Seattle Mariners Line-Up Opening Day 2023

  |  
Jan 15, 2021
Seattle Mariners 2021 preview
Seattle Mariners, Evan White.

On the Bench

Luis Torrens, C – .250/.336/.400

Torrens bat continues to mature, and he’s expected to break out as he enters his age twenty-seven season.

Joe Rizzo, 3B/1B/DH – .303/.356/.441

Joe’s bat is always welcome to the line-up, but his glove is a major liability when he gives a player the day off. He’s also worked on some outfield and is a strong injury replacement at this point.

Kaden Polcovich, IF – Rookie

Kaden makes the big club out of spring training because of his speed and defense. The Mariners hope his college bat and plate discipline arrive as well.

Starting Rotation

Marco Gonzalez, SP2 – 3.18 ERA 14-11

Marco remains consistent.  He threw for over 200 innings again and improved his strikeout total to over 150 for the first time in his career.

Lance Lynn, SP3 – 3.44 ERA 11-11

Lynn was acquired at the trade deadline for Justin Dunn, Jake Fraley, Sam Carlson, and LJay Newsome.

Justus Sheffield, SP4 – 3.82 ERA 12-9

Sheffield regressed a bit to start 2022, but he turned in a solid August and September.

George Kirby, SP5 – 3.68 ERA 14-6

Kirby had a fantastic 2022 that culminated in the Rookie of the Year award. He earned the distinction based on an incredible six-week stretch where he went 6-0 with a 1.17 ERA.

Yusei Kikuchi – SP6 – 4.23 ERA 11-13

Kikuchi still hasn’t turned the corner in the states. He has shown improvement throughout his career, and 2022 was his best year yet.

In the Bullpen

Andres Munoz – Closer – 2.26 ERA 1-4 39 saves

Munoz is a legitimate closer now. He possesses plus stuff, a three-digit heater, and his strikeouts to innings pitched continues to clear 1.2.

Joey Gerber – Setup – Rookie

Gerber closes out a fantastic spring with a 1.00 ERA and eleven strikeouts out in eight innings.

Will Smith – Setup – 3.13 ERA 2-2 3 saves

Smith, acquired in an offseason trade following the 2021 season, enters his thirteenth season.  He is the Mariners lefty setup reliever.

Erik Swanson – Middle Relief – 4.12 ERA 4-2 1 save

Swanson continues to struggle with giving up the longball. However, he’s doing it more and more without players on base. Last season made it the fifth consecutive season that he gave up more home runs than walks.

Yohan Ramirez – Middle Relief – 4.35 ERA 3-2 3 saves

Ramirez had his eyes on a setup or closer role, but wildness continues to plague him. It’s not as bad as it was back in 2020, but he still walks at least four batters every nine innings.

Anthony Misiewicz – Long Relief – 3.86 ERA 2-5 0 saves

Misiewicz has come a long way since his rookie year, and he continues to be a solid source of innings as he mops up or subs in. He’s in the bullpen now, but as long as he continues to progress down this track, he could wind up in a rotation someday. Just probably not the Mariners.

Nick Margevicius – Long Relief/Emergency Starter – 4.74 ERA 3-5 0 saves

Margevicius was a fan favorite after he came over from the Padres in a trade following the 2019 season. He has decent control but gives up a lot of home runs.

Back to the Game

“It was a great game Ken,” Buck says.

“Sure was Joe, Gilbert put on a show, striking out eight,” Ken replies.

“Nine.” Buck corrects.

“Nine in six innings on opening day. That’s great.” Ken says.

“It wasn’t just the pitching; it was an all-around effort. We’ll be back with more as we talk to Julio Rodriguez, who went three for four and was a double away from the cycle after this message from our sponsor. Mariners win on opening day five to two.”  Buck announces.

Related Story: Obsessed with the Mariners rebuild

Joe Swenson is a lifelong Seattle Sports fan, author, award-winning playwright and screenwriter, and a director and producer at www.brokenartsentertainment.com.

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