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

Jun 14, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners pitching coach Rick Waits (47) talks with starting pitcher Roenis Elias (29) on the mound during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to another week of the Mariners Market, where I will be discussing how the Mariners have preformed this past week, who’s stock is rising, as well as who’s stock is falling. At the end of the article, I will discuss one trade that I would like to see the Mariners make between either their affiliates, or another organization.

Well, this week brought the same frustration and anger that the whole season has brought. The M’s played .500 ball going 3-3 in the past week. They took two of three from the Cleveland Indians, but faltered in their biggest series to date by losing two of three to the Houston Astros. The Mariners exit this week 7 ½ games back of the Houston Astros, sitting in fourth place in the AL West, trailing the Astros, Angels, and Rangers.

But, without further ado, the Mariners Market is all about individual performances. Let’s take a look at who’s been hot for the Mariners in the past week, and who has not, as well as a move that I plead for Jack Z to make!

Next: Mike Montgomery

Jun 2, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Mike Montgomery (37) bumps fists with shortstop Brad Miller (5) in the dugout after the last out of the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Mike Montgomery

Mike Montgomery has been making a name for himself since being called up, and M’s fans have to be pleasantly surprised. The young southpaw collected his first MLB victory, pitching six sharp innings, allowing just one earned run against the Astros on Saturday night. That is all the more impressive when you take into account that his start was sandwiched in-between King Felix giving up eight runs in just a third of an inning, and Roenis Elias getting rocked.

I had the pleasure to watch this young man from 15 rows up behind home plate in Houston, and his stuff definitely impressive. He kept hitters off balance all night, and worked carefully around an Astros’ lineup that if mistakes are made, they’ll make you pay as we saw. What impressed me most though, was the veteran poise that he showed throughout the start. Knowing how big of a series this was and watching King Felix get dethroned the night before, he had to feel immense pressure. The five run first inning had to help settle those nerves, but he still had to come out and put up zeros on the board and that is exactly what he did.

In the last seven days Monty has pitched 13 innings, allowing three runs on 13 hits. He has also struck out seven during this time frame, and sports an ERA of 2.08. I don’t know who the M’s are going to send down once Hisashi Iwakuma and James Paxton come back, but it will be a tough decision as Mike Montgomery has stated his case. If the M’s can find a way back into this race, look for Zduriencik to dangle the 25-year-old southpaw as trade bait for a hitter.

Next: Roenis Elias

Jun 14, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Roenis Elias (29) talks with catcher Jesus Sucre (2) during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Down: Roenis Elias

Oh Roenis, the M’s desperately needed you to come out and have your best start of the year, and you proceeded to have by far your worst. In the last seven days he’s made two starts, and the first of the two foreshadowed what we saw Sunday afternoon against the Astros.

Against the Indians, Elias was able to constantly compete and battle his way out of jams, pitching six innings while allowing just five hits and one earned run. But, in that start he issued a pair of walks as well, and didn’t have great command throughout the start.

Sunday afternoon the Astros’ were patient, and they took advantage of Elias’ miscues. He pitched just 3 1/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits while walking four. Watching the game from the left field seats in Minute Maid Park, it was evident from the get go that the Astros’ were going to make him throw his off-speed stuff for strikes, and he simply couldn’t do it. The Astros sat back, and crushed the fastball all throughout the ballpark.

Bad starts happen, just ask Felix Hernandez, but I think there is more of an underlying issue here than with the King. Hernandez was just off for a night, and he will rebound as he always does. Roenis couldn’t locate anything but the fastball for his last two starts, and teams are going to recognize that and sit on it.

Next: Logan Morrison

Jun 12, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners first baseman Logan Morrison (20) hits a single during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

 Stock Up: Logan Morrison

Well, LoMo finds himself yet again with his stock on the rise , and this time it’s because he has found his power stroke. In his last seven games, Morrison is 7-for-26 (.269) with four extra base hits, two being doubles and two being home runs. He also sports an impressive .577 slugging percentage in the past week, far higher than his slugging percentage this season of .412.

While watching the past two games and listening to him talk postgame, I’ve come away very impressed with LoMo. He seems to almost be willing this team to turn this around, and I think his care factor was the highest throughout the weekend series. Even when he gets out, he had some loud outs and seemed to be hitting the ball hard. I saw some anger in the big fella today with the Mariners’ performance on Sunday, most evident when he fielded a grounder to end the inning and gave Danny Farquhar an emphatic glove wave telling him that he had it himself and to move along.

I know the average doesn’t seem too impressive, but you have to keep in mind that the M’s didn’t get him for his batting average, they got him for his pop, and he has certainly supplied that this past week.

Next: Robinson Cano

Jun 14, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano (22) looks on between plays during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Down: Robinson Canó

This is Robby’s third straight week on my stock down, and I refuse to take him off because of how ticked off I am at his performance. In his last seven games he’s hitting 5-for-20 (.250), with four doubles in the process. And while the doubles are nice, nothing else about his game has been.

I cannot overstate this enough, but the Mariners’ simply WILL NOT turn this season around unless he turns his own season around. It is impossible, the lineup doesn’t have enough firepower, and the M’s just simply need him. He is so incredibly frustrating to watch right now because he is laying off the fastballs early in the count, and then chasing the curveballs late when he is already down in pitcher friendly counts.

What ticks me off most though was on Sunday afternoon. With the M’s already down 10-0 at the time, I believe, he gets yanked after his groundout to third. Now, some of y’all will be quick to say that it was Lloyd McClendon benching him for his poor play, but that is absolutely not how I saw it. You bench someone at the start of the game of you are making the decision based on punishment. I saw it as Robby getting bailed out by the M’s skipper. McClendon gave him the rest of the day off, not making him endure any more of the old school beating the Astros’ were putting on.

If you want to do that, I’m all for it, but give the remainder of the day off to Austin Jackson or Logan Morrison or some of these guys who are busting it day in and day out for the M’s. The Yankees’ faithful talked about Cano’s lax nature, and I think we are really starting to see that this year. The M’s need him to be the veteran leader and light a fire underneath these guys’ butts. But, in order for him to do that, he has to turn it around for himself first, and I am starting to question if he will be able to.

Next: Taijuan Walker

Jun 10, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (32) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Taijuan Walker

Something has clicked for Taijuan Walker in the past three starts, and thank God it has. In his last two outings he has gone 14 innings, allowing just four earned runs (2.57 ERA) while striking out 13. The 22-year-old right-hander has found his fastball location, and when he does that he is as good as advertised. He took some heat early in the year, including from me, but Prince Tai has responded in the month of June.

Tai leans heavily on his 95 mph heater, and the opposition knows it. So far this year he is throwing the fastball 67.7% of the time, with his second most used pitch being the changeup at 18.2%. As we have seen both with his recent run, and his terribly stint at the beginning of the year, his lively fastball can be a double-edged sword. When Walker is locating it and changing eye levels, he is as tough as anyone to beat. But when he leaves it over the heart of the plate, any major league ballplayer will be able to do some damage with it.

So with Taijuan Walker, if you want to gage of how his start is going to go, just watch that fastball. If Mike Zunino or Jesus Sucre is having to move the mitt a ton, he’s in trouble. If the Mariners backstop doesn’t have to work much, he’ll be well on his way to turning in another gem. And thankfully, he’s been hitting the mitt a lot recently.

Next: Mike Zunino

Sep 23, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pinch hitter Franklin Gutierrez (21) rounds 3rd base after hitting a solo home run against the Kansas City Royals during the 8th inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Trader: Send Down Danny Farquhar, Call Up Franklin Gutierrez

The Seattle Mariners announced on Sunday evening that Danny Farquhar has been sent down to Tacoma. This move is hardly surprising, but the fact that the M’s are not revealing who will take his spot on the 25-man roster is rather intriguing. They could go with a reliever, but I have a feeling a familiar face will soon be patrolling the Safeco Field outfield.

I believe this is the third time that Franklin Gutierrez has made my stock trader, and I will continue to shout it from the rooftops until he is in an M’s uniform. I mean come on, what more does the man have to do? In his last ten games at Tacoma he is hitting a sizzling .341. Guti would bring a completely different dimension to this team, as he gets on base and also plays great in the outfield. What stands out most in his numbers from this season is his .943 OPS, which would be second on the Mariners’ behind Nelson Cruz.

I know he has had health issues, but isn’t that all the more reason to call him up now? What good does it do to have him playing and logging innings in Tacoma, when the M’s could be milking out every last healthy inning out of him. Plus, the thought of a lineup of Jackson, Gutierrez, Canó, Cruz, Seager, Morrison, Trumbo, Miller, and Zunino makes my mouth water. That lineup would be an extremely balanced group, with power, contact, and speed from top to bottom. Please, Mr. Z, I am begging you to make it happen!

Next: Mariners Minor League Report: Who's Hot & Who's Not

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