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

Jun 30, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Mike Montgomery (37) and catcher Mike Zunino (3) shake hands after the Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 5-0 at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Mike Montgomery

Wow, did the M’s ever get a deal with this young man! To think that the Mariners’ gave the Tampa Bay Rays just Erasmo Ramírez, this is looking to be an absolute steal. Montgomery has been huge for the M’s since getting the call up, and now has a strangle hold on one of the five starting rotation spots.

In the past seven days he has pitched 14 2/3 impressive innings, allowing just seven hits and one earned run. That’s good for a .61 ERA, and a whole bunch of grins from Mariners’ fans all across the world. Is it just me, or does a rotation of Felix Hernandez, Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, and Mike Montgomery seem like a core four for years and years to come. If those four guys can pitch like they are all capable of, the M’s might get away with scoring just 3.39 runs a game like they are now.

Mike is so fun to watch for me, as he makes me feel like I could go out there and pitch in the MLB. He consistently sits in the 89-91 mph range on his fastball, but paints the corners and seems to never leave one over the heart of the plate. He keeps hitters off balance, throwing changeups and that big loopy curveball when they expect fastball, and when hitters get used to that loopy curveball, he throws the fastball making it look like it’s 100 mph.

All this being said, I am remaining cautiously optimistic, as Roenis Elias did start hot too before being cooled down. Still, Montgomery has impressed me in a ton of ways, and I am hoping that the young southpaw can keep this going.

Next: Stock Down: Logan Morrison