Seattle Mariners Top-10 Story Lines For 2015

Oct 15, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Nelson Cruz (23) reacts after lining out to end the top of the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals in game four of the 2014 ALCS playoff baseball game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

2- Will Nelson Cruz duplicate his 2014 numbers?

The Mariners hope they fixed their middle of the lineup power outage with the four-year deal that brought the reigning Major League home run champ, Nelson Cruz, to Safeco Field.

But is it possible that a 34-year old can reproduce career-high numbers?

Probably not, but the Mariners don’t need him to in order to be worth the four-year contract they inked him to.

I wrote an article shortly after the M’s signed him, trying to project what his stats would be in 2015 based on his career numbers in each ballpark he will play in.

The numbers were: .245 avg, 143 H, 584 AB, 72 R, 32 2B, 28 HR, 76 RBI

If this holds true, it would be the lowest full-season batting average of his career (career .268 hitter) with his 4th-highest homer total.

When compared to the production the Mariners got out of the DH spot last year, I’m sure people will take it.

If he can pull even closer to the .271 with 40 homers he hit for Baltimore last year, the Mariners should soar to the postseason.