Now that the season is over (not that it hasn't been for the past 2 months), it's appropriate to start looking forward to the 2009 MLB season for the Seattle Mariners.
For the first part of the season recap, we'll take a look at the opening day lineup along with analysis on the Opening day starters and their offensive and defensive performances this season.
Opening Day Roster: (2008 AVG/OBP/SLG)
CF-Ichiro (.310/.360/.385)
2B-Jose Lopez (.297/.322/.443)
LF-Raul Ibanez (.297/.362/.485)
3B-Adrian Beltre (.266/.327/.457)
Analysis:
When looking at this opening day lineup it's hard to believe that some thought it would be able to compete for a playoff position (including me)..There was really no established power going into this season, along with that, everyone was mediocre going into this season except for the first three hitters.
When looking at this opening day lineup it's hard to believe that some thought it would be able to compete for a playoff position (including me)..There was really no established power going into this season, along with that, everyone was mediocre going into this season except for the first three hitters.
Ichiro's move to right field in the middle of the season was the right move. Jeremy Reed playing center field is much more valuable to the Mariner outfield defense. Along with Reed's defense at center, Ichiro back at right field is the perfect home for his cannonball arm.
Jose Lopez at first base? Not a good long-term solution. Offense is hard to find at 2nd base. Although his defense is suspect, Jose Lopez is one of the best offensive 2nd baseman in the American League. Moving him to 1st base moves the Mariners' 1st base position below or at average in the American League.
Raul Ibanez is likely gone after this season. He improved his numbers from last year, but his defense at left field killed this team. Richie Sexson's comeback attempt failed miserably. Once he started making contact, he lost all meaning of the word power. The whole reason he came to Seattle was to bring punch to the lineup, not to be a semi-threat against left-handed pitching.
Raul Ibanez is likely gone after this season. He improved his numbers from last year, but his defense at left field killed this team. Richie Sexson's comeback attempt failed miserably. Once he started making contact, he lost all meaning of the word power. The whole reason he came to Seattle was to bring punch to the lineup, not to be a semi-threat against left-handed pitching.
Adrian Beltre is being praised all around by the sabermetric community for being underrated. I agree with them, his defense and his bat (unlucky) have been a valuable asset to this baseball team.
Can you believe Brad Wilkerson was our starting right fielder? That is simply unbelievable. He's terrible. I don't want to go on a rant about Jose Vidro. All I got to say is he will go down as one the worst Mariners of all-time. He provided no power at all at the DH position, and couldn't even hit for average.
Kenji Johjima had a tough season this year, he's been receiving a lot of criticism from fans for being signed to big bucks but not performing up to par. Finally, Yuniesky Betancourt. Yuni's defense reached an all-time low this year, he had a down year offensively. Can you believe Brad Wilkerson was our starting right fielder? That is simply unbelievable. He's terrible. I don't want to go on a rant about Jose Vidro. All I got to say is he will go down as one the worst Mariners of all-time. He provided no power at all at the DH position, and couldn't even hit for average.
What it all boils down to is that there were only four players this year from the opening day roster that performed up to their expectations. Even with that, Ichiro had a "down" year, Jose Lopez' defense hurt this team at the 2nd base position, Raul Ibanez was one of the worst defenders in the American League, and Adrian Beltre had one of the most unluckiest seasons ever (considering his offensive production).
Everyone else just plain sucked.
Who do you think was worst? Jose Vidro or Richie Sexson?
Coming Soon: Recapping the 2008 Offensive Depth Chart...
Photo Source [Flickr]
