Michael Saunders!!!!

[PolarVortex]

Before last night, how long had it been since a Mariner leadoff hitter had a 3-hit game?

The two guys who have been at the top of our lineup for 95% of the season, Almonte and Miller, are now hitting a combined .187 with 65 strikeouts. When you factor in this obvious handicapp, it is almost shocking that we have managed to win 12 of the first 26 games.

 

[EVille3]

look what can happen when people are actually on base for Cano to knock in...

 

[seattle]

After watching last nights game against the Astos its obvious that Almonte needs to go. 2 errors by a Centerfielder is unacceptable. He has proven he can't hit and can't field... Maybe bring up Montero to DH, Saunders to center and Hart to right. Something has to change soon

 

[NWinAZ]

How is that Morse fellow doing over there in SF these days? Can't keep him because he can't play the OF....so you keep guys that can't hit and still can't play the OF? Only the M's.

 

[seahawksfan234]

How is that Morse fellow doing over there in SF these days? Can't keep him because he can't play the OF....so you keep guys that can't hit and still can't play the OF? Only the M's.

Never wanted to ship him to Baltimore and was massively disappointed when the Mariners were not even connected to him in the offseason. Oh well, I shouldn't be surprised.

 

[NWinAZ]

Never wanted to ship him to Baltimore and was massively disappointed when the Mariners were not even connected to him in the offseason. Oh well, I shouldn't be surprised.

I second that. He played with a thumb that was barely able to grip a bat most of last year. He tore the cover off prior to the injury. I don't get it.

 

[johnfree63]

I second that. He played with a thumb that was barely able to grip a bat most of last year. He tore the cover off prior to the injury. I don't get it.

It's the injuries. He's always injured. If it wasn't for that he would be one of the top power hitters in the game.

 

[NWinAZ]

It's the injuries. He's always injured. If it wasn't for that he would be one of the top power hitters in the game.

He already has 7 homers and 21 RBI's. He can get hurt and miss the rest of the season and still have better numbers than any current Mariners outfielder by seasons end...sad, but true.

Simply, his non-injury days would stay make him worth having over current group. I guess a little of something is better than a lot of nothing.

 

[Podunkparte]

He already has 7 homers and 21 RBI's. He can get hurt and miss the rest of the season and still have better numbers than any current Mariners outfielder by seasons end...sad, but true.

Simply, his non-injury days would stay make him worth having over current group. I guess a little of something is better than a lot of nothing.

But seriously, do you think that if he were a Mariner this season he would be anywhere close to that? Of course not. He'd find a way to have 2 big HR, 6 RBI, and a sore hamstring that wasn't quite bad enough for the DL but wouldn't allow him to play.

That's the way the M's do

 

[Logicallylethal]

The injury excuse on Morse is silly, because didn't we bring in two guys (Hart and Morrison) who are power hitters who have a history of injuries too?

I understand the move for Hart, because he has a good track record of production in the MLB but not Morrison over Morse.

Oh and hasn't Morrison been injured all year too. I bet he leaves next year and hits 40 hrs with the Dodgers or something.

 

[wazzu31]

I second that. He played with a thumb that was barely able to grip a bat most of last year. He tore the cover off prior to the injury. I don't get it.

Because they had more pressing needs like signing Rodney.

 

[johnfree63]

The injury excuse on Morse is silly, because didn't we bring in two guys (Hart and Morrison) who are power hitters who have a history of injuries too?

I understand the move for Hart, because he has a good track record of production in the MLB but not Morrison over Morse.

Oh and hasn't Morrison been injured all year too. I bet he leaves next year and hits 40 hrs with the Dodgers or something.

Hart has had a number of relatively healthy seasons where he played in 130 or more games. Morse has had 1. Morrison was brought in to be in a pretend competition with Smoak. Nothing more.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Back to the topic of the thread, Saunders is having another impressive night and has his triple slash line up to .273/.339/.418 on the year. Safe to say it looks as if he has earned a starting spot in the OF for a while, hopefully at CF.

I know McClendon seems to like Almonte (for reasons I cannot fathom), but at least put Saunders in CF and Almonte at one of the corner spots if you must play him.

 

[wazzu31]

Back to the topic of the thread, Saunders is having another impressive night and has his triple slash line up to .273/.339/.418 on the year. Safe to say it looks as if he has earned a starting spot in the OF for a while, hopefully at CF.

I know McClendon seems to like Almonte (for reasons I cannot fathom), but at least put Saunders in CF and Almonte at one of the corner spots if you must play him.

CF is exactly where you want a guy like Saunders. The corner outfield is just a complete waste of his athleticism. Him playing CF can someone mask the rest of the horrible outfield play.

 

[seahawksfan234]

CF is exactly where you want a guy like Saunders. The corner outfield is just a complete waste of his athleticism. Him playing CF can someone mask the rest of the horrible outfield play.

No idea why he was not the starting CF to begin with. Almonte is terrible at defense and his performance at the plate is even worse. I know some people have hope for him, but he needs to work out his strikeout problems in AAA before we can seriously consider him an MLB regular.

 

[NWinAZ]

No idea why he was not the starting CF to begin with. Almonte is terrible at defense and his performance at the plate is even worse. I know some people have hope for him, but he needs to work out his strikeout problems in AAA before we can seriously consider him an MLB regular.

Simple actually, Lloyd and everyone else has seen what Saunders can do, low ceiling, so he went with someone that had a chance to elevate the position. It didn't work so you go back to the fall-back plan. A real team that spends money goes after a Ellsbury or alike who has proven himself. We are on the budget plan so you cross fingers you find that type from the minors. It doesn't happen often which is why we are who we are.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Simple actually, Lloyd and everyone else has seen what Saunders can do, low ceiling, so he went with someone that had a chance to elevate the position. It didn't work so you go back to the fall-back plan. A real team that spends money goes after a Ellsbury or alike who has proven himself. We are on the budget plan so you cross fingers you find that type from the minors. It doesn't happen often which is why we are who we are.

I personally prefer Saunders as I think he has a much higher ceiling than Almonte. Saunders is not a superstar in the making, but a 20 HR 20 SB .250 hitter with solid defense is not outside of the question, which certainly looks a hell of a lot better than Almonte.

Almonte looks clumsy on defense and struggles to make contact. He needs a lot of work, I don't really see the potential in him.

 

[NWinAZ]

I personally prefer Saunders as I think he has a much higher ceiling than Almonte. Saunders is not a superstar in the making, but a 20 HR 20 SB .250 hitter with solid defense is not outside of the question, which certainly looks a hell of a lot better than Almonte.

Almonte looks clumsy on defense and struggles to make contact. He needs a lot of work, I don't really see the potential in him.

You are judging Almonte after what you just saw. That is hindsight. What if he was the next Gomez and we never gave him a shot? I have no problem with him playing because Saunders has shown what he is...a 4th OF. I like saunders in that role and play him while he is hot. Just don't get your hopes up he will be the next Ellsbury.

 

[seahawksfan234]

You are judging Almonte after what you just saw. That is hindsight. What if he was the next Gomez and we never gave him a shot? I have no problem with him playing because Saunders has shown what he is...a 4th OF. I like saunders in that role and play him while he is hot. Just don't get your hopes up he will be the next Ellsbury.

I never implied Saunders would be the next Ellsbury. I said I believed Saunders could be a roughly 20 HR 20 SB .250 hitter with average defense, which at this point looks A LOT better than Almonte.

The fact is that Almonte was playing very, very badly. Doesn't matter what he "could be" the fact is that the Mariners have a player (Saunders) who is playing much better than Almonte was. Almonte has issues he needs to work out, hitting .198 and striking out 40 times in 26 games is not going to cut it on a major league roster and if we left him out there he would have continued to be detrimental to the team.

 

[NWinAZ]

My only point is that he had to play in order to know if he would play badly or be the next big thing. I thought the choice to play him was right. The choice to send him down is also the right move. If he does well in Tacoma for a month or so and is brought up, then that will be the right move. You have to give players a chance to succeed, but you also have to give them a chance to fail.