Seattle Mariners: Taking stock of what’s in the cupboard
Kyle Lewis, Seattle Mariners.
The 2020 season in the books. On the eve of free agency, our Chris Phillips takes stock of what the M’s have on their current roster.
The 2020 Seattle Mariners season is over. It was filled with highs and lows. The result was what M’s fans expected, another missed playoff appearance. 2020 makes it 19 years with no playoff baseball.
This team and its current outlook are bleak. NOT BREAKING NEWS: Seattle’s bullpen is Double-A quality. Additionally, outside of Kyle Lewis, Ty France, Dylan Moore, and Luis Torrens, the M’s hitting is abysmal! Shockingly, they finished third in the AL West. Where are the positives, you say?
Finally, the farm system is producing top-end quality players. Emerson Hancock, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Taylor Trammel, Julio Rodriguez, Jarred Kelenic, and more are on their way to the Emerald City over the next few years. The next wave of Seattle Mariners brings with them some much-needed hope and excitement to this organization.
There are going to be, and have been, many articles about the prospects and the future of this organization. This isn’t going to be an article on the prospects. We’re going to focus on the talent that finished 2020 on the big-league roster. For now, we can skip the designated hitter because there are too many possibilities to name.
Outfield
Kyle Lewis, Dylan Moore, Mitch Haniger, Jake Fraley, Phillip Ervin, Jose Marmolejos, and Tim Lopes
I’m going to lump this group together as most of them could play any outfield spot. Soon to be named 2020 American League Rookie of the Year award winner Kyle Lewis is the center fielder next year. Hopefully, Haniger makes a full recovery and is ready to go next spring. A healthy Haniger is a starter, probably in right field.
That leaves Ervin and Fraley fighting for the third spot. Moore and Marmolejos could be starting somewhere else (or not). I’ll give the nod to Ervin as he’s been a starter at times throughout his career. Fraley has already shown that he can’t rise to the challenge of hitting Major League pitchers. Although phenom Jarred Kelenic isn’t on the main roster, his shadow looms large on any outfield scenario next year.