto college. This year being his first full season in the major leagues he is showing why the Mariners drafted him. He has had his ups and downs; however, the Mariners have seen more steady improvement over the season. You could say right now he has been the most successful player the Mariners drafted in the first round by Z. He is showing a lot of potential to becoming a second ace on the Mariners pitching staff besides King Felix. Walker most success has been throwing his fast ball over 95 miles per hour. The whole key for a pitcher is location so Walker gets in trouble when he isn’t locating the ball correctly. He still has to work on his secondary pitches but the fast ball is still the pitch that will make him successful.

Most likely disappointment in the first round during Z. regime outside of Ackley would be Danny Hultzen. He was another two overall draft pick out of Virginia University. The problem with Hultzen isn’t that he hasn’t lived up to his potential the last three years he has rarely pitched because of shoulder injuries. He pitched very little in 2013 as well as this year and not at all in 2014. The Mariners were hoping that he could get in a good season with the Rainiers, and be able to pitch for the Mariners in September this year. He started off on the disabled list; after rehabbing he went to Mariners Double A team; however, he didn’t pitch long  so the Mariners  shut him down for the season. There is a possibility that Hultzen could come back and pitch making it to the major leagues; however, it is anyone’s guess. Also, he will be out of options after this season so the Mariners would have to put in on the major league roster or lose him to another team unless he passes waivers. At this point no one knows whether another team would take a chance on him.

In the 2012 draft the Mariners took catcher Mike Zunino in the first round and the third overall pick. He came up in the middle of the 2013 and has been the Mariners starting catcher the last two years. His defense has been outstanding since he has arrived on the scene; however, his hitting has been quite disappointing. Actually last year his batting average was low but he did hit over twenty home runs in the season. This year he has been batting below .200 all season, and he hasn’t hit close to the twenty home run mark. He has improved somewhat after Edgar Martinez became hitting coach. Most people feel just like Ackley he came to the major leagues way to soon. At this point his future is questionable though he is a great defensive catcher; the Mariners still need him to hit in the .240 range if he is expected to start.  

The top picks in the 2013 and 2014 D.J. Peterson and Alex Jackson are still questionable though they are rated the top two prospects in the Mariners farm system. Last year Peterson had a decent season playing high A and double A; however, this season the Mariners expected him to do much better. He did hit with some power in double A but his batting average was lower than expected but even so the Mariners brought him up to the Rainiers at the beginning of August where he actually got hurt and is now on the disabled list. I am sure the Mariners wanted to see him in September in Seattle which may or may not happen now. Alex Jackson has had a tough start to his baseball career beginning with having injuries. He played very little in 2014 and just some in 2015; he started out in high A but then was sent to Arizona to rehab because of injury. Most recently he has been playing with the very low A team in Everett. The Mariners can only hope that he will meet the expectations they had when he was drafted out of high school as a   catcher but with his power and the Mariners need they switched him to the outfield.

I am not sure that the Mariners have had poor choices in the first rounds since Jack Z has been general manager but they certainly have had bad luck. Ackley and Zunino you could say they were rushed to the majors to fast. Hultzen, Peterson, and Jackson have progress slowed because of injuries.  The Mariners should learn from the past experiences not to rush either Peterson or Jackson and we can hope that Hultzen will find his way onto a major league roster to pitch whether for the Mariners or someone else. So in the end has it been bad luck for Jack Z. or poor judgment; we may never know depending on whether he returns for another season. Go Mariners!    

 

Seahawks Game 2 Coming Up

The Seattle Seahawks second exhibition game or what is better known as preseason comes up Friday Aug. 21 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Seahawks likely will play their starters for the first half in this game. At least the ones that are healthy anyway. Guys like Richard Sherman, Thomas who just started practicing, and Marshawn Lynch we only care if they are available for the season opener. They know what it takes to get ready for the season. Right now it is important that their backups are ready so in case they are not ready for the opener. Since Pete Carroll has been coach the Seahawks have been a second half season team anyway so it important that they are ready for the playoffs and in position to have the home field advantage.

Carroll was so upset with how the offensive line played in the first two series where Russell Wilson was sacked and fumbled that he had changes Justin Britt the right tackle who started there all sixteen regular season games was shifted to left guard and Garry Gilliam was no longer the backup left tackle and moved over to Britt’s right tackle position. Left guard and center are the two positions that are being replaced because of trade and free agency. Now you can say three offensive line positions will be different going into season. I really do like the change because I don’t think Britt was quick enough to stop the really good defensive lineman or linebackers who were rushing the quarterback. Garry Gilliam being a former tight end in college should be quick enough to handle the right tackle since he had been the backup at left tackle. I am sure with possible injuries the shuffle on the offensive line could continue. Assistant head- line coach Tom Cable and Pete Carroll they could not afford to wait longer for the change. I am sure Alvin Bailey who was starting at left guard will likely backup at both left and right guard along with the two tackle positions. Coach Cable has always felt it was important that the backup players especially were versatile enough to play more than one position. We will have to see however I believe the change with Britt going to left guard and Gilliam to right tackle will benefit the Seahawks. Russell Wilson is not concern with the changes with the offensive line; however, with the injury to backup quarter-back Travaris Jackson made it more important to have the change. The Seahawks are blessed to have a starting quarterback that doesn’t get hurt but they have to be concerned because there is no guarantee that Russell Wilson won’t get hurt. The other quarterbacks right now would not be ready to play in a regular season game if Wilson and Jackson are both hurt. Jackson himself he were to play more than eight games because Wilson was hurt the Seahawks would only be slightly more than a .500 record and with the others we would most likely see a team with a losing record.

Though the Seahawks would not be as good if they lost Marshawn Lynch for a significant amount of time because of injury or any of the top defensive players Russell Wilson being hurt would still be hardest to replace since he is the engineer that runs the offense. We can only hope that we won’t have to find out anytime soon. You could say it is the major reason Wilson is the now the highest paid player on the team. Most of the teams in the NFL would have trouble winning with the loss of their starting quarterback. Look what happened with Arizona when they lost their starting quarterback. They were still able to make the playoffs but did not do anything in the playoffs. If any team has a high quality backup quarterback it is a rare thing to find. In fact Travaris Jackson is one of the best backup quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see how the offense will run against the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. It will be a very good test to see. In the second have we will see more of the backup players who are trying to make the team. Go Seahawks!

Mariners Now Face the Rangers in Texas

After a horrible series in Boston where the Mariners finally won a game on Sunday they now go to Arlington, Texas to face the Ranger. It would really be nice if the Mariners could win two out of three in Arlington however the signs don’t look good because of the pitching.

A big problem the Mariners have had is when the pitching has been good the hitting has not been and vice versa. It is an ongoing theme all season. Actually it has been going on for several seasons except maybe last season.

We all know going into Sunday’s game the Mariners gave up an unbelievable thirty-seven runs in two games in Boston. On Sunday things did look a little brighter because the Mariners got ahead of the Red Sox 7-0 before the pitching fell apart and the Sox tied the score in the bottom of the ninth. The signs did not look good until the Mariners scored two runs in the top of the twelfth inning and Danny Farquhar was able to end the game at the bottom of the twelfth.

When it comes to the pitching there are no signs that Mariners pitching will get any better soon. I am sure Iwakuma will be steady, and I Felix will rebound as well, however, Mike Montgomery and TaiJuan Walker will be needing to have their innings shorten. Montgomery has struggled for almost two months after having some two excellent outings where he shutout the opposition. Nuno has been doing some starting as well so he will need to continue in that capacity. I am sure with the actions of three-fifths of the starting until when they expand rosters in September the Mariners will likely go to a six man roster to keep the current starters innings down. Since the Mariners are basically out of the running for any place in the playoffs it is a very good idea.

The Mariners will need to expand the bullpen in September too. Carson Smith innings will need to be cut down as well. If Smith continues in the closer role next season my thought is that he needs to add another pitch to his fastball and slider. He is really good against right handed hitters but lacks against left handed hitters. He will need to improve the slider against lefties or get another pitch to be effective against them. I would say going into next season the Mariners would be best to find a new closer and put Carson Smith back in the setup role. Some day he will be the closer but he is young enough for the Mariners to wait on it. The key who is out there that the Mariners can pick up as the closer; we know that Fernando Rodney will not be back next season unless he takes a big pay cut and is willing to be a setup man. When it comes to the rest of the bullpen we can flip a coin to see who will be there. All we know for sure is the Mariners will need to revamp the bullpen.  

This season has to be the most disappointing ever in the history of the Mariners when expectations were so high. Whether in Seattle or elsewhere everyone figured the Mariners were going to be in the playoffs at the very least. Now we will have to see whether Jack Z and Lloyd McClendon will be returning next season. It is hard to know how higher management think at this point. All we know now is we will hear the rest of the story later. Personally I am not sure what way the Mariners should go. If they do make a change in either general manager or manager they will need to go after someone who has had good experience especially if it is Jack Z is replaced. In my opinion the Mariners do not have to start from scratch they have a good nucleus just need to add some additional parts and play more like a team. When we get closer to a month from now we will have more of an idea than now what the Mariners will do. We can’t say though if the Mariners play at a higher level over the next month that things can’t be changed but that idea would be wrong changes will need to happen this would be true even if the Mariners were going to the playoffs.

Playing manager or general manager we all have ideas what the Mariners should do in those changes. Even if we each have different ideas I am sure the basic changes we will agree. I will bring my ideas in a month. So as fans lets Go Mariners!