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Sodo Mojo’s Mariners Round Table: We Watched Games
Welcome back to our third installment of the Sodo Mojo Mariners Round Table! This time, we had actual, meaningful games to watch, and are ready to make snap judgments that we cannot change!
Ok, so obviously, any rationale person understands that our opinions after 1 week are subject to change. After all, a team can drastically change over the course of the season, so why can’t we? It is difficult to draw any solid conclusions after just a handful of games. But… we decided to give it a try anyways.
Question 1: Overall Thoughts On The Mariners Thus Far?
Ty Gonzalez:
They’re really fun. The offense has been absolutely stellar and amazing to watch. Starting pitching has exceeded expectations thus far. They could be in a very good place, record wise, at the end of April.
Michael Johnson:
It is still VERY early, but in the early going there are quite a few positives to take note of… as well as a few negatives. No better place to start than the lead off spot when talking about positives. Dee Gordon has been impressive. 7-for-17 to start the season, already has an HR, and has swiped two bags. Defensively, it’s almost like he’s been out there his entire career. Loving me some “Flash.”
Beyond the leadoff spot, Segura and Cano are doing what Segura and Cano do. Mitch Haniger has been on fire and before the injury Cruz had left the yard twice. Seager is finding his way, and will no doubt get back to doing what he does. And Ryon Healy, despite struggling through the Cleveland series, has his first hit as a Mariner under his belt! Small sample size, but based on what we’ve seen, this offense should be fun to watch!
One final positive – the starting rotation. Paxton struggled a bit, but Felix looks to have found a piece of his former self, Leake was leak proof, and Marco looked as good as ever before. This will obviously remain the question mark throughout the season, but for now – so far so good on the bump. Three quick negatives – Injury bug, bottom of the lineup, and Vogey. Zunino on the DL prior to opening the season was a gut punch.
Losing Cruz two days later was a swift kick to the groin. Can’t wait to get them back! The 7 through 9 holes in the batting order has been atrocious (Ichiro looks every bit of those 44 years), but getting Zunino back will help that. Maybe with Cruz on the DL, getting regular at bats as they finish out the road trip will get him in a groove, but so far it looks like it was a simple spring fluke for Vogey.
Jeff Nooney:
My overall thoughts on the Mariners have been mostly good ones. The first series against CLE couldn’t have gone any better. Even in the loss they fought like hell. The first game in SF was awesome, followed by the dumpster fire of the second game. Even with only scoring 1 run, they still managed to get 10 hits. That’s the one bright spot from that game. All in all, better than expected.
Colton Swanson:
I think the team has played really well thus far. Last years bullpen blows the one run leads against CLE. Felix and Pax have both had a shaky start, which is bound to happen, but overall think the team has been solid.
Colby Patnode:
The Mariners have been good. It really is that simple. We have seen them just about every kind of game you can imagine. They won a pitchers duel on Opening Day, put up 5 earned runs on a Cy Young candidate, grinded out at bats before out slugging the Indians, and used a great combination of speed, defense and pitching for their 3rd win.
We also saw an absolute blow out, which I am willing to ignore… for now. Overall, the Mariners have been, good.
Dan Clark:
My overall thoughts of the team so far are as advertised in my opinion. The lineup is going to be very fun to watch and the bullpen has a chance to be very good. Rotation has questions but will definitely show promise here and there. Overall team will be fun and honestly how good is it to have baseball back.
Question 2: Who’s Early Season Performance Has You Most Excited?
Ty Gonzalez:
Mitchell Evan Haniger, All-Star. The man is seeing the ball so well and has come up in clutch situations. FanGraphs already has him worth half a win and he’s earned every bit of that.
Michael Johnson:
Mitch Haniger. After a 2017 season that was interrupted by injury, watching this kid come out and perform the way he has been fantastic. We all knew we were getting an all-star in Jean Segura in the trade that sent Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte to the Diamondbacks. But to get Haniger as a “throw in” of sorts is turning that trade into a gem.
His confidence at the plate, the approach he takes into each at bat, and the fact he has guys on base in front of him… It kind of feels like stars are aligning and *queue the far too early overreaction* they are leading #17 right to the all-star game!
Jeff Nooney:
I am most excited about Dee Gordon. He’s made some incredible catches in center, and has been great at the plate. Bunt singles, stolen bases and even a home run, you have got to be excited about this guy. Best leadoff hitter the M’s have had since early Ichiro.
Colton Swanson:
Dee Gordon is everything that the Mariners need. He is a spark plug and brings life to the team. He’s always bring it energy no matter the situation. Marco also looked good in San Fran and, my daily Dan Vogelbach plug, the Large Adult Son looked good shooting a double the other way on Wednesday.
Colby Patnode:
Ichiro. Hahaha, just kidding. Well, since we have already seen 2 Gordon selections, and 2 Haniger’s, I’ll be different and say Robinson Cano. Forget the numbers, which are great, and just watch him hit. He is turning on the inside fastball, using the whole field, and not swinging at bad pitches.
All this bodes well for Cano, a player the Mariners desperately need to be great in 2018.
Dan Clark:
The early season performances that have excited me so far have been Dee Gordon at the top of the lineup and the outing from Marco Gonzales. Dee’s speed has definitely been a game changer at the top of the lineup. Marco in my eyes pitches really well in SF. My favorite early season performance has been from Mitch Haniger. I went into detail before the season in our ‘My Guy’ series we ran here at Sodo Mojo of why Haniger will have a great season and he has been so far even better than I thought.
Question 3: Have Your Expectations Changed Since Spring Training?
Ty Gonzalez:
Somewhat negatively, actually. Well, in terms of the bullpen. Juan Nicasio and Nick Vincent have been pretty shaky so far. I don’t feel confident in them holding leads from what I’ve seen so far. I really thought they were going to be the strongest aspect of this team.
Michael Johnson:
To have made it through one rotation of the starters with a 3-1 record is great. But I’m not ready to change my expectations just yet. If this season is going to end with baseball in October, Felix and Paxton need to stay healthy and both be great. Not for a week, for the entire season. The lineup will also have to be as good as we think they can be. And the injuries across the entire 25-man roster will have to be limited.
My expectation out of spring was they’d win more games than last year, but would struggle to get into the playoff mix. After a week of real baseball, let’s just say I am hopeful they exceed my expectations.
Jeff Nooney:
My expectations have really stayed the same. We’ve seen Felix look like Jeckle and Hyde and Paxton be terrible (albeit 1 start) and this team is 3-2. Their offense has been tremendous, and I don’t see that changing. Need the pit him go to be more consistently they want to keep this up.
Colton Swanson:
I wouldn’t say my expectations have changed much yet. I do feel like the M’s have a legitimate shot at the 2nd wild card. The pitching has been as advertised as long as we see a Paxton bounce back against the Twins.
Colby Patnode:
No. Go Mariners. Next question.
Dan Clark:
My expectations haven’t changed since opening day. I don’t usually change my thoughts on the team day-to-day it takes me a while to change my thoughts on them but I like what I see so far.
Question 4: Fill in the blank: The Mariners Injuries in 2018 Have Been ______?
Ty Gonzalez:
Eye-opening. This team has succeeded without three of their best hitters in Gamel, Zunino, and Cruz so far. It’s made me realize just how scary this lineup will be once everyone’s fully healthy.
Michael Johnson:
Brutal, but not devastating. Thankfully these injuries came early in the year and not during a playoff push. Yes, despite there being 162 games each one counts. But it is always better to have your guys down the stretch. Thankfully the top 2/3 of the order has been good enough to weather the storm. With how bad the bottom 1/3 of the lineup has been though, it is obvious this team needs Zunino in there. And as a quick closing statement concerning the Cruz injury… Boomstick was on pace for 162 HR. What a shame. I guess we’ll just have to settle for 152.
Jeff Nooney:
The Mariners injuries have been about normal, in my opinion. Cruz rolled an ankle walking down steps. Zunino and Gamel will be back. The Phelps injury sucks, but if you’re going to lose a player for the season you want it to be a reliever. The sky isn’t falling, and it could be a lot worse.
Colton Swanson:
The injuries are ANNOYING. That’s the word. Zunino’s is rough after such a good year last year. Cruz needs to be carried down the stairs after homeruns from now on because that is such a dumb way to hurt yourself. Every game counts for the Mariners and to lose arguably their best player to a slip down the stairs is so Mariners. But that means Vogey gets to DH so like… pick your poison.
Colby Patnode:
Non- debilitating? Despite the seemingly endless string of injuries this spring, the only Mariners who will miss significant time is David Phelps. Ryon Healy didn’t miss a game (although looks very rusty), Ben Gamel is ahead of schedule, and the team has even appeared to catch a break with Cruz and Zunino.
It’ll be exciting to see this lineup play with it’s actual projected starting 9, assuming we actually get to see it for an extended period. But overall, the Mariners have been quite fortunate to be as healthy as they are.
Next: Can the Mariners Get Off to a Fast Start in 2018?
Dan Clark:
The Mariners injuries so far have seemed minor. Hopefully all the injuries so far with the exception of Phelps have been minor and all will hopefully be back by about the start of May. It’s not good Zunino and Cruz aren’t playing but (touch wood) they aren’t major injuries either.