2 Mariners that should play more, 2 that should play less

Gabe Speier Should Get More Time

(Note here - This was submitted before the back-to-back appearances, so great call on Speier getting more time)

As one of just two lefties in the Seattle bullpen, Speier is also one of just two pitchers yet to concede their first earned run, the other being Tyson Miller. Despite getting the call in five games, he's only pitched in 3 ⅔ innings so far this year, striking out six and giving up just three hits. There's evidence to suggest that he could be doing even more to lead the ninth-best bullpen in MLB.

Hi four-seam fastball has yet to give up a hit and boasts an impressive 50% strikeout rate, as does his slider. His fastball tends to live in the middle-upper part of the zone and despite a below-average velocity of just 93.3 mph so far this season, he lives on crafty sequencing to make his living. Of the 10 he's thrown so far, only one has been put in play.

The pecking order in the bullpen has been set up in a way to give names like Trent Thornton and Andrés Muñoz most of the relief innings so far, and deservedly so. To increase the available innings for Speier, the Mariners can either 1) move him up in the order or 2) pull their starters earlier and give them shorter starts. The latter might be a mutually beneficial option as more and more teams have realized the benefits of more variety in pitchers used per games.