The Seattle Mariners are 46-42 heading into the Allstar break. They are in 3rd place in the American League West, and 4 games out of first behind the streaking Los Angeles Angels. Before the season started, many people predicted the M's to be in 3rd in the West, but few thought they'd be 4 games above 500. Let's take a look at why the M's are having success this year.
Starting Pitching: A-/B+
This would have been an A if it wasn't for Carlos Silva's six starts and a 1-3 record with an 8.48 ERA. More atrocious than Silva's record is the Mariners eating his behemoth 12,000,000 dollar salary for 09. O.k., enough, lets stop with Silva before I punch a hole my wall and kick my defensless dog while he's asleep.
Felix Hernandez has been lights out. Washburn is having a career year, which a 6-6 record doesn't reflect. If Washburn got any run support he'd easily have 9 wins this season. More impressive is his 112 innings pitched only halfway through the season, and his sub 3 ERA at 2.96.
Bedard has been fairly dominant despite a few injuries keeping him off the mound. Jason Vargas has done extremely well with his 3-3 record and 3.82 ERA. Garrett Olson and Chris Jakubauskas have been mediocre in spot fill in roles. All in all, the Mariners have one of the best rotations in baseball.
Bullpen: B
The emergence of David Aardsma as the Mariner closer could not have come at a better time. Morrow was struggling with his location and confidence without a clear cut reliever to replace him. Aardsma stepped right in and dazzled. He's saved 20 out of 22 games and has a 1.96 ERA. Those are Allstar numbers.
Mark Lowe has been a consistent arm and someone to count on in late innings. Sean White has a sub 3 ERA at 2.63. Even Miguel Batista has been quietly good with a 6-3 record and 3.33 ERA. Just don't put Miguel in the late innings where he's 0-3 in save opportunities.
Roy Corcoran has been struggling in long relief. Despite his 2-0 record, he's got a 6.88 ERA and a 16-6 BB to SO ratio. Shawn Kelly has struggled at times too going 0-2 in save opportunites and a 5.93 ERA.
It's safe to say without Aardsma the Mariners would 5 to 6 games under 500. No one else seems to have the stuff to be on the mound in the ninth inning.
Offense: D
The Mariner offense is laughable. I would rather watch an entire Seattle Storm game than watch the M's hit 1 through 9. Despite the best efforts of Ichiro, Branyan, and Gutierrez, the rest of the line-up stinks.
The Mariners have the worst catching duo in baseball with Kenji Johjima (BA 254) and Rob Johnson (BA 203). Jose Lopez has decent power numbers with 12 home runs, but is only batting 250. Griffey's batting 22o and Cedeno isn't even above the mendoza line.
The Mariner offense has only scored 348 runs in 88 games for an average of less than 4 runs a game. This is one of the lowest run totals in all of baseball. The team average is a pitiful 261 with an on base percentage of 317. It's a good thing Mariner pitching has been lights out, because this offense could not sustain a winning record.
Coaching: B-
Coaching is a tough grading category, because not too many people get to see what goes on behind the scenes. So far Wak has done a good job. I don't have many complaints about the way he's managing the club. This grade is based purely on a few questionable calls by the skipper on handling his bullpen and not going to his bench enough past the 7th inning. For example, not getting Chavez into the game after the 7th for defensive purposes.
Rick Adair has handled the pitching staff to perfection. On paper, our bullpen looks like a bunch of guys were just thrown together. No one would predict a bullpen with the likes of Jakubauskas, Kelly, White, and Bautista would be one of the strongest in baseball. Rick Adair deserves recognition for the influence he's had on this young bunch of guys.
Front Office: A
Seattle is loving Jack Zduriencik. Since coming to the Mariners Jack Z. has been wheeling and dealing. He first trade sent J.J. Putz packing for the Metz and in return got Franklin Gutierrez (who's turning out to be a stud in Center Field), Endy Chavez, Mike Carp, Aaron Heilman, and minor leaguers. Jack Z. then ships Heilman to the cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Garrett Olson, who are both helping the club on a daily basis. I think Ronny has a bigger upside than his sub 200 average suggests. We'll just have to be patient with him.
Jack Z. kept the trade bug going by getting rid of Yuniesky Bettencourt for a couple minor league pitchers in Danny Cortez (only 22 yrs old) and class A pitcher Saito. Cortez is supposed to be one of the Padres better pitching prospects. Jack Z has also traded for Jack Hannahan and sent minor league pitcher Souza packing to the A's. Jack Hannahan was the starter for Oakland, but struggled at the plate and was sent down to AAA. I've got a good feeling we got a steal for Hannahan, who is a much better player than what he was showing for the A's.
Overall: B
I am extremely happy with the Mariners at the break. Despite a lacking offense, the club has a desire to win and are doing so with great pitching. I have complete confidence in Jack Z. and like all the moves he's been making thus far. We are just a few more trades and draft picks away from being competitive for the pennent every year.
Showing posts with label Felix Hernandez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Felix Hernandez. Show all posts
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Waking a Sleeping Giant
About three weeks ago, Mariner Manager Don Wakamatsu asked his star pitcher to "step it up" after his fourth consecutive lack-luster performance. The question was if King Felix was actually listening? There are times in the past where Felix Hernandez hasn't responded to his Manager's motivations. This was not one of those times.
Felix Hernandez has been lights out in his last 5 starts since Don Wakamatsu's statement to the media. He is 3-0 in that span and averaging over 7 innings per start. More impressively, Felix has allowed only 3 earned runs in over 37 innings, dropping his ERA from 4.13 to a staggering 2.77. That puts King Felix at 7th lowest ERA in the American League, and 13th in all of Major League Baseball.
Felix is not only winning games now, but he's actually pitching! Yes, there is a difference. Pitching is when you're thinking, using both sides of the dish, hitting your spots, and saving your out-pitch for a 2 strike count.
A lot of you are probably asking yourself what it means when pitchers aren't pitching. Well, just look at game tape of Jarrod Washburn in '07 and '08 to answer that question. There, you'll see no focus or itensity, a lack of competitiveness, no urgency to make good pitches or trying to outhink hitters.
Baseball is definitely a thinking game, and Felix is doing more than just that. He's two steps ahead of everyone in the box, and making hitters look absolutely foolish. The question everyone wants to know is how long it will last?
Felix Hernandez has been lights out in his last 5 starts since Don Wakamatsu's statement to the media. He is 3-0 in that span and averaging over 7 innings per start. More impressively, Felix has allowed only 3 earned runs in over 37 innings, dropping his ERA from 4.13 to a staggering 2.77. That puts King Felix at 7th lowest ERA in the American League, and 13th in all of Major League Baseball.
Felix is not only winning games now, but he's actually pitching! Yes, there is a difference. Pitching is when you're thinking, using both sides of the dish, hitting your spots, and saving your out-pitch for a 2 strike count.
A lot of you are probably asking yourself what it means when pitchers aren't pitching. Well, just look at game tape of Jarrod Washburn in '07 and '08 to answer that question. There, you'll see no focus or itensity, a lack of competitiveness, no urgency to make good pitches or trying to outhink hitters.
Baseball is definitely a thinking game, and Felix is doing more than just that. He's two steps ahead of everyone in the box, and making hitters look absolutely foolish. The question everyone wants to know is how long it will last?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wak's Shout Out
No, Wakamatsu wasn't calling into Kube 93 to holler at his boyz, or put an add in the Stranger under the man seeking.... section. But he was giving a shout out, rather, calling out some of his star players. How many first year managers have the stones to tell their star player "they aren't stepping up"? That's what I like most about Wak, he's not afraid of anything.
There's only a handful of players he could be talking about. Surprisingly it's not Beltre, who's having one of his worst years as a big leaguer. Wak did move Beltre around in the order, now hitting #2, to try and relieve the pressure for Beltre to drive in runs. But, isn't that why the Mariners gave him a monster contract after hitting 40+ home runs and 100+ RBI's? To drive in runs? I understand why Wak is doing it though. He's got to try something to get Beltre going.
So who's not earning their paycheck in the skipper's eyes? Here's a hint, he started the season 4-0, but has taken losses in 3 of his last 4 starts. He has a 4.13 ERA. This guys is supposed to be our ace, our gauranteed win, our Johan Santana. Not hard to figure out Wak's talking about our supposed savior Felix Hernandez.
I can understand pitchers having a bad start. Maybe they lose focus, couldn't locate that day, or weren't feeling well. But #1 starters are not supposed to have consecutive bad starts, let alone 4 in a row.
Felix is getting ROCKED. I'm surprised we haven't seen him on the 15 day DL with neck stiffness. I mean it must be painful snapping around to watch line drives, gap shots, and homeruns for a whole month.
Kudos to Wak for putting King Felix, um Prince Felix, um Felix the Fool, into his place. Wak is doing exactly what he should be doing; putting pressure on his star players to perform every night, and set an example for the rest of their teammates. He's made a few questionable calls at the helm thus far, but overall is doing a great job. I see a little Sweet Lou in Wakamatsu. Someone who won't coddle players and will speak his mind. Now if he could only light up a cig and drink a coors light tallboy in the corner of the dugout, I would assume the Cubs have put out an APB for a missing manager.
There's only a handful of players he could be talking about. Surprisingly it's not Beltre, who's having one of his worst years as a big leaguer. Wak did move Beltre around in the order, now hitting #2, to try and relieve the pressure for Beltre to drive in runs. But, isn't that why the Mariners gave him a monster contract after hitting 40+ home runs and 100+ RBI's? To drive in runs? I understand why Wak is doing it though. He's got to try something to get Beltre going.
So who's not earning their paycheck in the skipper's eyes? Here's a hint, he started the season 4-0, but has taken losses in 3 of his last 4 starts. He has a 4.13 ERA. This guys is supposed to be our ace, our gauranteed win, our Johan Santana. Not hard to figure out Wak's talking about our supposed savior Felix Hernandez.
I can understand pitchers having a bad start. Maybe they lose focus, couldn't locate that day, or weren't feeling well. But #1 starters are not supposed to have consecutive bad starts, let alone 4 in a row.
Felix is getting ROCKED. I'm surprised we haven't seen him on the 15 day DL with neck stiffness. I mean it must be painful snapping around to watch line drives, gap shots, and homeruns for a whole month.
Kudos to Wak for putting King Felix, um Prince Felix, um Felix the Fool, into his place. Wak is doing exactly what he should be doing; putting pressure on his star players to perform every night, and set an example for the rest of their teammates. He's made a few questionable calls at the helm thus far, but overall is doing a great job. I see a little Sweet Lou in Wakamatsu. Someone who won't coddle players and will speak his mind. Now if he could only light up a cig and drink a coors light tallboy in the corner of the dugout, I would assume the Cubs have put out an APB for a missing manager.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Savoring A Win and the Ride
Well, it was fun while it lasted. Our beloved Mariners came out of the gate scorching (at least relatively speaking), taking series after series. Felix and Bedard were dominating. Washburn, in his walk year, was going deep into games (but still not getting any run support). Carlos Silva even won a game. And the offense was doing just enough to win. Life was good.
But just as soon as the M's started getting noticed -- shooting up power ranking lists, showing up in ESPN.com columns about surprising starts, getting a rare cameo appearance on SI's Hot List -- they almost instantaneously fell apart. It was like Britney Spears' career.
The Mariners were 15-10 on May 3 after a thrilling 8-7 win over genius GM Billy Beane's latest edition of the A's. By the time I received my Sport Illustrated copy (the one where we showed up on the Hot List) three days and three losses later, we were already free fallin' like Tom Petty. We're 2-9 since May 3, highlighted by 6 game losing streak.
No one, and I repeat no one, saw the Mariners hot start coming. And the fall, while frustrating hasn't been surprising.
But let's keep this in perspective. That five weeks of contention was five weeks more fun than we had all year, when, according to my memory banks, we were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention by May.
After last night's Ichiro-powered win, the M's are 17-19 and 4.5 games behind the Rangers. Morrow doesn't blow those final two in Arlington and we're 19-17 and just 2.5 back.
The Mariners are not as good as their start, but definitely not as bad as this last stretch.
There should be no doubt that, despite losing our best hitter and our closer in off-season, we're better than we were last year.
Good enough to contend? Probably not. But good enough to finish .500? I think so. I say that knowing that we should and hopefully will trade Bedard, Washburn and Beltre to restock the depleted farm system.
(On a relevant side note: A little piece of me dies every time I see Adam Jones hitting a home run or Chris Tillman rising to the top of prospect rankings. Bavasi, your ineptitude has scarred this city's sports landscape more than anyone not named Howard Schultz. If I see you on the street, we'll have problems. I've already alerted my lawyers to the possibility.)
For me, the Mariners' start was like hooking up with a really hot girl you know is way out of your league. You know it won't last, but you enjoy it while it does. And, more importantly, it will give you confidence in the future.
Well, I guess it's either that, or it crushes your soul and you turn into the Green River Killer. In any case, the point is, things have changed for the Mariners, for the better, and I'm enjoying the ride.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tuesday Top 10: Greatest M's plays
There sure are a lot of them in the Mariners' relatively short history, but today's Top 10 is my version of the greatest plays in the team's history. The idea behind these was what individual plays really stand out, not to be confused with the top greatest moments in Mariners history, like the record-breaking wins of 2001, etc.With that in mind, here are my best individual player moments:
10. Junior goes full-tilt into the wall to make catch, breaks wrist: Until you've played baseball -- and outfield at that -- you really can't appreciate how remarkable it is to see a player go full speed into the wall to make a catch. It's next to impossible to not have the instinct to let up, but Junior's catch on May 27, 1995 robbing Kevin Bass' seventh-inning fly ball to deep center proved the Kid was willing to do anything to help his team in that magical year. The Ms won that game over the Baltimore Orioles 8-3, but on the play Griffey fractured his wrist and was out for three months. One of the greatest catches I've ever seen.
9. Mike Cameron robs Jeter's home run: Cameron's snagging of a Derek Jeter home run from over the fence was a fitting introduction to Mariner fans still reeling from losing Junior, as it occurred on April 7, 2000, Cammy's first season with the Ms. I can remember it as if it was yesterday -- Cameron scales the wall and robs both Jeter and a drunk guy in the beer garden in perfect position awaiting the souvenir.
8. Ichiro throws out Terrance Long: Much like the previous play, this play was really Ichiro's introduction to (in this case MLB) that he wasn't just a slap-hitting Japanese speedster, he also had arguably the most lethal arm in baseball, something not everyone may have known. The play occurred in April 2001 -- right at the beginning of Ichiro's first season with Seattle and from that moment on, few tested his arm. The throw came in Oakland when Long was trying to stretch a ground-ball single from first to third when #51 threw an absolute bullet from mid-right field on a frozen rope to a waiting David Bell right on the bag for an easy tag. Said Ichiro on the throw: “The ball was hit right to me. Why did he run when I was going to throw him out?” My thoughts exactly, Wizard.
7. Felix Hernandez grand slam at Shea: Impressive because a) He was the AL first pitcher to hit a grand slam in 37 years and the only Mariner pitcher to ever go deep, b) Felix was an AL pitcher that never got ABs, and c) it was off Johan Santana. Unfortunately for Ms fans, it typified the team's offensive struggles as the June 23 highlight was only one of a handful last season.
6. Griffey Jr. & Sr. go back-to-back: A moment that had never happened before and probably won't ever again due to the stars that have to align. The Griffeys had already become the first father-and-son tandem to play on the same big league team, and on September 14, 1990 in Anaheim, Senior came to bat in the first inning with a runner on base and none out. He sent a Kirk McCaskill pitch over the fence in left-center field for his third home run of the season. There to greet him at home plate was the on-deck batter, Junior. "That's how it's done, son," Senior said. Junior stepped to the plate and hit a ball to almost the exact same spot in left-center for his 20th home run of the season, becoming the first father/son tandem to go deep back-to-back.
5. Carlos Guillen's bunt to win ALDS: October 6, 2000. Guillen lays down a magnificent bunt in the bottom of the ninth to score Rickey Henderson with the winning run to defeat the the White Sox 2-1 and sweep the series and advance to the ALCS.
3. "The Catch": April 26, 1990, Yankee Jesse Barfield hit a Randy Johnson offering that traveled deep to left-center field, destined to become his 200th career home run. But Junior sped to the fence, leaped, and made a sensational catch. It left those watching in suspense until he took the ball out of his glove and showed the umpire it was indeed an incredible home-run-robbing catch. The image of Griffey sprinting off the field wearing the famous grin of his is indelible.
2. Ichiro's 258th hit: October 1, 2004. Ichiro gets his 258th hit of the season to break George Sisler's 84 year-old single-season record for most hits, driving a 3-2 pitch up the middle off Texas pitcher Ryan Drese. It is widely considered the most important historic achievement ever by a Seattle Mariner. Ichiro would end the season with 262 hits total.
1. Edgar's double: Not much suspense here, the shot heard around Seattle is widely thought as the greatest moment in Mariners' history and one of the tops in the city's history for all teams. The Mariners would go down 0-2 in New York, and when the series went back to Seattle the Ms would battle back to win the next two games to force a decisive fifth game. That game would go into extra innings with the Yankees taking a one-run lead in the 11th inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Gar would win the game for the Mariners with the game-winning double to drive in Junior, giving the Ms the series win 3-2 and a spot in the ALCS.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Team Chemistry – Fact or Fiction?
I am tired of the baseball hacks who get suckered into writing about team chemistry as if it means something. Today, an unnamed Seattle sportswriter whom we all respect, wrote an article which discussed team chemistry, accountability, and the new veteran presence on the ballclub. “Wakamatsu called it chemistry. Zduriencik called it trust. In spring training, they both talked about character.” Whether team chemistry causes winning or whether winning causes team chemistry is a classic chicken-and-egg debate between scouts and sabermetricians, “baseball guys” versus “stat guys.”
Numerous Seattle sports writers wrote about the bad chemistry reeking from the 2008 Mariners and blamed that in large part for the team’s failure on the field. However, often overlooked were the horrific starting pitching, pathetic bench, bad defense, or failure to walk or hit for power. If everyone on the Mariners was having a bad year, why blame chemistry? Why not blame the weather, the glare from center field, the jobs the batboys are doing, or the food in the clubhouse? All of those are equally good reasons as team chemistry, since there’s no evidence whatsoever that any of them is at fault.
What is team chemistry?
Anytime you get 25 people together, there are going to be cliques. Some players will like each other better than others. Players with common interests will gravitate towards each other. Pitchers tend to stick with pitchers. Hitters tend to be friendlier with hitters. Cliques can be formed on the basis of anything: race, religion, music, geography (country versus city, north or south, west or east coast), and so on. Also, there will be players who don’t like each other – which is a reality of having different personalities that must spend time together day-after-day in close quarters.
What is good chemistry?
The 1995 Mariners had it. The 2001 Mariners had it. The 2008 Rays had it. The Red Sox of recent years had it. Team chemistry is the different between a great team on paper and a great team on the field.
Does chemistry breed winning or does winning breed chemistry?
They say that if bad chemistry can make you lose, then good chemistry must help you win. If you win, you have good chemistry, if you lose, you have bad chemistry. Rigorous analysis offers a better explanation – teams that lose just aren’t very talented. Chemistry is probably dependent on field-success as anything else. The correlation is that they help each other. Good morale will help productivity and vice-versa. Obviously, putting together a team full of players who can’t stand each other is a poor formula for winning ball games. However, team morale and performance aren’t always related. There are plenty of baseball examples to draw from where teams won without great chemistry; winning teams who hate each other and losing teams that get along great. To quote the immortal Bill Lee: “Give me 25 assholes and I’ll show you a pennant winner.”
Chemistry is a misused term because it’s nearly impossible to measure. How do you define what constitutes “good chemistry” and how can you compile enough evidence to conclude that good chemistry cause team success and not the other way around? Being nice and friendly and getting along is great, but winning is decided by on-the-field talent than any emphasis on team chemistry. Good chemistry simply a byproduct of winning, not a cause.
An average team will have some people who exceed, meet, and fall short of their talent level regardless of what that talent might be. If you have a team where most of the talent has fallen short of their expected production, the fault doesn’t like with the players. It shows the Manager and coaches aren’t doing their jobs. Isn’t the manager paid to be the guy responsible for creating a winning atmosphere, filling out lineup cards, and putting his people in a position to succeed? The 2008 Mariners had a lethal combination of both: poor managers/coaches and poor talent that underperformed.
A good manager creates a winning atmosphere and puts his people in position to succeed. I think it's fair to call that chemistry. How do you build a great team? Draft well, trade veterans for prospects, buy low and sell high on players; in other words, stock a team with talent.
I’m not saying that chemistry isn’t real; I’m saying it’s a result, not a cause. Unfortunately, the team Chemistry debate takes the attention away from the real issues and ignores the fact that the 2008 Mariners were an ineptly put together club with declining veteran players (Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro) or overpaid veterans (Carlos Silva, Jerrod Washburn, Miguel Bautista, Kenji Johjima). Chemistry suggests that nine Willy Bloomquists behind five Ryan Rowland-Smiths can win the World Series if only they can get together for Parcheesi, sing Kumbaya together, or felt some love in the clubhouse.
The notion that you can field a team of scrappy players who like each other and play well enough together to defeat a more talented team, is appealing, sort of like Davis versus Goliath or the Bad News Bears.
Team chemistry is a meaningless term. No one ever talks about the great team chemistry of a sub. 500 team whose players all love to play for one another. It’s hard enough to make judgments about baseball players but when you start building in irrelevant factors such as “team chemistry”, the process of evaluation goes from difficult to impossible. The lesson learned for 2009 and beyond should be that you need a good nucleus of young players together and allow them to grow and improve. Guys like Felix Hernandez, Brandon Morrow, and perhaps Jose Lopez, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Franky Gutierrez are a good start in that direction. If the front office can keep them together and add to that core, then the 2010 or 2011 Mariners might finally have a chance to truly compete.
Numerous Seattle sports writers wrote about the bad chemistry reeking from the 2008 Mariners and blamed that in large part for the team’s failure on the field. However, often overlooked were the horrific starting pitching, pathetic bench, bad defense, or failure to walk or hit for power. If everyone on the Mariners was having a bad year, why blame chemistry? Why not blame the weather, the glare from center field, the jobs the batboys are doing, or the food in the clubhouse? All of those are equally good reasons as team chemistry, since there’s no evidence whatsoever that any of them is at fault.
What is team chemistry?
Anytime you get 25 people together, there are going to be cliques. Some players will like each other better than others. Players with common interests will gravitate towards each other. Pitchers tend to stick with pitchers. Hitters tend to be friendlier with hitters. Cliques can be formed on the basis of anything: race, religion, music, geography (country versus city, north or south, west or east coast), and so on. Also, there will be players who don’t like each other – which is a reality of having different personalities that must spend time together day-after-day in close quarters.
What is good chemistry?
The 1995 Mariners had it. The 2001 Mariners had it. The 2008 Rays had it. The Red Sox of recent years had it. Team chemistry is the different between a great team on paper and a great team on the field.
Does chemistry breed winning or does winning breed chemistry?
They say that if bad chemistry can make you lose, then good chemistry must help you win. If you win, you have good chemistry, if you lose, you have bad chemistry. Rigorous analysis offers a better explanation – teams that lose just aren’t very talented. Chemistry is probably dependent on field-success as anything else. The correlation is that they help each other. Good morale will help productivity and vice-versa. Obviously, putting together a team full of players who can’t stand each other is a poor formula for winning ball games. However, team morale and performance aren’t always related. There are plenty of baseball examples to draw from where teams won without great chemistry; winning teams who hate each other and losing teams that get along great. To quote the immortal Bill Lee: “Give me 25 assholes and I’ll show you a pennant winner.”
Chemistry is a misused term because it’s nearly impossible to measure. How do you define what constitutes “good chemistry” and how can you compile enough evidence to conclude that good chemistry cause team success and not the other way around? Being nice and friendly and getting along is great, but winning is decided by on-the-field talent than any emphasis on team chemistry. Good chemistry simply a byproduct of winning, not a cause.
An average team will have some people who exceed, meet, and fall short of their talent level regardless of what that talent might be. If you have a team where most of the talent has fallen short of their expected production, the fault doesn’t like with the players. It shows the Manager and coaches aren’t doing their jobs. Isn’t the manager paid to be the guy responsible for creating a winning atmosphere, filling out lineup cards, and putting his people in a position to succeed? The 2008 Mariners had a lethal combination of both: poor managers/coaches and poor talent that underperformed.
A good manager creates a winning atmosphere and puts his people in position to succeed. I think it's fair to call that chemistry. How do you build a great team? Draft well, trade veterans for prospects, buy low and sell high on players; in other words, stock a team with talent.
I’m not saying that chemistry isn’t real; I’m saying it’s a result, not a cause. Unfortunately, the team Chemistry debate takes the attention away from the real issues and ignores the fact that the 2008 Mariners were an ineptly put together club with declining veteran players (Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro) or overpaid veterans (Carlos Silva, Jerrod Washburn, Miguel Bautista, Kenji Johjima). Chemistry suggests that nine Willy Bloomquists behind five Ryan Rowland-Smiths can win the World Series if only they can get together for Parcheesi, sing Kumbaya together, or felt some love in the clubhouse.
The notion that you can field a team of scrappy players who like each other and play well enough together to defeat a more talented team, is appealing, sort of like Davis versus Goliath or the Bad News Bears.
Team chemistry is a meaningless term. No one ever talks about the great team chemistry of a sub. 500 team whose players all love to play for one another. It’s hard enough to make judgments about baseball players but when you start building in irrelevant factors such as “team chemistry”, the process of evaluation goes from difficult to impossible. The lesson learned for 2009 and beyond should be that you need a good nucleus of young players together and allow them to grow and improve. Guys like Felix Hernandez, Brandon Morrow, and perhaps Jose Lopez, Ryan Rowland-Smith, and Franky Gutierrez are a good start in that direction. If the front office can keep them together and add to that core, then the 2010 or 2011 Mariners might finally have a chance to truly compete.
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