Could the Mariners Model Michael Pineda's Development After CC Sabathia's?

Michael Pineda, the 22 year-old ace-in-the-making, who has baffled opposing hitters in his first four Major League starts, averages 95.9 miles-per-hour on his fastball—the highest average fastball velocity in the MLB this season among starters. And, this past weekend the Mariner pitching coach, Carl Willis indicated that the team would monitor Pineda’s workload to keep him fresh and not burn him out by overworking him his rookie season. He said, “we’ll come up with a number [of innings that Pineda will pitch], maybe another month in.”

Last season, Pineda split his time between AA West Tennessee and AAA Tacoma, and he worked 139.1 innings before the Mariner organization opted to shut him down before the end of August. 2010 marked Pineda’s career high in innings pitched. His previous high had been 138.1 in 2008. In 2009 though, an elbow injury interrupted his season, and he worked just 47.1 innings.

Coincidentally, both the pitching coach, Carl Willis, and manager, Eric Wedge have experience dealing with young, 6’7”, 260 lb. starting pitchers. They managed CC Sabathia during his developmental years in Cleveland. At age 20 in 2001, two years before Wedge’s staff arrived in Cleveland, Sabathia earned a spot in the Indians’ rotation and made 33 starts, logging 180.1 innings. But, he didn’t just come out of the box tossing 180 innings a season. He worked up to that point. His 2000 season, split between A and AA, Sabathia pitched 146.1 innings. And, prior to 2000, his career high was 68.1 innings in 1999. When Wedge/Willis assume their roles in Cleveland in 2003, they were certainly aware of Sabathia’s successful development into a perennial Cy Young candidate. They may look to body type shared by Pineda and Sabathia as they decide how to bring along their young starter.

Sabathia’s history and development may serve as a point of reference for Pineda’s development. But, even while both men are young, big-bodied power arms, their individual circumstances differ enough that it may be unfair to expect 33 starts from Pineda in 2011, though 180 innings may be attainable. First, Pineda did suffer elbow issues just two seasons ago, which shut down his 2009 campaign, and the Mariners won’t want to risk another elbow injury which could further sideline his development. Sabathia didn’t suffer a severe injury like this. Second, the 2001 Cleveland Indians were the American League Central champions before being bounced in the ALDS by the Mariners; accordingly, they needed their rookie seventeen-game winner to help seal a division title (the Indians ultimately won their division by six games). The 2011 Mariners will be nowhere near the division race, so they will have no reason to max out Pineda. They will be looking to groom him for future postseason runs. Third, even though Sabathia made 33 starts, he averaged less than six innings per start to reach 180 innings. So, if Pineda were to average six innings per start, that would put him at 180 innings. He may then be shut down his final three or four starts.

Michael Pineda could work between 165-180 innings this season, a jump of between 25-40 innings from last year’s career high. That kind of effort this season would position him for a 200 inning season next year, if he can stay healthy. And, maybe in the near future, Pineda will—like Sabathia—be a staff workhorse and perennial Cy Young contender.

Coco Crisp's Afro and Hair in Mariners History

Tonight the Oakland Athletics roll into town for a four game set at Safeco Field. Last week, the A’s leadoff hitter, Coco Crisp, wore his hair in a 1970s throwback “afro”, channeling his inner Oscar Gamble. The hairstyle drew significant interest from the media, though Crisp said he was glad that at least reporters were talking about his hair rather than the sub-.200 batting average he maintained at the time (his average has shot up to .239 since unveiling the afro). He has since hidden the afro away and gone back to braiding his hair, much to the dismay of hair enthusiasts everywhere.

Coco Crisp’s afro reminded me of a couple Mariners who were known so well for their hair that the team’s promotion department decided to incorporate them into ballpark promotions.

Of course, the most well-known hair style in Mariners history was the Buhner Buzz. The Bone was not so much known for the hair, but rather the lack of hair on his head. From 1994-1999 and again in 2001, the Mariners held an annual Buhner Buzz Cut Night at the ballpark, and fans who shaved their heads or who were already bald would receive free admission to the ballgame. Jay Buhner himself would shave a few heads as part of the evening’s festivities. T-shirts were printed up as well, with catchy slogans like “Take me out to the Bald Game” or “Bald is Buhnerful.” Over the years over 23,000 fans participated in this promotion, including 298 women.

A lesser-known promotion was J.J. Putz Soul Patch Night, held April 12, 2008. The event was described: “The first 20,000 fans through the gates will receive a ‘stick-on’ version of the tuft of facial hair sported by the Mariners flame-throwing closer.” The Mariners won that game 8-3 against the Angels, but Putz did not make an appearance. Over 34,000 fans turned out for the game that night, either to take home their faux soul patch, or to check out the then-newly-acquired Carlos Silva pitch eight innings of solid baseball.

But J.J. Putz Soul Patch Night was not the first Mariner foray into facial hair promotions. On June 28 of the memorable 1995 season, the Mariners hosted Bobby Ayala Goatee Night where fans wearing goatees could receive free admission to the game. Only 15,165 fans showed up to take in this game at the Kingdome. The Mariners were defeated by Oakland 7-5, though Ayala didn’t appear in the ballgame. Randy Johnson had started the game, and he earned the loss.

There are undoubtedly other hair promotions that I haven’t identified. We can only hope they are not lost to history.

Finally, in the spirit of awesome hair, Nike has unveiled a tribute to Randy Johnson’s 1990s-era golden facial hair and mullet in a new t-shirt. Classic.

Playing With A Lead

Coming into tonight’s game, the Mariners had scored a total of one run in the first inning over their first seventeen games. Against Phil Coke tonight, the Mariners notched four first-inning runs, on just one base hit. Remarkably, tonight was the first night all season that the Mariners had a lead going into the second inning of a ballgame.

Frankly, the Mariners haven’t led in too many games this season. Prior to tonight, they’ve only led one game at the start of the third inning. They’ve only led two games at the outset of the sixth inning. Playing from behind is not a recipe for winning, and it puts incredible stress on even the finest of pitchers.

To this point in the season, the Mariner offense has averaged just 3.29 runs per game. So, when a Mariner starter takes the mound, he knows that he is working with the slightest margin for error. If the ballclub falls behind early, chances are that the game will be out of reach if the opponent scores four runs.

Contrast the Mariners’ season with that of the Cleveland Indians, who have the best record in the American League right now, at 12-5. The Indians have led nine of their games at the start of the fourth inning. Hence, the best record in the American League. Playing with a lead forces opposing teams to press offensively; and, pitchers with a lead are more likely to attack opposing hitters, and are also in a position to set the game’s tempo.

This team can’t consistently wait around until the seventh and eighth innings to get going offensively if it wants to win. Also, with leads, teams can extend their starting pitchers deeper into games and lessen the burden on the bullpen. If the Mariners are going to win enough to avoid 100 losses in 2011, they need to score earlier and establish leads in ballgames.

Buster Olney Compares Mariners to Pirates

Over the weekend, ESPN Senior Baseball Writer, Buster Olney, compared the Mariners’ current situation to that of the Pittsburgh Pirates: “Zduriencik's challenge is a lot like Neal Huntington's [Pittsburgh’s General Manager] when he took over PITT: Work from almost nothing in the farm system. A long process.”

Olney’s statement reminds Mariner fans just how devastated the Mariner minor league system was at the conclusion of the Bavasi era. Many of us recall the many ill-advised Bavasi-era moves that saw our most prized prospects land with new organizations. Bavasi shipped out prospects Shin-Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera out to Cleveland in separate lopsided deals. Then, Chris Tillman and Adam Jones were included as key pieces in the now-infamous 5-for-1 deal with Baltimore for Erik Bedard.

The farm system Jack Z inherited when he was hired was not only plagued by Bavasi’s poorly-conceived trades, but a series of first-round draft selections that either didn’t pan out or were groomed as relievers: Jeff Clement (2005), Brandon Morrow (2006), Phillippe Aumont (2007), and Josh Fields (2008). Essentially, Zduriencik had to start over from scratch and rebuild the Mariners organization at all levels of the minor leagues.

When Buster Olney describes the long rebuilding process, he is referencing players, many of whom are between 18-24, that are currently working their way through the Mariners minor league affiliates. They are playing in places like Tacoma (Ackley, Halman, Cortes, Peguero, French, Beavan, Liddi), Jackson (Chavez, Triunfel, Seager, Poythress, McOwen), Clinton (Littlewood, Baron), and High Desert (Franklin, Almonte).

I agree with Olney, in that developing an organization to the point that the farm system produces MLB-ready players is a long (and frustratingly painful) process. With very few exceptions it takes years of seasoning to take a kid straight from high school and prepare him for the big leagues.

The good news for the Mariners is that, in addition to having young talent on the way, they have more financial resources at their disposal than do the small-market teams like the Pirates. In recent years, the Mariners have maintained a payroll double that of the Pirates. Remember, in 2008 they were the first team to lose 100 games with a $100 million payroll. After this season, a couple of the big contracts that Bavasi inked will finally come off the books, freeing up resources so as to more aggressively pursue the free agent market. On top of that, the Mariners have the second selection in the 2011 June draft, which should net them another top-tier prospect that will become part of the nucleus of the future.

In professional sports, no general manager’s job is safe. There is a constant pressure to win now. Though, even as painful as 2010 was, and as painful as 2011 already is, there may be hope on the horizon. Cross your fingers, Mariner fans.

Batting With Runners in Scoring Position

For teams with offenses not built on power production, their reliance on batting with runners in scoring position becomes much more imperative. They can’t wait around for a 3-run homerun, but instead must string together multiple singles/walks. But, if a team like the Mariners can’t get hits once it moves runners to second or third base, it will struggle to put up runs. Such has been the case thus far in 2011.

Today, the Mariners were shut out by the Royals, 5-0, despite outhitting them 7-6. Yet, the M’s offense left eleven runners on base, going 0-9 with runners in scoring position. The Royals, on the other hand, only left four runners on base, batting 4-9 with runners in scoring position. Today’s performance with runners in scoring position evidences what appears to be a trend with this team.

To this point in the young season, the offense’s collective batting average with runners in scoring position has been a key reason why the Mariners are 4-11. Coming into today’s game (and before going 0-9 today), the Mariners were hitting .196 (22-112) with runners in scoring position. To put this into perspective, last year, when the Mariners lost 101 games and posted historically-low offensive numbers, their team batting average with runners in scoring position was thirty points higher, at .226 (119-604). At last season’s end, many of us thought things couldn’t get worse in 2011. Were we wrong?

Typically, teams that hit with runners in scoring position win ballgames. The 2001 Mariners were no exception. That team won a record 116 games. The offense batted .295 with runners in scoring position. The 2001 Mariners were good; the 2011 version is not. The good news is that the season is still very young, and there is plenty of time to improve.

Celebrating Jackie Robinson Day 2011

On April 15, 1997 MLB retired Jackie Robinson’s number 42 throughout the Major Leagues. That day, Mariner Ken Griffey, Jr. with the permission of Jackie Robinson’s widow, wore number 42 in Jackie’s honor. Here is a nice story summarizing Griffey’s role in shaping Jackie Robinson Day.

The Mariners won their April 15, 1997 game that day in Cleveland, 8-4. Bob Wells earned the win in relief of Bob Wolcott, and Norm Charlton worked two innings to pick up his third save of the season. Former Mariner Mike Jackson picked up the loss in relief. Griffey, with his high socks and number 42 jersey, collected two hits and scored two runs, adding a walk and an RBI.

On April 15, 2004 MLB declared April 15 to be Jackie Robinson Day, and the following year, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig declared that each April 15 thereafter would be commemorated as Jackie Robinson Day.

In 2007, the sixtieth anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, Griffey again received permission from the Robinson family to wear number 42. Bud Selig then extended an invitation to other players around the MLB to wear 42 in Robinson’s honor. Over 150 players, and five entire teams, opted to honor the Hall-of-Famer by wearing his number, prompting some controversy. C.C. Sabathia, then of the Cleveland Indians, said, “It [having so many players wearing 42] kind of waters it down. I could see the Dodgers since that was his team, but not everyone else.” Torii Hunter, at that time with the Twins, shared Sabathia’s concern: “This is supposed to be an honor, and just a handful of guys wearing the number. Now you’ve got entire teams doing it. I think we’re killing the meaning. It should be special wearing Jackie’s number, not just because it looks cool.”

Griffey, though, didn’t share the distaste of Sabathia and Hunter. Instead, he embraced the mass support in honor of Jackie: “I didn’t know so many guys planned to wear the number. I sure wasn’t expecting whole teams to wear it. But, I’m not going to look at it as a negative. This is a tribute for what the man has done, a day to celebrate.”

In 2008, even more players and teams were wearing Jackie Robinson’s number, and this time, Sabathia appeared more accepting of players choosing to wear Jackie’s number 42: “It's pretty cool that guys are going to be doing it [wearing 42] again.” And, since 2009, all uniformed MLB personnel—players, managers, coaches, umpires—have worn forty-two on April 15.

Since Jackie Robinson Day was first established in 2004, the Mariners are 5-1 on April 15 games.

How Michael Pineda's Home Debut Stacks Up

Last night, 22 year-old Michael Pineda, in his Safeco Field debut, earned his first MLB win. He worked into the eighth inning (7.1 IP), allowing just two runs (one earned run), on five hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He worked ahead of hitters and had command of all his pitches. Mariner fans will look forward to witnessing many more performances like that this year and into the future.

But, how did Michael Pineda’s Mariner home debut stack up against other young Mariner pitching prospects’ home debuts? Let’s stroll down memory lane. You may recall many of these young Mariner starters.

Mike Moore (1st overall pick 1981 by Mariners) (age 22, 4/17/1982 vs. Oakland, Kingdome)—Loss, 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HBP.

Mark Langston (2nd Round pick 1981 by Mariners) (age 23, 4/7/1984 vs. Milwaukee, Kingdome)—Win, 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K.

Bill Swift (2nd overall pick 1984 by Mariners) (age 23, 6/11/1985 vs. Chicago, Kingdome)—Loss, 5.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K.

Scott Bankhead (16th pick overall, 1st round 1984 by Royals, traded to Mariners in December 1986 as centerpiece in a package for Rick Luecken and Danny Tartabull) (age 23, 4/14/1987 vs. California, Kingdome)—Win, 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K.

Erik Hanson (2nd Round pick 1986 by Mariners) (age 23, 9/16/1988 vs. Milwaukee, Kingdome)—Loss, 8 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 11 K.

Randy Johnson (2nd Round pick 1985 by Expos, traded to Mariners in May 1989 as part of a five-player deal which sent Mark Langston to Montreal) (age 25, 6/4/1989 vs. Texas, Kingdome)—Win, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER (1R), 3 BB, 6 K, 1 HBP.

Roger Salkeld (#3 overall pick 1989 by Mariners) (age 23, 4/28/1994 vs. New York, Kingdome)—Win, 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 K.

Freddy Garcia (signed as free agent 1993 by Houston; acquired by Mariners from Houston in a 1998 deadline deal as part of a package in exchange for Randy Johnson) (age 23, 4/7/1999 vs. Chicago, Kingdome)—Win, 5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

Felix Hernandez (signed as free agent 2002 by Mariners) (age 19, 8/9/2005 vs. Minnesota, Safeco Field)—Win, 8 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K.

I’d venture to say that Mr. Pineda’s home debut stacks up well against some of the most heralded pitching prospects in Mariner history. His box score from last night resembles those of guys named Langston, Johnson, and Hernandez. That’s not bad company.