Seattle Mariners: 6 questions about the 2020 season
Marco Gonzales, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Udeezy, via Wikicommons)
Q2: Is there enough starting pitching?
Every team in baseball asks themselves the same thing. Recent Seattle Mariners’ rotation mainstays Felix Hernandez, Mike Leake, and James Paxton have all moved on since the end of 2018. Aside from ace Marco Gonzales, there hasn’t been much MLB success for any of the other starters. Due to how young this team is, the question is hard to answer.
When it comes to the balance of the M’s starting rotation, there so many ifs to work out during the season. IF:
- Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn can make the jump from rookie to effective MLB starters.
- Taijuan Walker can rebound from his 2018 Tommy John surgery.
- Yusei Kikuchi can pitch as he did in Japan.
Should those pitchers move from iffy status to yes status, then the Seattle Mariners have enough arms to compete. The wild card is the bullpen. If they are good, then M’s starters only need to give the team five or six competitive innings.
Q3: Will Mitch Haniger play in 2020?
The past 16 months have been a horror show for Haniger. He got off to an awful start last season. From April 16 through June 6, the Mariners’ best hitter slashed .188/.304/.394/.698 with 10 home runs, 17 RBI, and 56 strikeouts (one in almost every three at-bats). Then it got worse.
On June 6, Hanniger fouled a pitch off himself. The result was a ruptured testicle. Aside from his original injury, in the time since it happened, the Seattle all-star outfielder has had additional surgeries to repair a sports hernia and a disc issue in his back. According to DiPoto, as of last week, Haniger had not resumed baseball activities.
Right now, it doesn’t look favorable for his return anytime soon. Haniger isn’t even part of the 60-man player pool. If he does come back, it probably won’t be until the final few games of the season.
Q4: How about Jarred Kelenic?
It would be exciting to see the Seattle Mariners top prospect in action this season. The consensus is Seattle will take a conservative approach with their 20-year-old prodigy.
His positive performance at Summer Camp, however, is testing the team’s resolve. Taking into consideration his talent and need for experience, Jarred Kelenic more than likely gets a cup of coffee with the M’s sometime this summer.