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The 2020 Seattle Mariners Naughty or Nice List
Ho ho ho, who’s on the Seattle Mariners naughty or nice lists?
We’re finally here, it is Christmas. It has been one heck of a year for everybody, and the MLB was not the same as always. Lucky for us baseball fans, the season happened and we were able to watch and cheer on the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners finished third in the AL West with a 27-33 record under Scott Servais. The team managed to make a late push for the postseason and nearly got in. But, let’s be honest, making the playoffs was not an expectation in 2020.
This season was a test, a pilot, or however else you want to describe it. 2020 was an assessment of some of the young Mariners talent and I think we learned a lot.
Our starting rotation is starting to turn a corner. The Seattle Mariners have the athleticism to play scrappy baseball and run the bases effectively. The team’s defense will not be an issue in the future.
Better yet, we saw all of those positives while missing some key players due to injury, and our best prospects still waiting to be called up.
2020 may just seem like another “Mariners” year of losing, but it was not. I saw a lot of great things which makes me actually excited about the future. I know Seattle Mariners fans are growing tired of waiting, but this time I think it is different.
Now, bringing back to the holiday spirit, let’s find out which players made Santa’s naughty and nice list this Christmas.
The 2020 Seattle Mariners Naughty List
Seattle Mariners Bullpen
The Seattle Mariners bullpen was pretty darn bad in 2020, and are at the top of Santa’s naughty list. Yohan Ramirez (the only exception), was the only Mariners reliever to post a sub 3.00 ERA. Taylor Guilbeau and Carl Edwards Jr. also had sub 3.00 ERAs but they barely pitched.
The bullpen was clearly a red flag and Jerry Dipoto has quickly gone to work to bolster it. Also to be fair, the bullpen had a lot of young guys so it was a good learning experience for them.
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Yusei Kikuchi
The Seattle Mariners brought in Yusei Kikuchi two years ago and he hasn’t quite found his groove. In two MLB seasons, he holds a 5.39 ERA. Not exactly what you’d expect from a highly-touted Japanese player…
We saw glimpses of elite stuff in 2020, but Kikuchi failed to be consistent, and that is the most important thing. Kikuchi has made some mechanical changes and it seemed to pay off a little. He managed a 1.1 WAR despite his terrible ERA.
Kikuchi is on the 2020 naughty list, and I am hoping he finds himself on the nice list in 2021 and beyond.
Evan White’s Offense
Notice how I wrote Evan White’s offense…. It is no secret that Evan White can pick it at first base, but his hitting was bad. Again, I am not going to bash him because it was his first season in the MLB.
White finished with a .176 average and led the team with 84 strikeouts. This will need to be a major area of focus moving forward if he wants to become a successful Mariners player.
The good thing though was that White was hitting the ball hard when he did make contact. According to Baseball Savant, his average exit velocity was in the 87th percentile in 2020 (higher the better).
There were other poor performances in 2020, but they are not worth highlighting. I expect all three players/groups to join the 2021 nice list, otherwise, the Seattle Mariners might need to make some more changes. Let’s meet the nice list…
The 2020 Seattle Mariners Nice List
J.P. Crawford
The Seattle Mariners finally got a little preview of what J.P. Crawford is capable of, and frankly why we traded for him. Crawford won his first Gold Glove Award and also produced offensively.
I was honestly a little shocked that he beat out Carlos Correa for the award, but he deserves it. As far as the offensive side of things, he finished with a .255 average and .336 OBP. I want a little more from him in the next couple of years, but I think it is a great jump from last season.
Crawford got on base pretty frequently and stole 6 bases as well. That is exactly what we need from him because he won’t be hitting 20+ home runs. But if he can improve on his 2020 season, he would be a perfect #1, #2, or #9 kind of hitter.
Reviewing the 2011 Seattle Mariners draft picks by Jack Zduriencik. light. Hot
Evan White’s Defense
As I mentioned already, Evan White was bad on offense but great on defense. That is why he is on both of Santa’s lists. Not a whole lot to say but he definitely deserves his Gold Glove Award. I did a little comparing of the sabermetrics, and White’s numbers were dramatically better than his competition: Matt Olson and Yuli Gurriel.
Now we just need him to improve his offense and we are in business.
Marco Gonzales
Marco was just flat-out amazing. I love the way he pitches. It still amazes me how effective he is without a 95mph fastball. The Gonzaga product finished with a 3.10 ERA, and led the league in BB/9.
He is another player that made a big leap from 2019 to 2020, like Crawford. Marco posted a 3.99 ERA in 2019, and dropped it down by quite a lot.
Gonzales is proving to everyone that he is capable of being a front of rotation pitcher, and I do not have any complaints. He will turn 29 next February, so Mariners fans will get to see him get better and better.
Yohan Ramirez
Will Yohan be the next Edwin Diaz? Probably not, but pretty darn close. Ramirez had a spectacular rookie season posting a 2.61 ERA in 20.2 innings. He was acquired in the Rule 5 Draft last season and was the only reliever to pitch well in 2020.
The 25-year-old could be the Seattle Mariners closer moving forward. The cool thing is that Yohan still has areas to improve on, so he will only get better. Ramirez had issues with control so if he can keep his walks down, he will be even better.
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Justus Sheffield
To be honest, I sort of became weary of Justus Sheffield after watching him pitch in 2019. But, I quickly changed my mind after watching him pitch this past season.
After a rough 2019, Sheffield was able to bounce back in a big way and finished with a 3.58 ERA. One of the things that stood out to me was his BB/9. In 2019, his BB/9 was 4.5, but in 2020 he lowered it to 3.3. That is still not very good, but it shows that he is working on his control.
Sheffield may not look like he is 24-years-old, but there is a lot to look forward to from the young pitcher. I am expecting a big year from him in 2021.
Kyle Lewis
Last but not least, Kyle Lewis. Do I need to do any explaining? I think you have read plenty about his 2020 performance already. Lewis unanimously won the AL Rookie of the Year Award.
Lewis was an underdog going into 2020, and most people probably did not even consider him. Luis Robert was the headline prospect for 2020, and Lewis was able to beat him.
Kyle was great offensively and made some amazing catches during 2020 as well. Mariners fans have been waiting to cheer on a young talented player for a while, and Lewis has become “the guy” in Seattle.
Next. My list to Santa: 3 unrealistic trades as a Seattle Mariners fan. dark