The Mariners were too ahead of themselves

Mariners manager Scott Servais was extended this past summer. But it looks like the home team jumped the gun. They should have waited it out. If the Mariners had continued their dominant first half baseball the full six months and made the playoffs, I wouldn’t be writing this.

But it didn’t and they’re not. Even though Scott Servais can’t play on the field, he is the show’s director and this year’s performance wasn’t exactly a Broadway hit. He is who the fanbase needs to point fingers at for a talented club that missed the playoffs despite all signs saying otherwise. You look at the sheet and think how can you not make the playoffs with a 14-1 extras record, more one-run wins than anyone, and a historical season by your closer.

Not making the playoffs puts that to waste in a way and the collapse by this team was tough to stomach. Guys made bone-headed plays on every aspect of the diamond and their effort looked lackluster at times. We can’t know the latter for a fact but that’s what projected.

Not to mention that even the Mariners’ best hitters choked regularly in the clutch. In fact, they seemed to hit their worst in the clutch. That’s where you need a manager who can prepare his team for key moments in a season.

For most of the games, the Mariners didn’t look well-managed and, well, Scott Servais was their manager. He may be better as he matures at his job but is he the best option for the Mariners right now?

If any fans don’t know, the Mariners are Scott Servais’s first managerial stop. So am I the only one who thinks the Mariners got too ahead of themselves by extending him in July? They should have waited it out and seen how the team panned out in crunch time. Maybe then you dismiss Servais and pursue a proven winner. A classic movie line is “how much do we know about this person?” when dealing with unknowns.

It’s clear that Servais is here to stay because of his relationship with Jerry Dipoto. Per MLB.com, Jerry was “thrilled to maintain a working relationship with an old friend” after the extension. Right now, the Mariners don’t need friends. They need a manger, players, and personnel with a sense and taste of winning baseball.

So, was Servais extended too soon and is the organization stuck for a while? Let’s see how the 2019 club looks and then reconvene.