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

Jul 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano (22) makes a face after swinging at a pitch in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to another week of the Mariners Market, where I take a look at some of the past performances by players in the past week, suggest a move the M’s should make, and do a quick little recap on how the past week has gone for the team.

Well we have reached the All Star break, and the M’s are not half the team that I was expecting them to be. Pinpointing one thing responsible for the M’s struggles is incredibly difficult to do, as they are just about average in ever single aspect of the game. Their pitching is mediocre, with a team ERA checking in at 3.76, that’s good for 13^th in baseball. Their hitting, well it’s been absolutely dreadful as they are second to last in the MLB in batting average and 27^th in runs scored. Even worse, the M’s are last in both runs scored and batting average with runners in scoring position. The M’s make up for the terrible hitting with their fielding though, as they check in at 4^th in the MLB in fielding percentage and errors committed.

So when you tally up the average pitching, the abysmal hitting and great fielding, that comes out to being, well, average. And their record would seem to back that up. They find themselves going into the All-Star break at 41-47. Seattle is 7 games back of the now first place Los Angeles Angels, and 7 games back in the Wild Card as well.

The M’s went 3-4 this week, and have now traded off wins with loses for the past eleven games, Sadly, the Mariners have not put together a win streak of 3+ games since their sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays in late.

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: Mark Trumbo

Jul 12, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker (32) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Down: The Rookie Pitchers

Taijuan Walker and Mike Montgomery both had been phenomenal over the past month or so, but they both caved under the pressure this past week. Regression was predictable, but none the less, it is still disappointing. Walker and Monty struggled this week in the biggest games of their professional lives. It would’ve been nice for them to solidify their recent tears by entering the break on a high note.

Mike Montgomery got the ball twice in the past week, and the southpaw was roughed up both times. In the past week he has pitched 10 2/3 innings, allowing 14 hits and 6 earned runs in the process. To be fair, he pitched against two of the hottest hitting teams in baseball recently, in the Detroit Tigers and L.A. Angels. However, I am afraid that teams around the league are starting to figure out the crafty southpaw. We saw this with Roenis Elias, and I am a little concerned that we might be seeing this with Mike Montgomery. Hopefully Monty can put these two subpar starts behind him, and turn it around once things pick back up.

Taijuan Walker toed the rubber twice as well, and his starts were even more disappointing. I am very surprised that Walker was so bad this week, as he had pitched like an All Star over the past couple months. But, this past week makes me reconsider. Superstars rise to the occasion when facing the best teams, but he didn’t do that. In his last two starts, he has pitched 11 innings allowing 11 earned runs, and 13 hits. What concerns me most is that he didn’t struggle with command, as he only had one walk to go with his ten strikeouts. This means that he was getting hit, and getting hit hard.

Ultimately, the M’s will be relying on these two rookies down the stretch, and they will need them to come on strong. If the Mariners can get these two to pitch like that have shown they are capable of, the rotation will be in great shape. If they slip up and fade, this season will be over before Seahawks’ Training Camp even opens. Hopefully, that won’t be the case.

Next: Franklin Gutierrez

Jul 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners left fielder Franklin Gutierrez (30) is greeted by third baseman Kyle Seager (15) after Gutierrez scored a run in the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Franklin Gutierrez

I’ve been singing Franklin Gutierrez’s praises for quite some time now, and I am so incredibly excited to see him making me look semi-smart. Guti was always one of my favorites, and after everything he has gone through, he is the feel good story for the M’s so far. Injuries have plagued his career. Many would have retired, and a lot of people wouldn’t have blamed him. However, he found a way to come back, and the M’s are thankful he did.

Over the past week, Guti has been impressive at the plate, going 5-for-16 (.313) with a double, home run, and an RBI. More importantly, he has created some stability at the top of the M’s lineup, and always seems to get rallies going. He still has some pop in that bat, and more importantly he has proven some gap-to-gap power, something this M’s lineup doesn’t have a lot of. I think the most important thing is that he is a veteran bat. Gutierrez is someone who can pass down some knowledge to these younger guys, and someone who constantly finds himself getting deep into counts.

Guti has been everything the M’s could’ve hoped for and more since being called up, hitting .290 on the year so far. While I’m not sure what the rest of the year will hold, what I do know is that I am incredibly happy for the 32 year old veteran.

Next: Mike Zunino

Jul 12, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Zunino (3) tags out Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar (2) as he slides into home to end the third inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Down: Mike Zunino

I feel so bad for Mike, I really do, because he works incredibly hard night in and night out, and you can just see his frustration. He was rushed up to the Majors, and the M’s run him out there every night and he answers the bell. However, the results just have not been there for the University of Florida alum in 2015.

Over the past week, the M’s backstop has gone 3-for-22 (.136) with 7 strikeouts and 2 RBI’s. On the year Mike has 40 base hits, to go with his 100 strikeouts, which is absolutely insane to me. I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to walk up to the plate and have 2.5 strikeouts for every base hit. The worst part is that he strikes out in 40% of his at bats, which is terrible.

The M’s have no other option behind the plate right now. Jesus Sucre is even worse offensively, so Mike is going to be the guy. And he should be, as he calls a great game. M’s pitchers trust him back there, and he works hard to keep the ball in front of him. He has raw power, and was one of the better hitters in the draft when he came out. He has the tools, but the M’s will have to pump some confidence in him and get him going.

Next: Felix Hernandez

Jul 9, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez (34) and catcher Mike Zunino (3) walk to the dugout prior to the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Safeco Field. The Mariners won 7-1.. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

 Stock Up: Félix Hernández

In Felix Hernandez’s last start, he hurled 7 shutout innings, allowing just 5 hits while striking out 6 and walking 2. While those are not signature King Felix numbers, what made it impressive for me was when and against whom he did it against. He shut down an Angels’ lineup that had been hot before they ran into Hernandez, and went deep into the ball game in doing so. It was also a key series, as the M’s desperately needed to win the series to gain some ground in the standings. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for the M’s, but you certainly can’t blame Felix.

I could type something up on how I think Felix is great, but that is beating a dead horse, as everyone knows that. But, I do want to highlight one stat in particular. Felix Hernandez has not allowed more than 1 earned run in any of his last 8 starts against the L.A. Angels. That’s incredibly impressive, and to have that streak against a divisional rival speaks volumes about the King’s ability to gear up for big games.

Next: Fernando Rodney

Jul 7, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Fernando Rodney (56) throws against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Down: Fernando Rodney

Look I am going to be quite frank, it is time for Fernando to pack his bags and go. I’m tired of seeing Lloyd constantly go to him, as it is quite apparent to me that he is a lost cause.

Over the past week, Rodney has allowed 3 runs on 3 hits across 3 innings of work. He hasn’t recored a scoreless outing since July 5^th at Oakland. The worst moment for me came this week against Yoenis Cespedes of the Detroit Tigers in the 8th inning of 6-5 game. Rodney quickly went up 0-2 against him with a pair of beautiful pitches. He was able to paint the corners with both of his first two pitches, and looked to have the at bat under control. However, he then left an 0-2 fastball right down the middle of the plate, and Cespedes deposited it into souvenir city. Cespedes’ dinger gave Detroit the lead.

Two things stuck out to me with this. One, Rodney’s out pitch is his changeup. When he went to the fastball at 0-2, that showed me how little confidence he has with his changeup. And 2, it was inexcusable for him to throw a fastball down the middle when it was supposed to be up.

Next: Kyle Seager

Jul 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager (15) reacts to the bench after hitting double in the first inning as Los Angeles Angels shortstop Erick Aybar (2) walks to the mound at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Stock Up: Kyle Seager

Well, I chronicled my displeasures with Kyle Seager last week, and he responded with his best week of the season. Maybe I should just do a write up about how all the Mariners’ have been absolutely terrible, and then they’ll all turn it around? Well, maybe not, but Seags sure has come on strong.

Over the past week, Seager has gone 11-for-27 (.407) with 3 doubles and 2 RBI’s. Over the past week, he has raised his batting average on the season from .252 to .269. Seags has been the M’s most reliable hitter as of late. While I would love to see Seager get his power stroke going again, I am certainly pleased to see him getting on base more. The Gold Glove third baseman tallied a remarkable 3 multi-hit games this week.

Kyle is someone who you’ll never have to worry about. He never gets to high and he never gets too low. Seags is well known around baseball as a glove man, and he made more than a few jaw dropping plays this past week. If there is one player on this team that is upset that the All Star break is when it is, it’s Kyle Seager, because he is flat out on fire. Hopefully, when the M’s pick it back up in the second half, Seager can pick up right where he left off. The Mariners will need him if they plan on making any sort of move in the standings.

Next: Stock Trader

Jul 7, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Austin Jackson (16) celebrates with shortstop Chris Taylor (1) and first baseman Logan Morrison (20) after hitting a grand slam home run against the Detroit Tigers during the third inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

 Stock Trader: Shop Austin Jackson

Look, I don’t like admitting it, but if we are being completely honest with each other, more than likely this season is over. MLB.com gives Seattle an 11% chance to reach the postseason, and I think that is being generous. More importantly for the M’s though, they need to plan accordingly so that whatever does happen right after the All-Star break, they can be ready. That is why I think they should start listening to offers for Austin Jackson.

A-Jax is a good player, and he will provide veteran leadership to a team that is looking for a top of the order bat at the deadline. For the M’s, Jackson should be able to generate some good buzz, and hopefully get them something valuable back if they are indeed in a position to sell. The M’s outfield is also incredibly crowded already, with Dustin Ackley, Franklin Gutierrez, Nelson Cruz, Mark Trumbo, and Seth Smith all able to play. Not to mention the M’s have Stefen Romero and James Jones in Triple-A.

Am I saying that the M’s should trade him tomorrow, absolutely not. But I do feel like it would be in their best interest to listen to offers. So if they do decide to sell, trading Austin Jackson might set them up for a run in the future.

Next: Mixed Bag for M's Prospects in Futures Game

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