5 Bold Predictions for 2017 Seattle Mariners

Baseball is back. The Seattle Mariners are less than 24 hours away from their Cactus League opener, and there is a renewed energy in the city of Seattle.

Unfortunately for most Mariners fans, their first opportunity to see the team in action will be March 5th. However; there is still plenty of things for M’s fans to get psyched about.

Whether it is watching the new editions like Jarrod Dyson or Jean Segura, or potential breakouts Mike Zunino and Paxton, Spring Training offers plenty of exciting storylines.

Of course, the main job a ball player in Spring Training is simple. For hitters, this is the time to find your timing off of live arms for the first time in 3-4 months. For the pitchers, it is about building up the stamina and arm strength required to last over a rigors schedule.

The Mariners plan to roll out their Opening Day lineup tomorrow, which will look something like this:

But the main job of baseball analyst during Spring Training is to make projections for players and teams. Projections, in simpler terms, are what you think is most likely to happen. Not what you want to have happen, but what is most likely to happen.

However, one of the favorite pastimes of sports writers and fans alike are “bold predictions”.  Something that seems unlikely, but you believe could happen, if everything broke right. In other words, not what you think is most likely to happen, but somethings that could conceivably happen.

Sodo Mojo’s team made a few predictions as well. Some reasonable, like our editor, Adam Levi’s proclamation that either Robinson Cano or Nelson Cruz win the MVP award. Some were cool and intriguing, like one of our contributors, Alex Sommerfield’s prediction that Thyago Vieira wins the AL Rookie of the year. Others were way out there, like another contributor, Anthony Hill’s prediction that Mike Zunino slashes .300/30/100 ( I hope Anthony is even 60% right).

So, without further ado, I present my five bold predictions for the 2017 Seattle Mariners.

. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

James Paxton Becomes The Ace In The Rotation

A tip of the cap to Sodo Mojo Contributor, Riley Baker on this one. He predicts Paxton wins 15 games, throwing over 200 innings with 180 strikeouts. But hey, these are bold predictions, so let’s spice it up even more.

James Paxton will anchor the 2017 Mariners, finishing with a 2.87 ERA, 215 IP, and 200 strikeouts. The big Canadian has that type of stuff, and if he stays healthy in 2017, these are entirely obtainable goals.

Jarrod Dyson Steals 50 Bases

There is no doubt that Dyson has the speed to snag 50 bags for the Mariners. This prediction is more about Dyson’s ability to get regular plate appearances than it is a question of his base running abilities.

He had a .340 OBP in 2016, a career high. He will need to repeat that feat in order to get the plate appearances necessary to hit the magic number. In his career, Dyson has 1539 PA and 176 steals. That averages out to a stolen base every 8.7 PA. If that trend continues, Dyson will need 437 PA to reach 50 SB.

Realistically, the bold prediction here is that Dyson hits well enough to gets 450 PA. But that’s not the sexiest headline, so work with me here.

Jerry Dipoto Makes Massive Trade In Late July

The 2017 Seattle Mariners slogan is ” Whatever it takes,” a motto already being embraced by the players. However, General Manager, Jerry Dipoto went most of the way in this off-season.

He didn’t lose his draft pick by signing a big free agent. He didn’t aggressively shop Tyler O’Neil and Kyle Lewis. In layman’s terms, Dipoto hedged his bet.

It makes a lot of sense for him to do so. If he went “All In” this off-season, and the team faltered, there is little Dipoto could do to rectify the ship. But now we fast forward to July, and things are changing quickly.

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The Mariners sit in 3rd place in the AL West, trailing the Astros by two games and the Rangers by three. They hold the 2nd Wild Card, edging out the Toronto Blue Jays by two games. The Mariners need some help, and Jerry Dipoto is working the phones.

Then, on July 28th, Jerry pulls the trigger. The Mariners will trade Tyler O’Neil, Andrew Moore, Dan Altavilla, and Luis Liberato to the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates for Andrew McCuthcen and Tony Watson.

Or maybe it’s Carlos Gonzalez. Or Eric Hosmer or Lorenzo Cain. Who knows? McCutchen is a placeholder, the idea is that Dipoto will pull the trigger on a major trade.

There you go. Five bold predictions. Were they bold enough? Do you have your own bold predictions? Let us know. One thing we know is this:

Next: Haniger To Be AL ROY?

The 2017 Mariners are sure to be entertaining and have a good chance to end the 15-year playoff drought for the franchise. Will they do it? Only time will tell.