Scott Servais, Seattle Mariners.
We are just days away from Seattle Mariners opening day on Thursday, April 1. The M’s are in the next stage of their rebuild. They will be improved over the team that finished third in the American League West, last season. They should be better in all three phases of the game, offense, defense, and pitching.
Let’s take a look at the AL West and where the M’s fit into it this season.
Things are improving rapidly in the Pacific Northwest. Fans (albeit a limited number) will be at T-Mobile Park in 2021 to see for themselves the Seattle Mariners young stars. While the crowds may not big, they’ll have plenty to root for.
The Mariners are following General Manager Jerry Dipoto’s rebuilding plan perfectly. They may even be a little bit ahead of schedule. Last year the M’s were a few wins away from making the playoffs as a Wild Card. This year Seattle might even play baseball in October.
This current M’s team is still very young. Now that these young players had a mini-season worth MLB experience and a taste of a playoff race, they are ready for more. It would be a mistake to underestimate them in 2021.
Reigning Rookie of the Year, Kyle Lewis, looks to build on his strong first year. A bruised knee means that fans have to wait a few weeks to see it. “Big Maple” James Paxton is back in the Emerald City. He will co-anchor the starting rotation with Marco Gonzales. The team is comprised of high-end MLB potential. Prediction: Finish second or third.
Every year the report is LAA needs starting pitching. That their latest big-name free agent signing will be the one to finally help Mike Trout get to the playoffs. Every year the Angels are watching the playoffs on the couch, the same as their fans. This year’s big-name free agent is former Reds’ closer, Raisel Iglesias. Prediction: Finish either third or fourth.
This will be the Astros final year as the favorite to win the division. Last year Justin Verlander underwent Tommy John surgery in September, taking him out for all of 2021. Verlander has other thoughts on that front. They still have some quality and intriguing arms. However they lost George Springer‘s big bat. He took his talents north of the border.
Pitcher Lance McCullers recently let everyone know that there will be a three-way race for the team’s MVP between Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa. It’s great he’s optimistic but the fact his Father Time is beating down Altuve. Correa can’t stay healthy for a full year. So, at an oversimplification, all Bregman must do is be healthy and show up. Prediction: Finish first or second.
This team is routinely better than what people think. Last year, the A’s beat out Houston to win the West. So, why aren’t they expected to repeat?
First, the Athletics lost their lights out closer, Liam Hendriks, to the White Sox. Also, Oakland took an arguable downgrade at shortstop from Marcus Semien, with their acquisition of Elvis Andrus. Andrus doesn’t provide the pop of Marcus Semien but Andrus provides a better batting average. In Billy Beane’s world, it’s all about guys getting on base and Andrus does that well (Andrus OBP-.330 vs. Semien OBP-.322) Prediction: Finish either first or second.
The Texas Rangers still have a baseball team? Texas is on their own full-on rebuild as they play a second season in their new retractable roof stadium, Globe Life Park, for the second year. The ball park might be the biggest attraction in Arlington, TX this sumer.
There isn’t much to get excited about. Joey Gallo has a great chance at leading the league in both home runs and strikeouts. So will the pitching staff, not for but against.
A couple of former Tampa Bay Rays prospects, Nick Solak and Nate Lowe, will be interesting to watch. Speaking of interesting, former catcher Isiah Kiner-Falefa replacing Andrus at shortstop. He came up to the Majors as a catcher. It’s extremely rare you see a player, play that position and then become a starting shortstop. Prediction: Finish dead last.
Dipoto’s plan is for the Mariners to seriously compete for the playoffs in 2022. The success of the 2021 Mariners can mirror that of the 2015 Astros. That year, Houston finished fourth in the division only to surprise everyone in 2015 by reaching the playoffs. One year after, the Astros finished third behind the second-place M’s.
The Seattle Mariners don’t get much respect from most media outlets. Here’s a sample.
Oakland may have the best rotation in the division. The Astros may have the best lineup. The M’s may have the best blend of both. Last year’s Mariners team gave the league a glimpse of the future and what can happen when they develop. Hopefully, Dipoto’s offseason bullpen restoration project is the difference in at least half of the games lost in 2020. The ascension this team and organization is on ends with a playoff birth in 2021.
Get ready M’s fans the future is here. No longer will fans be talking about the playoff drought and how close the roster is to the legal drinking age in the United States. The jokes about Seattle trading away top talent for more prospects will end. Repeating the same old cycle. Watch out MLB, the Mariners are coming.
How do you think the Seattle Mariners will do in 2021? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.