Years after making Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre their franchise multimillionaires, the Mariners are finally getting it. Pitching, defense and young talent is how this team wants to get it done. And, welcome aboard Mr. Erik Bedard.
Quietly, the Mariners are one of the strongest teams in the AL up the middle. Ichiro Suzuki is a long-time Fantasy gem, especially in Rotisserie leagues, but catcher Kenji Johjima, second baseman Jose Lopez and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt are solid all-around players who can fly under the radar on Draft Day. Their defense won't help you much, outside of the fact their great gloves will have them playing as close to every day as anyone in their class. The Mariners, squarely built on pitching and defense now, need their gloves on the field.
And that's great news for Fantasy owners of their pitching staff. It has been thought Felix Hernandez would be a Fantasy disappointment in recent years because the Mariners are not a true contender that can make him much more than a .500 or 15-win starter. But, the Mariners stayed in the race deep into the summer last year, and although King Felix still has yet to dominate consistently, you have to like his chances of doing so heading into this season.
Hernandez will be cheaper on this Draft Day than either of the previous two -- and it should be his best season yet. The addition of Bedard should take some pressure off and gives the Mariners two of the best aces in baseball.
The offense can improve, but in Fantasy terms, you will get more run out of the pitchers and the potential late-round AL-only sleepers with the Mariners in 2008.
Spring position battles
Right field -- Brad Wilkerson vs. Wladimir Balentien
Wilkerson is an injury-risk sleeper for deeper leagues, but more of an AL-only option at this point. He has pop, but he is injury-prone and he strikes out too much, leading to extended slumps. Balentien has a more power, but he strikes out a lot, too, and has less in the way of physical tools. As a raw prospect still, he is likely ticketed for Triple-A and is no better than an in-season call-up -- albeit a nice prospect sleeper.
Seattle Mariners Outlook | |||||
Projected lineup | Pos. | Projected Rotation | |||
1 | Ichiro Suzuki | CF | 1 | Erik Bedard | LH |
2 | Adrian Beltre | 3B | 2 | Felix Hernandez | RH |
3 | Jose Vidro | DH | 3 | Miguel Batista | RH |
4 | Raul Ibanez | LF | 4 | Jarrod Washburn | LH |
5 | Richie Sexson | 1B | 5 | Carlos Silva | RH |
6 | Kenji Johjima | C | Alt | Horacio Ramirez | LH |
7 | Brad B. Wilkerson | RF | Top bullpen arms | ||
8 | Jose Lopez | 2B | CL | J.J. Putz | RH |
9 | Yuniesky Betancourt | SS | SU | Brandon Morrow | RH |
Top bench options | RP | Sean Green | RH | ||
R | Jeremy Reed | OF | RP | Eric O'Flaherty | LH |
R | Jeff Clement | C | RP | Ryan Rowland-Smith | RH |
Rookies/Prospects | Age | Pos. | 2007 high | Destination | |
1 | Jeff Clement | 24 | C | Majors | Majors |
Arguably baseball's top catching prospect but he'll bide time behind Johjima. | |||||
2 | Wladimir Balentien | 23 | OF | Majors | Triple-A |
After Erik Bedard deal, Balentien could have an opportunity to start this year. | |||||
3 | Robert Rohrbaugh | 23 | LH SP | Triple-A | Triple-A |
Lefty made one of the biggest jumps in status with steady numbers. | |||||
4 | Carlos Triunfel | 18 | SS | Low Class A | High Class A |
Numbers won't wow you yet, but he's a 18-year-old Dominican shortstop. | |||||
5 | Phillippe Aumont | 18 | RH SP | DNP -- High school | Low Class A |
2007 top draft pick is headed to big league camp but is years away. | |||||
Best of the rest: OF Michael Saunders, 1B Bryan Lahair, 3B Matt Mangini, 2B Yung Chi Chen, P Mark Lowe, 3B Matt Tuiasosopo, P Juan Ramirez. |
You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball questions to dmfantasybaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Mariners outlook in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses or answers to all questions.