Mariners Analysis: Who's Hot and Who's Not

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May 16, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Brad Miller (5) is congratulated by his teammates after hitting his second solo home run in the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the Mariners Market, where once a week I will give a brief overview on how the Mariners have played in the past week, as well as who’s stock has been rising, and who’s has been falling. Also I will discuss a move that I would like to see happen, either between the Mariners and one of their affiliates, or between the Mariners and another organization.

The Mariners had played some good baseball earlier in the week, finishing the sweep of the Oakland A’s. Anytime you can sweep an inner division opponent, you should feel good about yourself. They then split with the hot hitting Padres, an outcome that most Mariners fans would find acceptable. Then, the Boston Red Sox came to town, where they split a four games series. A split with the Red Sox isn’t a bad result, and finishing the home stand at 6-3 is another positive. But, it could have been all that much better if the Mariners ace and previously unbeaten Felix Hernandez could have pulled out game three of the four games series against the Red Sox. Overall, the Mariners finish the past week at 4-3, and while you would’ve liked for King Felix and the rest of the bunch to get the win Saturday night, considering the teams they’ve faced this week, I would deem this a successful week and home stand.

That being said, the Mariners Market is all about individual performances, and in this slideshow I will look into who’s been hot for the Mariners in the past week, and who has not.

Next: Brad Miller

May 16, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners third base coach Rich Donnelly (left) congratulates designated hitter Brad Miller (5) after his solo home run in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Rising – Brad Miller

Brad Miller has caught a ton of grief from Mariners fans, and most of the time it is fair. He’s shown flashes of being a productive Major League Baseball player, but hasn’t been able to piece it all together. Brad had a very productive spring, and that combined with Chris Taylor’s injury allowed him to slide in as the opening day shortstop. Well, he got off to a slow start and since Chris Taylor’s return from the DL, he’s been moved to a “super utility role”.

For most young players, this could be discouraging, but Brad has responded quite impressively. Since last Sunday he is hitting .375 with three doubles and four homeruns, two of his four big flies coming May 16th against the Red Sox. Those two big flies also proved to be the only offensive output the Mariners would receive that game in their 4-2 loss. He also hit a home run in the series finale against the Red Sox to end the series red hot. Seattle Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon has noticed something he likes with Brad, moving him from his typical nine hole spot, to batting second in the order, and even batting leadoff in the series finale vs the Red Sox.

In the last week, something has lit a fire within Brad Miller, and I’m not exactly sure what it is. Whether it’s being moved to the super utility role, or being moved up in the batting order, the Mariners and Mariners faithful are hoping that we are finally watching him turn the corner and blossom into a productive everyday major league ballplayer.

Next: Chris Taylor

May 16, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop Chris Taylor (1) makes the throw to first for the final out of the top of the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Falling – Chris Taylor

To be fair, Chris Taylor is still trying to get into the groove of things after missing several weeks with his wrist injury he suffered in spring training. But at some point we have to look past that, and we are getting pretty close to that point.

Taylor had a productive spring, one that convinced many fans that he was the shortstop of the future. But what he did in the spring has yet to carry over into the season. In the past seven days he’s got one hit in thirteen attempts (.077 batting average), has yet to record an extra base hit, and since being called up and making his first appearance May 4^th, he has over two times as many strikeouts (9) as he does hits (4).

I know you’d like to the give the man a few more chances, but with Austin Jackson returning soon and Brad Miller’s hot hitting lately, someone needs to be sent down, and it’s looking more and more like Chris Taylor will be that guy.

Next: James Paxton

May 17, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher James Paxton (65) throws a pitch in the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Rising – James Paxton

James Paxton came into the season with big expectations, slotted into the number two spot in the rotation. The Mariners did this for two reasons. One, he is a good pitcher in his own right, and very deserving of the spot. But they also did this because they wanted to break up the two dominant righties in Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma with a southpaw, and James Paxton fits the bill. Pitching in-between those two guys comes with pressure, and that seemed to be affecting him a little bit at the start of the season, and I think the cause of his slow start.

This week was a much different story, as no such felt pressure could be spotted. Paxton settled down in a big way, and that has been huge for the Mariners. He’s pitched 20 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to his start against the Angels, and he’s shut out the San Diego Padres and the Boston Red Sox this week. An even better sign is the fact that he pitched deep into the game against Boston, pitching eight scoreless innings of five hit ball. Going deep into the game is not only good for his confidence, but it also takes pressure off the bullpen.

It’s imperative that the Mariners can send someone out there not named Felix Hernandez, and be confident that they can get a good outing and have a great chance at winning. If this week is any indication, James Paxton looks to be molding into that guy.

Next: Rickie Weeks

May 2, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Rickie Weeks (25) bats during the game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Falling – Rickie Weeks

Man oh man has this experiment been a failure so far. The Mariners were hoping that they were getting a veteran right handed bat that could supply some pop, and someone that they could move to the outfield and earn some playing time. Well, it hasn’t worked out one bit.

In the last seven days Rickie Weeks is 1-10 with five strikeouts. Sometimes you go through slumps, it’s baseball and the game is hard so it’s going to happen, but you have to find a way to at least make productive outs. Striking out half the time you walk up to the plate is the opposite of making productive outs, as he isn’t making the pitcher work, nor is he advancing runners. Even worse, he backs up his performances at the plate by dropping a fly ball in the May 14^th loss to Boston that ends up plating the winning run for Boston. This comes a couple plays after he took a terrible route to get to the ball off the bat of Brock Holt that resulted in a double. So, not only is Rickie Weeks not hitting a lick, but he also hasn’t adjusted one bit from his move from second base to the outfield.

I don’t like rushing to conclusions because baseball is a long season, and the ultimate test of endurance, but I think it is time to call it quits on the Rickie Weeks experiment. (Stick around to see my proposed idea on how to end this saga)

Next: The Bullpen

Apr 10, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen (54) speaks with catcher Mike Zunino (3) between plays against the Oakland Athletics during the fourth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Rising – The Bullpen

To me this is the biggest key to the Mariners success. The bullpen has to be great for the Mariners to have a legitimate shot at making a postseason run. Now, just because they are in the “stock up” section, doesn’t mean that I think they are playing flawlessly. What it means is I am seeing improvements in the past week, and that is something I have definitely seen from the Mariners pen.

They got a big boost getting Tom Wilhelmsen back just over a week ago, and there ERA has dipped because of it. He’s pitched 2.2 innings, and only given up three hits and zero runs, striking out three in the process. Other guys like Danny Farquhar (two scoreless innings his last outing) and Joe Beimel have certainly helped too. On the season the Mariners have a bullpen ERA of 3.70, and that simply won’t cut it for a team that is still looking for answers on offense.

Since last Sunday, it has been a little bit of a different story. The bullpen has an ERA of 2.70, a full run less per nine innings than what they have averaged for the year.

That difference seems marginal, but it could certainly be the difference between winning and losing a ballgame, and with the hole the Mariners have started to dig themselves, every win counts. They aren’t exactly where I would like them to be, but three straight outings by the bullpen in which they’ve given up no runs certainly makes me believe that they are on the right track to being dominant again.

Next: Logan Morrison

May 14, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Logan Morrison (20) hits an RBI against the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Stock’s Falling – Logan Morrison

It pains me to write this, it really does, because I thought LoMo was finally coming around. But just when it looked like things were finally going to trend upward for him, they’ve come right back down.

Since last Sunday he is hitting .217 (below his season average of .232) and only had one extra base hit (A homerun against the Padres). He has two RBIs, and has struck out three times. It’s frustrating watching him go up and down, because the Mariners desperately need him to produce. When he is producing, the lineup is much tougher, and the Mariners flat out win. When he is down, so are the Mariners, and I don’t believe that to be just a coincidence. Hopefully he can pick it up again, because I believe if he can get it going consistently, so can the Mariners.

Next: Stock Trader

Feb 26, 2015; Peoria, AZ, USA; Seattle Mariners outfielder Franklin Gutierrez poses for a portrait during photo day at Peoria Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Trader:

Since this is the “Mariners Market”, I thought I would try something where once a week I would come up with a trade, either in house between the Mariners and an affiliate (like the Tacoma Rainiers) or as we get closer to the trade deadline, with other teams around the league. I thought it would be something fun, and especially facilitate good discussion around trade deadline time (July 31^st). So, here is the trade, or move, I would like to see the Mariners make.

Call up Franklin Gutierrez

I touched on the Rickie Weeks struggles earlier and said I have a solution to ending the saga, and here it is. Cut bait with Rickie Weeks, and call up Franklin Gutierrez.

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