Tuesday, November 07, 2006
The Season in Review- Seattle Mariners
While the Mariners didn’t make the playoffs, or even finish above last place in the AL West, their season really wasn’t that bad, and shows that they have a decent chance at improvement next season.
Their offense was pretty average; they were near the middle of the pack in all the main offensive categories; average, home runs, and RBI. Ichiro Suzuki was as usual a big part of their lineup, leading the team with a .322 batting average, 110 runs, and 45 stolen bases. Surprisingly, though, only 20 of his 224 hits were doubles. The Mariners lineup also had decent power, as Richie Sexson hit 34 home runs and outfielder Raul Ibanez hit 33 homers. Ibanez drove in a career high 133 runs, 7th in the majors, and 3rd in the American League. Sexson also topped 100 RBI, finishing with 107, an impressive total, but not quite up to his standards. Rookie shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt showed that he could be a solid contributor in the future, finishing with a .289 average, 47 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. His biggest problem could be his fielding, as he committed 20 errors, 6th most in the majors and 2nd most in the American League. The other half of the Mariners middle infield was occupied by all-star Jose Lopez. While his final stats show a .282 average, 79 RBI, and 10 home runs, and you may be wondering how he ever ended up in the all-star game, his season was much better than that. Before his all-star game appearance, he was hitting .280 with 9 home runs and 58 RBI. After the break, he had a better average, at .285, but hit only 1 home run and drove in only 21 runs with those 72 second-half hits.
Their pitching staff wasn’t exactly anything to get excited about either. They had five pitchers make at least 20 starts, and their stats were:
Jamie Moyer: 4.39 ERA in 25 starts
Gil Meche: 4.48 ERA in 32 starts
Felix Hernandez: 4.52 ERA in 31 starts
Jarrod Washburn: 4.67 ERA in 31 starts
Joel Pineiro: 6.36 ERA in 25 starts
Felix Hernandez was expected to have a great season after what he did at the end of last season, but his actual performance wasn’t nearly as good. He was inconsistent all year, mostly alternating between good starts and bad starts, and ended up with an ERA of well over 4.00.
The bullpen was good, as long as the Mariners had the lead. Rafael Soriano (2.25 ERA in 53 games) set up for closer J.J. Putz, who had a surprisingly good season with a 2.30 ERA and 36 saves. When the Mariners didn’t have the lead, Jake Woods, Julio Mateo, or George Sherrill could be expected to come out of the bullpen, each with ERAs of over 4.00.
Overall, the Mariners had a decent season and with a few key free agent signings, they could be in the race next September, even if just for 2nd or 3rd place.
Read or Post a Comment
<< Home