Double-Digit Base Hits

The Mariners have won their last four games. They’ve combined timely hitting with solid starting pitching and sound defense to sweep three against the Tigers in Detroit and then take the series opener at Fenway Park tonight.

One of the more compelling offensive statistics from this road trip is that the Mariners, in each of their games in Detroit, notched double-digit base hits. On Tuesday, they had ten hits (10x36--.278); on Wednesday the offense had eleven (11x38--.289); and on Thursday, the offense had twelve (12x37--.324).

Coming into Tuesday’s series opener in Detroit, the team was batting .226. The Mariners left Detroit batting .235. The team’s on-base-percentage improved five percentage points (to .314) over the course of that series; and, the team slugging percentage improved twelve points (to .344).

Prior to this week’s series in Detroit, the 2011 Mariners had a total of five games with ten or more base hits (the Mariners were 3-2 in those games). On only one occasion last season did the Mariners string together three consecutive games with double-digit hits—May 30 through June 1. Contrast that offensive effort with that of the 116-win 2001 Mariners, a club that achieved double-digit base hits in at least three consecutive games twelve times, including separate streaks of eleven and eight games.

In Boston tonight, the Mariners’ double-digit base hit streak ended, as Dice-K and the Boston bullpen held the Mariners to seven hits (7x32--.219). But, the offense supplemented those base hits by working eight walks, including two apiece for Jack Cust and Michael Saunders. And, despite stranding 21 men on base, the Mariners scrapped together five runs, just enough to pull out the win 5-4.

The Mariner road trip continues tomorrow at Fenway Park against John Lackey, who has a career 13-9 record and 3.64 ERA in 175.2 innings against the Mariners. The Seattle offense will have its work cut out for it as it looks to start another double-digit hit streak.

Former Mariner Carl Everett Makes Headlines

On December 14, 2005, then-Mariners General Manager Bill Bavasi announced: “Today we achieved one of our offseason goals.” He had just signed veteran outfielder/DH Carl Everett to a one year, $3.4 million contract with a club option for 2007. Bavasi further stated, “Carl Everett is a clutch-hitting run producer with power. As a switch hitter, he provides our lineup with added versatility. Carl is a winner…His experience and intensity will be welcome additions to our clubhouse.”

Everett’s experience and intensity may have been welcome additions in December, but by July 2006, Everett’s on-field performance had worn out that welcome. The former two-time All Star batted just .227, with a .297 OBP and .360 SLG, including eleven homeruns and 33 RBIs. The Mariners sought more out of their designated hitter and went in a different direction. In June of 2006, the Mariners had sent Asdrubal Cabrera to Cleveland for Eduardo Perez, who Bavasi envisioned as a replacement candidate at DH, particularly against lefties. Then, the day after cutting Everett, Bavasi traded Mariner prospect Shin-Soo Choo to the Indians for Ben Broussard, who Bavasi could platoon with Perez against righties.

If signing free-agent Carl Everett was a metaphoric strike-one for Bavasi, trading Asdrubal Cabrera for Eduardo Perez was surely strike two. Strike three was watching Shin-Soo Choo join the Indian organization in exchange for Ben Broussard. Of course, Everett never played another MLB game after being released by the Mariners. Perez’s skills diminished greatly after joining the Mariners: not only did he hit below .200 for the M’s in 2006, but he retired after the season. Broussard’s Mariner career was slightly more productive in 2006-2007, before he was traded to Texas after the 2007 season. He played less than thirty games for the Rangers in 2008 before being released, thereafter spending time in three other MLB organizations, though never reaching the MLB level again.

But back to Everett. He is back in the spotlight, five years after his last MLB at-bat. This time, though, he’s not making headlines for any on-the-field achievements, nor is he contesting the existence of dinosaurs or doubting the moon landing (assertions he made while an MLB player). Instead, Everett was arrested earlier this week after allegedly pointing a gun at his wife’s head and breaking two phones when she tried to call 911 for help. Everett was arrested Monday after the alleged incident took place, and was released today on a $5000 bail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and witness tampering. Hillsborough Circuit Judge Walter Heinrich, not surprisingly, ordered Everett to not have “violent contact” with the victim, his wife of eighteen years.

According to Everett’s attorney, since his retirement from professional baseball after being released by the Mariners, Everett, now 39 years old, has suffered from alcoholism and depression.

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.