Mariners Players And Their College Football Comparisons

Nelson Cruz – Louisville Cardinals

The one and only similarity between the Louisville Cardinals and the Boomstick: offense.

Nelson Cruz has always brought his bat wherever he has ended up. Seattle is no different. 2016 saw Cruz hit .287 with 43 HR and 105 RBI. Although not known for his defense, whenever he played the outfield, he could handle his business.

But we will always rave about his offense. 2017 will see Cruz mostly man the DH role with occasional OF play. As long as that offense comes to play, M’s fans will not care where on the field he plays.

The 2016 Louisville Cardinals were led by their stud Heisman QB, Lamar Jackson. No one ever doubted their ability to score, the defense was their Achilles’ heel.

The Cardinals started outscoring teams by 30 and 40 and that put Jackson in the Heisman talk. Their game plan was to score around 60 points and not have to worry about defense.

Unfortunately, losses to Clemson, Kentucky, and a solid Houston defense derailed their title hopes. But for fans of the team, they were blessed with an exciting offense. In 2017, if the defense can improve, the team could compete for a spot in the National Semis.

Louisville Cardinals and Mariners fans have a couple of reasons to be excited. Firstly, all of the keys will be returning for 2017. Louisville will return its star QB and its WR core, while the Boomstick will be in full force this year.

Secondly, both the Mariners and Louisville are in the national spotlight. Nothing makes games more exciting knowing that you’re playing for a chance at the title.

For these two, as long as the offense shows up, the defense will not bother anyone. A word to describe these two; Exciting.