Mariners Non-Roster Invitees

The Seattle Mariners have twenty-two non-roster invitees to spring training along with the forty man roster that will be in spring training beginning in just under a month.

Most likely most of these non-roster invitees won’t make the team and many of them will be starting the season in either AA or AAA unless they are released.

I will look at some of these non-roster invitees. The name we recognize the most is Iwakuma who the Mariners signed as a triple A however invited to spring training. He is the most likely one who would make the opening day roster however he is coming off shoulder surgery and may start the season on the disabled list. If so he will likely be sent to Tacoma when he comes healthy and will be available for the Mariners if they need to bring someone up to the Mariners if they need a fifth starter because of injury or lack of performance. The Mariners are looking go to a six man rotation possibly in the second half of the season so he could fit that spot or a long reliever. That is another position he could fit in is as a long reliever.

The Mariners have little room for anyone to make the opening day roster. The roster is set pretty much though a couple or three spots could be filled. Christian Bergman and Casey Lawrence are two pitchers besides Iwakuma could make the roster or be available during the season. They are competing for the fifth starter and long reliever spots though the chances are not good for them. They could be available during the season because of injury unless they decide to go elsewhere or are released.

Another pitcher that might have a good chance is Ryan Garton who the Mariners picked up from the Atlanta Braves in August. He actually did an excellent job in the bullpen coming in for an inning as the first pitcher out of the bullpen. The Mariners don’t have much room in the bullpen either so he might start the season in Tacoma but the Mariners may need him at some point in the season. The Mariners have five other non-invitee pitchers but they have a less chance to make it unless they surprise the Mariner staff.

The Mariners have two catchers on the forty man roster who have the best chance to make the roster as Mike Zunino’s backup. They are Mike Marjama who could have the best chance to be Zunino’s backup along with David Freitas. They have three non-roster invitees as well. Most notable is Tuffy Gosewisch who spent a little time with the Mariners  however spent most of the season in Tacoma but he didn’t even hit well as Zunino when he was sent down in May to Tacoma. Unless he hits better and none of the other catchers hit he likely will start the season in Tacoma as well. The Mariners picked up two rule 5 minor league catchers in Joe DeCarlo and Joe Odom who I don’t know anything about. They likely will start the season in double A though one could be at triple A.

The most notable infielder to be invited is veteran Gordon Beckham who spent most of the season in Tacoma could make the roster as the utility infielder though he likely will start the season in Tacoma. The Mariners will go with one utility player so he is third in line at this point. The only reason another spot could open up is if fourth outfielder Guillermo Heredia isn’t ready to open the season because of off-season surgery.

Speaking of the outfield the Mariners have five invitees to spring training. Two of them are known minor leaguers if you are familiar with the Mariners system in Ian Miller who has been with the Mariners for several years. He received the Ken Griffey Jr Award for the best hitter in the Mariner minor league system last season playing between AA and AAA. He has good favor because he has speed and plays good defense but likely will start in Tacoma. Another is Braden Bishop who the Mariners drafted out of the University Washington. He played last season in high AAA and Double A so he could start the season in triple A if he can make the jump. The other three outfielders I have no knowledge of them.

So you see the odds are pretty well against most of them however one of them could surprise us but they will give depth to the Mariners just in case of injury. Go M’s.  

Busy Week in Local Sports

In the past week Seattle sports have been busy beginning with the Seattle Seahawks making moves with their coaching staff. It started with the firing of offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and then followed by offensive line coach Tom Cable. Not a big surprise because of how the Seahawks offense played last season especially the running game which used to be near the top with Marshawn Lynch being the primary running back. Since he  has left the Seahawks the running game has gone downhill year by year. The offensive line got a lot of the credit for the demise of the running game however the running backs have to take some credit as well. What running backs will return next year and what changes happen on the line we will know in the weeks ahead.

It was reported on the weekend that  Brian Schottenheimer would be named as offensive coordinator to replace Bevell. Some believe that Schottenheimer is not much improvement if not a downgrade from Bevell. What I have heard is the follows orders very well from the head coach so other words he will do what Pete Carroll will want to do next season which is mainly to get back to running the ball consistently to set up the passing game instead of depending on Russell Wilson to get things done. The reason the Seahawks had nine wins was that Wilson was involved in over 80 percent of the scoring. Without Wilson the Seahawks likely would have been lucky to win eight games and most likely would have won like six games. Also the reason the Seahawks need to make changes to get back into the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.

On Monday January 15 news came out the Seahawks were bringing back Ken Norton Jr. now as defensive coordinator. There had been rumors that something was going to happen with defensive coordinator Kris Richard who took over the job when Dan Quinn became head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. I am sure that Norton had been considered for the job but instead Carroll decided on Richard. Carroll has felt that Richard will make an outstanding head coach someday. He did apply for the job with the Indianapolis Colts but they haven’t named who have the job as of yet. I wonder if Carroll knows something we don’t. If he doesn’t get the Colt job will he stay with the Seahawks or move on. I would expect that he will move on otherwise he likely would go back to his old job as defensive back coach.

News came out on January 15 that Mike Solari will become the offensive line coach of the Seahawks after leaving the New York Giants. This is a question mark as well since the Giants offensive line was poor as well in some people's minds but they did rank in the middle having the 15th best offensive line while the Seahawks was 31st. I am sure if he can move the Seahawks offensive line up to the middle of pack the running game will be back in good standing. Solari coach previously with the Seahawks as line coach under Mike Holmgren and Jim Mora.

I am sure news coming up next will be who the Seahawks keep on the roster and who may go. I am sure we can guess who probably won’t return in Lacy and possibly Thomas Rawls. Also question whether the Seahawks will bring back tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Paul Richardson who both will be free agents. The salary cap will decide whether the Seahawks will bring either or both back.

In other sports news the University of Washington Huskies men’s basketball team split games winning against the California Golden Bears and losing to the Stanford Cardinal.  The Washington State Cougars men’s team did the same thing splitting games between the Cardinal and the Golden Bears. Tough for the Bears who lost to both Huskies and Cougars. The Cougars have an overall record of 9-8 with a Pac 12 record of 1-4 while the Huskies have a record of 13-5 with a Pac 12 record of 3-2 including a win over the Cougars. The Huskies are playing much better this season compared to last season when they won only nine games and Lorenzo Romar lost his job after having a long career in Seattle.  Regardless how the Huskies play the rest of the season new coach Mike Hopkins has put his foot print on a team that will be playing much better defense. Though the Huskies had a really good offense last year they couldn’t stop anyone.

Pac 12 could be difficult for the Huskies however they could end up going to the NCAA tournament if they stay on good course. They have thirteen games remaining in the Pac 12 so if win seven of them they will have twenty wins for the season which might be enough. Whatever the case it is already a successful season under a new coach and makes the future bright.

In baseball the Seattle Mariners spring training starts in twenty-nine days. Nothing has happened since the first of the year in regards of picking up more players especially a starting pitcher. It seems that free agency signings have been slow this off-season among the top starters. We should be hearing soon about pitchers like Yu Darvish. It would be nice to pick up Darvish to keep him away from the Rangers, Astros and Angels if for no other reason. The Mariners payroll at this time most likely they won’t sign him however Dipoto is good at surprising us. At least on the positive side if they don’t sign another starter the bullpen seems to be in good shape. The importance is that the starters can go at least six innings each time out so the bullpen won’t be taxed. The offense should be able to score enough runs on a regular basis as well. Please don’t go on any long losing streaks. The Mariners should be able to win between eight-six and ninety games long as the starters can stay healthy unlike last season.

The next couple months should be interesting with college basketball, spring training and the Seahawks making moves all over the place. John Schneider once again will have to keep up with Dipoto in making moves. He was the king here for moves until Dipoto showed up. Go teams!

Seahawks Report Card #2 For 2017 Season

On Wednesday January 10 news came down that the Seahawks had fired both Offensive Coordinator Bevell and Offensive Line coach Tom Cable. Not a big surprise because we all knew that the team struggled to run the ball during the 2017. The main reason the team didn’t make the playoffs. We will never know whether they would have stayed on if they had beaten the Arizona Cardinals in Seattle on the last game of the season. The Atlanta Falcons won their final game so the Seahawks won’t have made the playoffs anyway however ten wins looks better than nine wins but changes still likely would have happened.

There is thought that defense coordinator Kris Richard could be gone as well. There is thought he could take a head coaching job somewhere. He did interview for the job at Indianapolis. So we may have more news on that front in the days ahead along with who will replace Bevell and Cable. I am sure Pete Carroll does have an eye on who replaces them.

Now we look at the defensive side of the ball. They had a good season though not to what has been over the last five or so years when they dominated the NFL. Just like grading Russell Wilson it is hard to do a total grade for the defense. The major reason the Seahawks defense wasn’t as good as past years primarily had to do with injuries to key players. So I give a total grade of B on the defense though it could be lower as well. Along with Russell the defense is what kept the Seahawks alive and have nine wins. They did have some inconsistency especially giving up big plays on runs. So now a break down for each position.

 

I start out on the defensive line. This too is hard to evaluate because the name of some of the players are hard to identify. We usually see them when they make big plays unless you are talking about the key guys. First we have to talk about Cliff Avril defensive end who was injured during the season to his neck. He was chore to the defensive line along with fellow defensive end Michael Bennett. Right now most people feel that Avril probably will retire because of his injury however the announcement may not be made for a few weeks. Bennett on the other hand had a solid season however his main news was made off of the field. Actually you could say on the sideline when he sat during the national anthem most of the season. Actually I got tired of it all in what the media speculated during the season. I would have felt better not hearing anything more about it after a couple weeks however the media has to keep it out in the forefront all the time.  Frank Clark had a solid season being the primary replacement for Avril. He had a good season letting us know that he is a force to recon with over his career.  The tackles had a solid season as well so I don’t see much change at either spot going into next season. If the Seahawks make any change it will be likely to add another defensive end by free agency or the draft; also Michael Bennett feels that he may not be back next season. So I give a grade at defensive line a B.

Now at linebacker we had solid seasons again by middle linebacker Bobby Wagner who was among the tops in tackles in the NFL once again and K.J. Wright at one of the outside linebacker spots. The toughest game was when the Seahawks were beaten badly by the LA Rams in Seattle when KJ Wright was out with a concussion and Bobby Wagner played but was hurt as well. Earl Thomas spoke out after the game believing that Wagner should have not played in the game. It shows how important both those players are. I would look to see the Seahawks go out and draft another linebacker if one is available high in the draft. We know that these guys won’t be here forever. Though the line and defensive backs get most of the publicity these guys are key to the defense. I give them a grade of B plus.

Defensive backs had a tough season especially losing Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor on the same Thursday night game. They both ended up out for the season. Kam Chancellor’s injury is similar to Avril’s so his career could be over as well. Earl Thomas had a solid season after being injured at the end of 2016 season. Most likely he will be back though it will be last year of his contract. He likely will want to be paid higher on his next contract and whether he fits under the salary cap we will have to see. Safety can be another spot the Seahawks will look at in the draft this spring as well.  The replacements for Sherman and Chancellor did a solid job. There was a drop off but not as much as we would have thought. So the grade for the defense backs is a solid B.

Now we have to see who comes in as coaches and what other changes happen during the off-season. This will be the most noteworthy off season we have seen in a while. General manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll will look at bringing in new coaches well as players. Some may call it rebuilding but the better term can be retooling. I am sure they are looking to get back to the playoffs next season. We know for sure that the off-season will be interesting. Off course it has been a good start to it with two firings of coaches. Go Hawks!

Seahawks Oust OC

Before moving onto part 2 of my Seahawk report card we learned this morning that Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was fired. We had a pretty good idea that changes might occur to the Seahawks coaching staff after the team didn’t make the playoffs.

I expect that head coach Pete Carroll was disappointed in how the offense was unable to run the ball all season long. The running game is what Carroll expects the team to do above anything else. The last two seasons the Seahawks have had to pass the ball more than running and that isn’t Carroll’s philosophy. This last season it was even worse than we have seen from the Seahawks in many years. The question now will be any more changes to the coaching staff and who will replace Bevell. With the running game the way it is will Tom Cable be out or return to the Raiders under John Gruden. That is the skuddle but I heard anyway. Any more changes could happen as early as today.

I don’t have a big opinion of Bevell being fired however I am sure the players needed to hear from a new voice and the playcalling might have become predictable. Other words the defense of the opponents had a good idea what the Seahawks might run. Also it didn’t help that the Seahawks offense were unable to score a touchdown all season long in their first possession of the game. In fact most of the Seahawks scoring was done in the fourth quarter. With the defense not being as good as in previous seasons the Seahawks needed to score earlier in the game. It will be interesting to see who becomes OC. I am sure it will be someone who will help the team get back to running the ball successful. Stay tuned to see what happens next.

Seahawk Report Card For 2017 Season

Here is my look at the season that just ended for the Seattle Seahawks. For the team I give a grade of C minus. If they had won ten games instead of nine I would have given a grade of C plus though they wouldn’t have made the playoffs anyway. Now I will look at the positions and the players for their grade.

I start out at the quarterback position with Russell Wilson. He is hard to grade because the success of the Seahawks goes to him. Without Wilson the Seahawks likely would have lost three additional games and ended with a losing record. The local media primarily thought that Wilson should be a leading candidate going into the final three games which they ended losing two out of three both at home against the Rams and the Cardinals. Those two games took him out of the running for MVP along with not making the playoffs. Personally I didn’t think of Wilson being a MVP candidate because the Seahawks had poor starts in the first half of most games. I know the Seahawks have been that way most seasons since Wilson has been the quarterback even the two years they played in the Super Bowl however it took place usually in the first half of the season. What made Wilson impressive was the Seahawks had no running game most of the season. In fact most of the yards he produced himself. The two losses against the Rams and the Cardinals Wilson’s passing game was off. At least this season Wilson didn’t get hurt like he did last year.  Next season Wilson will need to get going earlier in the games because the defense may not be as good like in past years. Another reason the Seahawks had a 9-7 record because of injuries to key players and with the offense being led by Wilson has to score more points. In past years the Seahawks could afford slow starts but until the defense is back where they are accustomed being at or near the top they will have to a better offense. So I give Wilson a grade of B minus.

Now the running back position. This was the saddest position on the team except possibly the offensive line. It is hard to know which caused the biggest problem with the offensive starting of slow in most games and only because of Russell Wilson actions the Seahawks won nine games. I give the running backs a grade of D minus. The only reason not an F was because of the early production by Chris Carson before he was hurt and Mike Davis who the Seahawks activated in the second half of the season off the practice squad. They also got good production out of J. D. McKissic mainly on 3rd downs. I see those three coming back in 2018 along with bringing in fresh blood through free agency or the draft.

Wide Receivers generally had a good season when Wilson was able to get them the ball. Doug Baldwin had another good season and was named to the Pro Bowl. Also Paul Richardson had a good one as well. He will be up for a new contract and whether the Seahawks will be able to sign him or he will go with some other team through free agency it is hard to tell right now. We hope they will be able to resign him however it will depend on how much he is asking for and other teams are willing to pay him. Tyler Lockett had an OK season as the third receiver. I give a grade of B

The tight ends had an OK season as well. Jimmy Graham had a real good time within the red zone though he did drop some passes though they didn’t make a significant difference in winning or losing. Jimmy Graham will be a free agent; whether the Seahawks are willing to pay him $10 million once again or higher it is questionable. Also if the Seahawks are in the process of retooling will Graham want to return. Only time will tell. Like the receivers give them a B.

The offensive line once again had another terrible season. Like the running back position I give them a D minus as well. What keeps them from having an F is the Seahawks acquiring Duane Brown at left tackle from the Houston Texas just after they had played them in Seattle. We hope that the Seahawks will have an improved offensive line next season with a full season of Brown at left tackle along with some other changes. I see a change at left guard along with right guard and tackle. It is hard to know if the Seahawks will look at acquiring an offensive lineman or draft someone high in the draft like they have in some previous seasons. At this time Tom Cable seems to return as well unless a head coaching job comes his way. I know many a questioning his coaching of the offensive line or is it all to do with the scheme. It seems to me if he does return there does seem to make changes. The offensive line actually seem to do well in passing downs unlike past years. Although Wilson did run some out of the pocket this last season it was as bad as last season however the running game was terrible and the line has to take some credit along with the running backs. How much the terrible running was on the backs or the line it is hard to tell. Next season should give us a better idea.

I am going to wait until next time to write on the defense and special teams. Right now it seems that more changes may happen on the defensive side of the ball instead of the offensive although they had a better season. Until next time. Go Hawks!

Mariners Going Into New Year

We haven’t heard much until yesterday after the holiday season from the Mariners. If you listen to Dipoto the Mariners are finished when it comes to getting a starting pitcher however I think he could surprise us. I am sure no one was expecting them to acquire Dee Gordon from the Marlins. He told us that he would go after an outfielder but I didn’t think anyone who was all-star though he had been playing second base. I expect he will be a good centerfielder for the Mariners. The rest of the outfield should be set with Ben Gamel in left and Mitch Haniger in right with Guillermo Heredia as the fourth outfielder. The question will be whether Heredia be ready to go after having off-season surgery to his shoulder. Good thing to is Gordon can go back to playing either second or short if either Segura or Cano are out for a significant period of time. I am sure we are not expecting that however it is good to have depth that way.

I have been mentioning it on several occasions that I believe the Mariners need to go out and get another veteran starter. I thought someone that is a number two or three however now I will take a solid fourth starter as well who can move into the third spot if something happens to the top three. What concerns me is that James Paxton hasn’t ever pitched a full season for the Mariners and we aren’t sure how Felix will perform this coming season. At least on the positive side though is that Felix has a lot of pride and he will make every effort to get back to where he was three years ago. The reality though it may not happen as well. This is the reason be nice to have someone else to help out as well.

As far as the young guys like Marco Gonzales or Andrew Moore it would be good if they can make the next step as the fifth starter or even the fourth. Right now you would think that Erasmo Ramirez would be the fourth starter unless the Mariners do pick up another veteran. Ramirez does have the versatility of coming out of the bullpen as well. The Mariners have moved Max Povse back into being a starter as well. He likely will start the season in Tacoma but could battle for the fifth spot as well along with Ariel Miranda. This is another pitcher we could see maturing this season in Miranda. If he can cut down on giving up home runs and a bad inning he could be valuable to the rotation as well. The main reason I would like a veteran starter to come in because there is too many ifs when it comes to these other guys.

So Dipoto go out and sign or trade for another pitcher. Though I like the depth to the starters most of the guys are at least another year away to really help the Mariners out. I hope in the next couple weeks you make a good surprise acquisition for the Mariners. Go M’s.

Seahawks Miss Playoffs

It turned out not a good weekend for football in the state of Washington. First of all the Washington State Cougars lost on Thursday then the Huskies on Saturday and now the Seahawks lose 26-24 to the Cardinals in Seattle.   

The Atlanta Falcons won their game so even if the Seahawks had beaten the Cardinals they still would not have made the playoffs. What does that all mean though? I am sure there questions on the team whether they have won nine or ten games however with nine wins they have more question marks.

During the off-season we will have to explore what changes the Seahawks will have to make to get back into the playoffs and make a run to the Super Bowl. I am sure every member of the Seahawks from Paul Allen to the lowest person on the team which might be the water boy wants them to make the Super Bowl and win it every year. I certainly know the fans do as well.

We do know that some players will be let go off the roster and be replaced. For example Eddie Lacy I don’t see coming back at running back and a good possibility neither is Thomas Rawls. With Rawls though a lot may depend on whether he is over of injuries. They could think that they may give him another try. He is not on a high contract so don’t really have anything to lose. I am sure that the Seahawks will draft a running back at the top of the draft.

What happens at the top of the draft to me is whether they decide to move up in the draft or do what they have done often in moving down. What the Seahawks need I would think that they would move down once again. That would only change if they feel in getting an impact player.

Michael Bennett has mentioned already that he feels he won’t be coming back next season. This could be true if the Seahawks in a big rebuilding period. I see that especially if Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor don’t come back. Avril is the most likely not to return because of his injury and age. I understand that Chancellor has an injury clause in his contract so the Seahawks may feel it is important that he return unless it is a threat to his health. I am sure the Seahawks will have the Doctors examine him more closely along with Avril.

Of the top players on the roster the only one we know for sure will be returning is quarterback Russell Wilson. Not sure whether free agent tight end Jimmy Graham will return or night. All depends if they want him at $10 million or less. Also he may not want to return to a team that is in rebuilding process. Of course regardless what happens I am sure the Seahawks will consider themselves rebuilding instead calling it retooling. The Seahawks could make the playoffs next seasons if they can get a good running back and improve the offensive line. The defense should still be good enough for the playoff run however we will see won’t we. Go Hawks!