Jason Vargas: Four Key Differences Between this Year and Last.

Some Mariner fans continue to wait for the 2010 Jason Vargas train to derail. Vargas, and his 87 MPH fastball, hardly blow away American League hitters. But, on Sunday Vargas notched his 17th (of 22 starts) Quality Start (going at least 6 innings, and allowing 3 or fewer runs) of 2010, which is good enough for fourth-best in the American League. He continues to show that he can be better than a back-end-of-the-rotation starter.

Most of his numbers demonstrate that, this season, he’s very much the same pitcher he has been his entire career, and certainly his numbers indicate that he’s doing many of the same things he did toeing the rubber for the Mariners last season. He is, however, vastly improved in four key areas. His improvement in these categories may be the reason he’s had so much success this year.

1) Home Run Percentage (2009--4.2%; 2010--2.3%; MLB AVG 2.7%) – Last season, Vargas allowed homeruns in over four percent of plate appearances against him. This season, he’s cut that down to under 2.5 %. Any time a pitcher can cut down the number of homeruns he allows is, obviously, a positive. So, the fact that Vargas has kept the ball in the yard is encouraging. Is he throwing more groundballs this year? No. Vargas, even in 2010, has yet to become a “ground-ball pitcher” (his groundball to flyball ratio is actually down this year to .55. The MLB Average is .79). In fact, he’s the epitome of a flyball pitcher. So, is Vargas just lucky then? Maybe.

2) Percentage of Fly Balls Allowed that Were Homeruns (2009-10%; 2010-5.4%; MLB AVG 7.6%) – Vargas may be getting lucky, or “pitching to his ballpark.” Last year, ten percent of the flyballs Vargas allowed left the yard for homeruns. This season, that percentage sits between five and six percent. Simply put, even though he’s allowing flyballs at a higher clip, hitters have been unable to make solid enough contact to hit the ball into the stands. Presumably, he’s using his offspeed pitches to keep hitters off balance, and he’s staying away from the middle of the plate and the sweet spot of the bat. Keeping the ball in the park has been a key to Vargas’ success this season.

3) First-Pitch Strike Percentage (2009-51%; 2010-63%; MLB AVG 59%) – Last year, Jason Vargas began counts 0-1 roughly half the time. His percentage was well below the MLB average, and Vargas’ failure to work ahead of hitters consistently put hitters into “hitter-counts” where they could then sit back and wait for a fastball over the plate. This year, Vargas’ first-pitch strike percentage is up to 63%, above the MLB average, and it puts him in the drivers’ seat to execute pitch sequences to hitters on his own accord, rather than having to give in and offer hitters fastballs in fastball-counts.

4) Percent of Plate Appearances with a Runner on 3rd Base and Less than Two Outs that the Runner Advances (2009-64%; 2010-35%; MLB AVG 53%) – Last season, hitters against Vargas scored runners from third base with less than two outs almost two-thirds of the time. This season, hitters are advancing those runners only one-third of the time—well below the MLB average. This means that when runners advance to third base with less than two outs, Vargas is bearing down and wiggling out of trouble without those runs scoring. He’s either striking hitters out, rolling up a double play to end an inning, forcing a short pop-fly that cannot score the run, or inducing a ground-ball to a corner infielder (or a comebacker to the mound) almost two-thirds of the time, stranding those runners at third.

Skeptics will argue that Vargas’ success is largely attributable to luck and the fact that, more often than not, he pitches at Safeco Field. This season, his numbers are better at Safeco: 13 Starts, 2.23 ERA, 7 HR, 1.157 WHIP, 2.0 SO/BB ratio. (vs. on the Road: 9 Starts, 4.50 ERA, 6 HR, 1.259 WHIP, 2.77 SO/BB ratio). But, his numbers should be better at Safeco, as it is well-known to be a pitcher’s park. And, not only are his numbers better at Safeco, but they are legitimately great at Safeco. Not every finesse lefty has been able to pitch to his ballpark with the success Vargas has achieved this season. Any team would love to have a member of its rotation pitch so well at home. And, on top of that, his “away” numbers aren’t horrible, either. After all, a 4.50 ERA on the road is nothing to lose sleep over for a mid-rotation pitcher.

Ultimately, it is not always easy to explain, using quantifiable statistics, how a finesse pitcher like Jason Vargas can improve so drastically from one year to the next. With Vargas, though, these four key improvements may be significant difference-makers as to his greater success and consistency this season.

The Most Boring Game in MLB History

I hustled home this evening in order to watch the Mariners on television. When I got home and finally turned on the TV, the game was already in the second inning. I raced to my computer to pull up the lineups, so I could see who had already hit, and how we got to where we were in the game. Then, reviewing the lineup, something hit me.

Tonight’s game may be the most boring collection of lineups in MLB history. The Mariners and Royals are both horrible teams, mired in last place in their respective divisions. The Royals are currently 17 games below .500; the Mariners are 28 under. The likelihood of seeing a well-executed baseball game between these two teams is minimal.

Next, I looked at the starting pitching matchups. Bruce Chen against David Pauley. Not exactly the kind of matchup that ignites an interest in the game. The 33-year old southpaw, Bruce Chen, now pitching for the TENTH team in his twelve year career, carried his near-5.00 ERA (4.74) against David Pauley, who has NEVER WON AN MLB GAME (0-6), in 17 career appearances (9 starts) dating back to 2006 and whose career ERA is 6.71. Not exactly a couple of Cy Young contenders squaring off. But again, any pitcher throwing against the Mariner offense this season has an opportunity to feel like Cy Young for at least one night.

The pitching matchup is only the tip of the iceberg. When you pull up the Mariner lineup, the offensive struggles become glaringly blatant. Only one player in the starting lineup came into today hitting higher than .260 (Ichiro-.311). In fact, seven of the nine hitters in the Mariner starting lineup brought averages below .250 into today’s game.

The Royals lineup, on the other hand, is not too bad. In fact, they have the 2nd highest team batting average in the American League (.278). But still, they don’t bring to town a team of exciting players. Yes, Jason Kendall has had a long, productive career. But, fans don’t buy tickets to watch him. Nor are they driven to the box office to experience Gregor Blanco, Alex Gordon, and Mitch Maier roam the outfield. Wilson Betemit and Kila Ka’aihue, similarly, don’t exude starpower. Billy Butler is a good big league hitter; but, he is probably about the only Royal many fans have ever heard of (excluding the handful of former Mariners currently employed by Kansas City), though he’s hardly a household name.

Yet, despite how dull tonight’s game may be on paper, there were still 24,520 paid attendees at Safeco to watch the Chen v. Pauley showdown. This may be because, as ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian says, “Every day you go to the ballpark, you might see something you've never seen in your life.” Even as boring as this game will undoubtedly be, the slightest chance exists that something amazing or exciting could happen, like a Mariner walk-off. Thus, the beauty of baseball.

Photo Credit: Keith Allison-Flickr

Saluting the Sween-Dog: Mike Sweeney Dealt to the Phillies

Tuesday marked the last day of Mike Sweeney’s rehab assignment in Tacoma. He went out with a bang—hitting two homeruns in a Rainier victory. The Mariners, then, were forced to do something with him: reinstate him back onto the 25-man active roster, designate him outright, or trade him to another ballclub. The Mariners opted for the last option, dealing Sweeney to the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named.

Charlie Manuel said Wednesday that Sweeney will play first base for the Phillies regularly until Ryan Howard comes of the disabled list in a couple weeks. Sweeney was available for the Phillies on Thursday, walking in his only at-bat. Sweeney also goes from a team over twenty games out of a pennant race to a team just two games back of the Braves in the NL East.

Mike Sweeney’s tenure in Seattle began when he won a spot on the roster prior to the 2009 season. He was an integral role player on the ballclub, primarily serving as a back-up DH and pinch hitter. The Mariners, after re-signing Ken Griffey, Jr. this past offseason, appeared to shut Sweeney out of an opportunity to rejoin the Mariners for 2010, despite the fact that he hit well over .300 during the second half of last season—when he was healthy and finally got the opportunity to play regularly.


Out of an apparent sense of obligation or gratitude for what he contributed in 2009’s turnaround, the Mariners offered Sweeney a chance to compete for a roster spot out of Spring Training this season. Nobody thought he would ultimately make the roster; but, Sweeney knocked the cover off the ball in Spring Training, forcing the Mariners to keep him. Unfortunately, his red-hot bat was cooled when Wakamatsu then proceeded to sit him on the bench to languish the first month of the season. In May, in the midst of Sleepgate and other distractions, Wak finally realized Sweeney was the team’s best option at DH. Given the opportunity for semi-regular playing time, he raised his batting numbers significantly. In the three-week span of May 5-May 26, Sweeney’s offensive numbers skyrocketed: May 5--.172/.273/.172; May 26--.309/.377/.603.

But, then, moving into June and with another stint of interleague play in NL ballparks, the Mariners were battling personnel issues, and Sweeney wound up the odd-man out when he experienced minor back spasms that sent him to the DL. He said today that the back spasms that prompted his trip to the DL for the first stint in early June had subsided within a day. He was activated from the DL in mid-June but quickly returned to the DL, after appearing in just a handful of games. His second stint on the DL was also less of a back problem and more of a problem of personnel, as Sweeney acknowledged that he was never really for any extended period of time: “It’s a little unfortunate that I’ve been on the DL this long. I’ve been healthy pretty much since the day they put me on the DL.” He also said, “I was taking batting practice when they put me on the DL.” The Mariners simply could not find a spot on their roster for their right-handed-hitting DH after the acquisitions of Justin Smoak and Russell Branyan.

The Smoak and Branyan acquisitions combined with both Casey Kotchman’s and Milton Bradley’s presence on the team left the Mariners with limited options, and Sweeney, as a result, experienced a prolonged “rehab” stint in Tacoma where, as expected he continued to really swing the bat well. But, when the Mariners were forced to finally make a move, they did, dealing the veteran to the defending National League Champions. Now, Sweeney has an opportunity to play for a team in October, an experience he’s never enjoyed in his fifteen-year career.

But, what makes Sweeney so special is what he can bring to a team—not just on the field, but in the dugout and clubhouse. By all accounts, he is one of the true class-acts in baseball. A great teammate, clubhouse presence, and respected veteran leader. In fact, after being traded Wednesday afternoon, unlike some former Mariners who opted to leave the ballclub so much as a good-bye, Sweeney took the time to drive up to Safeco and personally say good-bye, exchange hugs, and wish all his former teammates luck with the remainder of their season.

This final act of professionalism and class epitomizes the kind of person Mike Sweeney is. He will be a great addition to the veteran Philadelphia clubhouse—a team that already knows how to win. Jack Z said something after the trade that expresses how most Mariner fans feel: “This is a great opportunity for Mike and we are pulling for him to succeed in Philadelphia.”

The Mariners May Trade in August: How it works.

The July 31st trading deadline has come and gone. But, players can still be traded from one organization to another. How is it possible? And, if trades may still happen after the July 31st deadline, what is the difference between trades that occur before or after the July 31 deadline?

Prior to July 3, trades are made freely between teams, seemingly without restriction. After the deadline, however, trades become more complicated, and teams may not be able to choose the other teams with which it would like to partner in a trade.

In August, in order for any player on a team’s 40-man roster to be traded, he must first clear waivers. An MLB organization must place its players on waivers for the requisite 47 business hour waiver period (waiver period begins at 2 PM ET on the given business day and ends at 1 PM ET two days later); and, during that waiver period, any other team may claim the player on waivers.

Vince Coleman was a 1995 August trade acquisition who was integral to the historic Refuse to Lose campaign.

If a player gets claimed by another team while he is on waivers, different outcomes may follow.

First, waivers are revocable. For example, if the Mariners place a player on waivers and he gets claimed by another team, the Mariners can pull him back off waivers without losing him. If a player is taken back off the waiver wire by his team, the organization must wait thirty days before placing that player on waivers another time.

Second, if a player is claimed off waivers, the claiming has 48.5 hours (from 1 PM ET the day the player is claimed to 1:30 PM ET two business days later) to make a deal with the player’s original club, or the player is automatically pulled back off waivers and stays with his original team. The player claimed off waivers can be exchanged for another player(s) from the claiming team; or, the player’s team may just dump the player’s contract on the claiming team without an actual trade taking place (your typical salary dump).

Third, a player may not be claimed off waivers, and once he clears the 47 hour waiver period, he may be traded freely to any interested team.

Teams are allowed to place seven players on waivers per business day. Then, the MLB Commissioner’s office sends a list of players on waivers to the different MLB teams. Each MLB team then has the opportunity to analyze these lists to determine whether the team would benefit from adding a specific player to its roster; or, it may claim a player to block a division rival from claiming that same player.

After the 47 hour waiver period has passed, the MLB Commissioner’s office will alert a team if a member of the team has been claimed. Only the player’s team will know which team placed a claim on the player; and, the team making a claim is only alerted as to whether they were awarded the claim or not.

If multiple teams claim a player, MLB uses a priority system to determine which claimant will be awarded the claim. American League teams are given priority claiming players on other American League rosters, and National League teams are given priority over National League players. So, if a Mariner player on waivers is claimed by both the Reds and the Twins, the Twins would be awarded the claim. If two or more teams from the same league claim a player, the team with the poorest record will be awarded the waiver claim. So, if a Mariner player is claimed by both the Yankees and the Orioles, the Orioles—with their worse record—will be awarded the claim.

So, just because the July 31 trade deadline has come and gone, Jack Z will continue to look for deals to improve his roster. Today, MLB Trade Rumors speculated which Mariner players could be potential trade fodder this month. MLBTR figures that the large contracts of Milton Bradley and Chone Figgins would probably allow them to clear waivers; and, the Mariners would, at the very least consider, consider getting out from underneath three more years of Figgins’ contract if he were to be claimed. MLBTR also figures that Jose Lopez and Russell Branyan may be claimed because their low-risk contracts could be attractive to many teams.

So, after a fairly quiet trade-deadline, trading season may not be over.

Mariner Trade Rumor Summary

The trade deadline looms Saturday. Contenders seek to upgrade their lineups for a postseason push; and, sellers are look to jettison salaries and unload expensive veteran components to buyers in exchange for prospects that may help their chances at making a postseason run in the future.

The Mariners’ premiere trade chip this season was Cliff Lee. As expected, he was dealt earlier this month with Mark Lowe to the Rangers for Justin Smoak, minor league pitchers Blake Beavan and Josh Lueke, and minor league infielder/outfielder Matt Lawson.

Who else may be moved before the July 31 deadline, or the August 31 deadline (when a player must clear waivers prior to being traded)? Let’s take a look at some of the grumblings, by position:

1B:
Casey Kotchman—many have speculated that Kotchman could be traded to a contender seeking to shore up its infield defense, and what better late-inning defensive replacement than the owner of the most consecutive errorless games played at first base? I have not come across any specific teams reportedly interested in the Mariner first-baseman, however.

Russell Branyan—a Chicago newspaper reported (7/24) that the White Sox were hoping to scout Branyan; but, they were not able to get a real good look because he was out with back issues at the time. Evidently, the Mariners sought White Sox prospect Brent Morel in exchange in a Branyan deal; in other Branyan news, the Tigers have indicated (7/28) they are “not pursuing” the slugger at this point.

SS:
Jack Wilson—throughout July, rumors circulated that the Tigers were scouting Jack Wilson. The Tigers have been interested in acquiring Wilson for the past few seasons, so this new interest in the slick-fielding shortstop comes as no real surprise.

2B/3B:
Jose Lopez—Lopez was linked to the Phillies (7/2) after both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco went down creating serious holes in the Philadelphia infield. But, Lopez seemingly has not dazzled scouts, and while he was dangled to the Giants in a deal that would have also included David Aardsma for Pablo Sandoval, the Giants turned down the offer.

The D.A. could bolster a contender's bullpen.

RP:
Brandon League—the Giants are “investigating” Brandon League as a potential addition to their bullpen; also, the Reds (7/29) are reportedly also asking about League.

David Aardsma—many teams looking to bolster their bullpen have shown interest in the DA. Interested teams include the Red Sox (7/29); the Giants (7/28)—who reportedly asked for Aardsma, only to have the Mariners counter by offering Jose Lopez and the DA for Giants corner infielder Pablo Sandoval, the deal was rejected by the Giants; the Tigers (7/21) have also been linked to Aardsma; furthermore, rumors spread earlier today that the Twins were interested in the DA, though they may no longer be interested after acquiring closer Matt Capps from the Nationals this afternoon; and, back in June, the blogosphere (6/2) was abuzz that the Reds may have had an interest in the DA.

SP:
Jason Vargas—the Mariners reportedly told Jon Morosi of Foxsports.com that they do not plan on moving Jason Vargas.

While these names have been the ones that have popped up with the most frequency prior to the deadline, the possibility always exists that a deal may arise featuring a different player. And, Jack Z has made it clear that he would not hesitate to discuss different names if in the context of the right trade deal for the Mariners. In the current economy, most baseball followers recognize that teams are hesitant to take on extra money; as a result, more teams may wait until August to make a trade. It will be interesting to watch the Rumor Mill continue to churn out new reports daily.

Photo Credit: AP

Erik Bedard's Mariner Tenure Should Continue Into 2011

In April 2008, when Erik Bedard was scratched from his second scheduled start in a Mariner uniform, he commented to the media, "I don't like to miss starts." At the time he had no idea how frustrating the next three seasons of his Mariner tenure would be.

In early February, 2008, the Mariners sent five players to the Orioles in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher, Erik Bedard. By the time Bedard arrived in Seattle, he’d already developed a lengthy injury history. He’d already undergone Tommy John surgery, which forced him to mist most of the 2003 season rehabilitating his elbow; eventually, he climbed his way all the way back up to the MLB level in 2004. In 2005, he missed two months of the season with a sprained knee. Then, in 2007 Bedard missed a start due to a neck injury, and then on August 26, 2007 he suffered a strained oblique and was placed on the DL, ending his season prematurely.

A premier southpaw when healthy.

This track record should have tipped the Mariners off: Erik Bedard was not going give the ballclub 220 innings per season. Not every pitcher is an innings-eating “horse.” Mariner fans were spoiled for 25 years, watching left-handed aces Mark Langston, Randy Johnson, and Jamie Moyer consistently put up 200+ inning seasons. Simply put, Erik Bedard is not that type of pitcher. He’s always worked deep into counts, primarily because he is now known as one who pitches to contact. When he’s healthy, his swing-and-miss rate is among the best in baseball. Bedard’s track record, however, was never a point of discussion—at least publicly—by the Mariner front office or the media, who seemingly, expected him to hoist the franchise onto his shoulders and carry it to the postseason.

Almost as soon as Bedard had been introduced as a Mariner, then-manager John McLaren declared him the Opening Day starter. Prior to his scheduled start on Saturday, April 5th against the Orioles, Bedard was scratched after feeling discomfort in his hip while playing catch in the outfield. Bedard said he “just woke up in the morning with [the hip inflammation],” and his start was postponed until April 8th—a game he pitched through the discomfort and beat the Rays. But, the hip inflammation did not subside, and the Mariners placed Bedard on the 15-day DL on April 15.

Bedard came back from the DL and made each of his next eleven scheduled starts over the next two months. Of these eleven starts, in eight of them Bedard lasted at least five innings and allowed three runs or fewer. But, during the final week of June, the Mariners postponed Bedard’s scheduled start because he was suffering back spasms. He finally made that last June start on June 29, picking up a win against Jake Peavy and the Padres (5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER); then, he made one last start on July 4, when he beat Kenny Rogers and the Tigers (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER). But, after going 99 pitches in that July 4 start, Bedard complained of shoulder stiffness. He was placed on the 15-day DL. His shoulder discomfort never seemed to improve, though, and the Mariners, already well behind in the AL West, shut down his season. On September 26, Bedard underwent exploratory surgery on his left shoulder. No labrum tear was found, though a cyst was removed from his shoulder and a minor labral debridement was performed. Medical experts figured he would be ready to go by Opening Day 2009.

And, by Opening Day 2009, Bedard had fully recovered from his September surgery, despite suffering tightness in his posterior, which forced him to miss some time during Spring Training, and made his first six scheduled starts, going 2-1 and accumulating a 2.53 ERA. But, the Mariners were forced to scratch Bedard from his scheduled May 16 start. Earlier that week, in his first inning of work against the Twins, Bedard had tweaked his hamstring. Unwisely, however, rather than taking himself out of the game as a precaution, he pitched with the discomfort into the fifth inning, according to Don Wakamatsu, “because of the adrenaline.” But, when he went to work out between starts, he still felt the tightness. So, he skipped his May 16 start and instead next started May 21. And, each of his next four starts, he worked at least five innings and allowed two runs or fewer.

But, on June 13, Bedard was scratched from his scheduled start with what Don Wakamatsu described as shoulder inflammation. He’d felt tightness in his shoulder in his previous start on June 7, and the discomfort continued to linger. He was initially only supposed to skip one start, but after throwing on flat ground during a workout June 16, Bedard still felt discomfort. He was then placed on the 15-day DL June 17 with shoulder inflammation.

A June 18 MRI on Bedard revealed no structural damage in his shoulder; and, Bedard returned to the active roster on July 7, making four more starts—never throwing more than 93 pitches in any one of those starts. But, during his July 25 start against Cleveland, Bedard did not look right. He struggled through three innings (81 pitches, 6 K, 4 BB), pitching at lower-than-usual velocity, through apparent pain, and the next day was placed on the 15-day DL yet again with more shoulder inflammation. When he played catch on August 2, Bedard felt well enough that the Mariners scheduled him to throw a bullpen two days later. After that bullpen session, however, Bedard felt more discomfort in his left shoulder, and the team had him undergo another MRI, which ultimately led to him having another exploratory surgery on his shoulder on August 14. But, this time, the exploratory surgery revealed severe structural damage in his shoulder—an inflamed bursa sac and a torn labrum. Bedard has not pitched at the big league level since.

Major labrum surgery is to the shoulder what Tommy John is to the elbow—arguably the most significant injury a pitcher will face. The injury is career threatening, and the recovery process is long and painstaking. Prior to the 2010 season, the Mariners took a gamble and signed Bedard again to another one-year, incentive-laden deal with the hope he would return to the rotation mid-way through this season—possibly as early as late May. But, as one may expect, particularly knowing Bedard’s history of physical ailments, the recovery from the surgery has not been entirely smooth. Bedard has made great strides, pitching in a Rookie League ballgame as well as making a rehabilitation start for AAA Tacoma on July 1, 2010. But, after that start in Tacoma, in a bullpen session preparing for his 2010 Mariner debut originally slated for July 6, Bedard again felt shoulder stiffness. An attempt to play catch on July 15 was cut short because he still felt discomfort in his arm.

Bedard has been frustrated by injuries throughout his career.

On July 20, Bedard had yet another MRI on his plagued left shoulder, and it revealed more inflammation. This week, Bedard is flying to New York to get another opinion.

As of today, Bedard has not thrown in weeks and it does not appear the southpaw will be back any time soon. I cannot help but feel for the guy. Any competitor absolutely hates to stand in the dugout and watch while his team is out competing every day. Some have questioned Bedard’s mental toughness; but, those detractors are misguided. The guy pitched through pain in the past, and it came back to hurt him in the long run; so, a fairer argument would be that he has allowed his mental toughness to prevail over prudent decision-making at points in the past. Moreover, he has suffered very legitimate injuries since becoming a Mariner. To a pitcher, shoulder pain is not something one can (or should) pitch through. Every time he picks up a ball to work out—every throw, warm up toss, or pitch he makes—is more pain.

As Mariner fans, we know what Erik Bedard will bring to the table if he can ever come back healthy. When he was pitching with a fraying/torn labrum and a cyst in his shoulder the past two years, he was still a reliable starter, in that you could count on him for five to seven innings of solid baseball. After all, it is apparent that in his Mariner tenure, Bedard’s most troubling adversary has not been opposing sluggers, but instead his left shoulder, as he has gone 11-7 with a 3.24 ERA and 162 K in 164 innings in his time with Seattle.

The last thing the Mariners want to do now is rush Bedard back to play if he’s not healthy. And, realistically, at this point in the season, with the Mariners now twenty games out in the AL West, there is absolutely no reason to push his rehabilitation. Of course, it would be great if he were able to pitch this year, pain-free. But, that seems less and less likely with each passing day. 2011 seems more likely.

I, for one, have no problem with the Mariners offering Bedard another one-year, incentive laden contract with an option for 2012, very similar to the one they offered him last season. If the team was willing to make that gamble last offseason, one would think that this offseason, another year removed from his major labrum surgery, that the team may be likely to make the same gamble. It is a low-risk, high reward move in an industry where no move is guaranteed to be worth the cost.

More than anything, though, I want to see Erik Bedard healthy again—preferably wearing his familiar #45, for the Seattle Mariners.

Photo credit: AP-Tom Olmscheid; Seattle Times-Rod Mar.

Figgins/Pierre: Are they the same player?

On the WGN Chicago broadcast of tonight’s Mariner game, “Hawk” Harrelson and Steve Stone remarked that Juan Pierre and Chone Figgins are essentially the same player—they were both part of the Rockies organization at the outset of their careers where they roomed together and developed very similar baseball skill-sets and began similar MLB paths.

A look at their numbers shows how similar their careers have actually been. The Rockies drafted Figgins in 1997, Pierre in 1998. Interestingly, the Mariners drafted Pierre in both the 1995 and 1995 amateur drafts; but did not sign. Figgins was traded to the Angels in 2001, and both Figgins and Pierre primarily played centerfield early in their careers. The Angels eventually had Figgins playing both third base and second base, and by 2007, the Angels had all-but converted him to an infielder (only 11 starts in OF in 2007). Pierre played centerfield throughout the early part of his career with the Rockies, Marlins, Cubs, and Dodgers (the Dodgers moved Pierre to LF, until they acquired Manny and all of a sudden didn’t have room in their outfield to start Pierre).

Figgins and Pierre have similar career batting averages (Figgins .286; Pierre .298), on-base percentages (Figgins .360; Pierre .346), and slugging percentages (Figgins .378; Pierre .367). Also, both have been consistent stolen base threats throughout their careers, with Pierre’s career numbers exceeding Figgins’ (Pierre 493; Figgins 304).

Mirror Image: Chone Figgins

Finally, and most important to Mariner fans, both are having underachieving 2010 seasons, relative to their career norms. We all know how disappointing Figgins has been this season (.229/.330/.268), particularly in comparison to what the Mariners expected. Pierre is also down (.258/.327/.289) from his averages, though his drop-offs aren’t nearly as pronounced as Figgins’.

Finally, this season, the first of a four-year $36 million deal signed this offseason, Chone Figgins is slated to earn $8.5 million in 2010. Pierre is to earn $7 million, as he is in the fourth year of a five-year, $44 million deal he signed with the Dodgers after the 2006 season.

Mirror Image: Juan Pierre

Ultimately, Figgins and Pierre have shared similar paths through the major leagues. Both have had long, fairly successful careers; and both are suffering down years thus far in 2010. Undoubtedly, both will hope to recover next season, as it will be Pierre’s contract season and a second chance for Figgins to prove to Seattle fans that he is worth his contract.