Seattle Mariners.
Kyle Lewis, Seattle Mariners.
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.
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.
Evan White, Seattle Mariners.
Luis Torrens, Tom Murphy
This is probably the best two catchers Seattle had on the roster since Tom Murphy and Austin Nola. While it was very disappointing that Murphy didn’t play this year, the Mariners know what he can do at the Major League level.
Torrens proved to be a very competent MLBer after coming over from San Diego. These two are going to be just fine behind the plate for the next few years.
Evan White, Jose Marmolejos
Evan White‘s first year was a struggle, to put it nicely, but his future still looks bright. His defense is outstanding, as evidenced by the Gold glove he just won. Provided White takes this offseason to make the necessary adjustments at the plate to his first taste in the Major League pitching; he’ll be around for a long time.
Jose Marmolejos (love the name, (it just rolls off the tongue) got off to a surprising and rocky start. He first won the starting left field job against over-hyped Jake Farley. Marmolejos then promptly lost the starting spot. At the end of the year, he was rotating between the DH, 1B, and left.
Marmolejos showed in the second half of the season that he could hit major league pitching. If he improves his defense at first base this offseason, he could put some serious pressure on White, especially if the latter continues to hit .176. That might make some fans angry, but this is a very plausible outcome.
Dylan Moore, Ty France, and Shed Long
Shed Long was an utter disappointment. If the rumors are true that he doesn’t take coaching, he’s done as ever being a legit MLB starting player. In 2020 regressed tremendously at the plate. His new career path is life long minor league player with a shot as a pinch-runner in the majors.
Dylan Moore turned this nonbeliever around. He and Austin Nola were two pleasant surprises this year. Moore showed he could play second, short, a corner outfield spot, and even third in a pinch. France has the look of a Major League hitter. He hits for average and supplies some pop too. Depending on what happens in the offseason, he may find himself as the regular second or third baseman.
Kyle Seager Ty France, and Dylan Moore
I already gave my thoughts on France and Moore about playing third base, so I won’t rehash that information. I can absolutely see the logic and thinking of my colleague Ed Stein on Kyle Seager not being a part of this club come 2021. He’s getting older, and his bat isn’t going to come around for a full year despite his steady glove at third.
In my opinion, Seager is the M’s starter next year. With the emergence of Lewis, Moore, and France, the pressure of not having to be the guy at the plate may help Seager. He still brings a veteran presence and is the best glove at third on the roster. His defense is needed.
J.P. Crawford, Dylan Moore, and Sam Haggerty
J.P. Crawford had another year of improvement all around. He is locked in as the Seattle Mariners starting shortstop, at least until Noelvi Marte arrives. Even then, either he or Marte may wind up as Seager’s replacement. It would be nice if Crawford’s average gets to at least .270, especially if manager Scott Servais wants to keep him as the leadoff hitter.
Haggerty made some flash plays, but with the upcoming in the farm system, he may find it difficult to hold a roster spot. I’m not betting against him. Haggerty proved himself to be a hard worker, and I like that.
Justus Sheffield, Seattle Mariners.
Marco Gonzales, Justus Sheffield, Yusei Kikuchi, Nick Margevicius, Justin Dunn, Ljay Newsome
Gonzalez, Sheffield, Kikuchi, and Dunn are the Mariners top four starting pitchers. Gonzalez greatly improved upon his 2019 numbers. He is not an ace, but right now, he’s an opening day starter.
Sheffield and Kikuchi showed improvement as well. There are still things they need to work on, but their future as starters looks secure. Dunn has the goods to be a major league starting pitcher. His rookie year in the majors wasn’t anything special. As the year went on, he showed he could handle major league hitters.
With Trevor Bauer on the market and league-wide hatred directed at Houston, I would greatly love to see him sign with the Mariners. Taijuan Walker is also a free agent and someone I’d like to see brought back to Seattle.
Any pitcher that wasn’t rostered by another Major League team and/or wasn’t in the Mariners starting rotation
This group was an unmitigated disaster. There were a couple of bright spots, but overall if you told me none of these guys come back, I wouldn’t be shocked.
Yohan Ramirez is probably the odds on favorite to be the Mariners 2021 closer. Last season proved Yoshihisa Hirano is not a major league closer. I still believe that he can be a good bullpen arm. However, his best role may be as a middle-innings guy.
Andres Munoz is the future closer for this team. He’s going to be the next Edwin Diaz. A pitcher who the Mariners can develop into a late-inning weapon. Munoz is a stud!
This team will compete for an AL West title next year. At the end of the season, the Mariners battled Houston and Oakland, taking four of seven from them to close out the year.
While there are still some deficiencies on the M’s current roster, the farm system has reinforcements ready to go. I have faith that General Manager Jerry Dipoto will make smart moves this winter to strengthen the team.