If You Need a Reason Not to Panic

Obviously, there hasn’t been much to be optimistic about in this first week of the season. The offense has been atrocious, the pitching, though missing two of it’s three aces, has been inconsistent, and even the defense has looked rather shaky at times. Honestly, the way things have gone so far, I can’t really blame any of you that may be holding your finger over the panic button. However, this season is far from lost, and you really don’t need to look any further than the offense for assurance that things aren’t going to stay this bad.

Ichiro

Current line: .250/.314/.281

2009 line: .352/.386/.465

Career line: .333/.378/.433

Chone Figgins

Current line: .207/.294/.241

2009 line: .298/.395/.393

Career line: .291/.363/.388

Jose Lopez

Current line: .188/.212/.188

2009 line: .272/.303/.463

Career line: .271/.302/.410

Casey Kotchman

Current line: .200/.276/.400

2009 line: .268/.339/.382

Career line: .268/.336/.406

Milton Bradley

Current line: .045/.250/.182

2009 line: .257/.378/.397

Career line: .276/.370/.448

Jack Wilson

Current line: .240/.296/.280

2009 line: .255/.292/.362

Career line: .268/.310/.374

We talk a lot about cases in which abnormally good performances are unsustainable. Fortunately for the 2010 Mariners, it goes in the opposite direction as well. Unless you really believe that all of these guys, or any of them for that matter, have randomly become terrible hitters, then the offense is going to come around. Regression can be pleasant almost as often as it can be painful, and right now, aside from Jack Wilson, all of the aforementioned players have posted BABIPs far below their career averages (Milton Bradley’s is currently .000). I know it’s really tough to watch right now, but improvement is inevitable – it’s taking a lot longer than any of us would have liked, but hey, you know what they say about patience (something about it being a virtue).