Series Thread: tOfficial Mariners 2019 Season Thread

[Cloud]

Haven't really noticed until I looked today but the team has won 6 out of their last 7 and 3 out of the last 4 series.
Definitely on their best stretch since the start of the season.

WS bound baby.

 

[seahawksfan234]

Haven't really noticed until I looked today but the team has won 6 out of their last 7 and 3 out of the last 4 series.
Definitely on their best stretch since the start of the season.

WS bound baby.

The Mariners are so inept that they can't even lose when they need to.

Pretty sure I've already said that about 5 times on this thread but hell it's still relevant.

 

[Duders]

I don't think they know what the hell they are doing. Should we win or should we lose. The whole organization is a major cluster. 2 articles in the Sea Times shows Stanton isn't even sure what to call the direction the team is going in and he says money isn't an issue. Who the hell does he think he's fooling?

 

[Cloud]

I don't think they know what the hell they are doing. Should we win or should we lose. The whole organization is a major cluster. 2 articles in the Sea Times shows Stanton isn't even sure what to call the direction the team is going in and he says money isn't an issue. Who the hell does he think he's fooling?

I'm never a fan of a team trying to purposely tank so for the players, it should definitely be their intent to win or at least play baseball at their highest level. If they lose due to the lack of talent, so be it but at least they play the game.

My problem is never with the players but it's the management they have in place with a manager who is completely inept and at times, seems like he has no clue what the hell he's doing out there. If he's trying to throw games, then he's doing a damn good job by not hiding it.

Then there's the GM who look like he has absolutely no clue in which direction he wants his team to go. Are they rebuilding or are they not? No clue.

Lastly, many of us used to blame the Japanese ownership for their lack of involvement with the team, which led to years of ineptitude and rightfully so because Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong failed as leaders. This new ownership group led by Stanton is about as bad and the whole deal with the SoDo stadium still bothers me with how they everything went down.

 

[SeattleCoug]

I don't think they know what the hell they are doing. Should we win or should we lose. The whole organization is a major cluster. 2 articles in the Sea Times shows Stanton isn't even sure what to call the direction the team is going in and he says money isn't an issue. Who the hell does he think he's fooling?

Yet every time they need just one more piece or to make that one significant deal when they are actually in a hunt, money suddenly becomes an issue and they choose small sidegrades that do nothing. Even the money ball A's had the bandwith to make more significant moves then the M's when it counted.

 

[SeattleCoug]

I'm never a fan of a team trying to purposely tank so for the players, it should definitely be their intent to win or at least play baseball at their highest level. If they lose due to the lack of talent, so be it but at least they play the game.

Tanking isnt really as relevant in baseball as other sports because the draft is much more of a crap shoot. The Mariners have proven you can have all the top picks you want. The Zuninos, the Hultzens, the Ackleys, the Clements do i need to keep going? If you cant develop said players who cares or if you cant hire people to pick the right players who cares? So no I am not gonna root for them to lose games because that doesnt really matter. The only difference this year is im not as upset or angry when they lose in a stupid way. But part of that could be pure apathy at this point.

 

[Cloud]

Tanking isnt really as relevant in baseball as other sports because the draft is much more of a crap shoot. The Mariners have proven you can have all the top picks you want. The Zuninos, the Hultzens, the Ackleys, the Clements do i need to keep going? If you cant develop said players who cares or if you cant hire people to pick the right players who cares? So no I am not gonna root for them to lose games because that doesnt really matter. The only difference this year is im not as upset or angry when they lose in a stupid way. But part of that could be pure apathy at this point.

Totally agree, the thing with baseball is that even if you draft very high, you don't necessary make an immediate impact, it takes some time to develop these players, which is why they are "prospects". Unless you are Mike Trout.

The only sports I see that are completely relevant when it comes to tanking is football and then basketball, but with lottery system, tanking in basketball does not guarantee you the #1 pick as well. Case in point this year, when the Pelicans has a 6% of winning the lottery.

 

[mcnabb7542]

Either way last couple of weeks I've actually enjoyed watching the kids play.
Of course I get up for a beer or go pee while they are pitching so I don't lose my marbles.

 

[Duders]

I'm never a fan of a team trying to purposely tank so for the players, it should definitely be their intent to win or at least play baseball at their highest level. If they lose due to the lack of talent, so be it but at least they play the game.

My problem is never with the players but it's the management they have in place with a manager who is completely inept and at times, seems like he has no clue what the hell he's doing out there. If he's trying to throw games, then he's doing a damn good job by not hiding it.

Then there's the GM who look like he has absolutely no clue in which direction he wants his team to go. Are they rebuilding or are they not? No clue.

I completely agree with you about the idea of intentionally losing games. Professional players are paid to WIN and perform at their best level. The fact that Dipoto hired Servais in the first place and continues with him tells me all I need to know about this organization and the direction it's headed. Servais had absolutely NO EXPERIENCE as a manager at any level and only had time in the front office and with 4 years he still shows he hasn't figured things out. Sell the franchise to someone (or group) who knows baseball, really wants a winning team and is committed to hiring a GM and Manager that can get it done. Seattle baseball have been a joke for 18 years and counting.

 

[SeattleCoug]

Either way last couple of weeks I've actually enjoyed watching the kids play.
Of course I get up for a beer or go pee while they are pitching so I don't lose my marbles.

Seeing Crawford hitting is very nice. This was the kind of stuff that would make this year bearable, not watching Tim Beckham play little league defense.

 

[wazzu31]

Totally agree, the thing with baseball is that even if you draft very high, you don't necessary make an immediate impact, it takes some time to develop these players, which is why they are "prospects". Unless you are Mike Trout.

The only sports I see that are completely relevant when it comes to tanking is football and then basketball, but with lottery system, tanking in basketball does not guarantee you the #1 pick as well. Case in point this year, when the Pelicans has a 6% of winning the lottery.

Well even Trout wasn’t on most teams first round boards. He is the definition of why old school scouts are still a valuable commodity in baseball organizations.

 

[seattlefan75]

I disagree about tanking not really being a thing because I honestly feel that it works. It isnt 100% bulletproof but it is very fruitful for your team to tank. The San Diego Padres have been a terrible team franchise from 2011-2018 and now they have the best farm in baseball and honestly they will probably be relevant for the next 10 years. Same thing with the Houston Astros they had a terrible run from 2009-2014 and the players gathered came up and now you know the rest so they will be around for awhile. The problem with the mariners is that they didnt know how to develop because they wanted to rush their prospects to the league. Im sorry Ackley, Zunino, and Smoak were great prospects the mariners just did not know what the hell they were doing. In any sport if you are a top 5 draft pick in any sport and you dont pan out its because the organization failed you

 

[seattlefan75]

Now to play devils advocate to what I said I wouldnt want us tanking or even focus on W/L. I want us focused on the development of our players I wouldnt want to see JP crawford, Vogelbach, Santana, Narvaez etc or any of our younger players go out there and suck at the sake of tanking. These guys are supposed to be our foundation players so next year we can probably add white at 1st maybe Farely to the OF, Long at 2nd, Sheffield, Dunn to the rotation etc. The club will be a lot younger and they need to learn to win at some kind of stage

 

[mcnabb7542]

Seeing Crawford hitting is very nice. This was the kind of stuff that would make this year bearable, not watching Tim Beckham play little league defense.

Yeah Crawford has been fun to watch, seeing Vogy finally get his shot.

 

[SeattleCoug]

Im sorry Ackley, Zunino, and Smoak were great prospects the mariners just did not know what the hell they were doing. In any sport if you are a top 5 draft pick in any sport and you dont pan out its because the organization failed you

I agree on Zunino and Smoak. I think they given the right organization could have flourished. Smoak fortunately got out when he was young enough to still be able to make something of themselves. Zunino just got screwed badly from the get go. Go back to 2013 when Jack Z and Co. thought a catching tandem of Montero/Shoppach could get them through a full season. Not having anything else and relying on that forced Zunino to be rushed. And then just no plan B while he just rotted and died in the majors the next two years. He had nice run a couple years ago but then pitchers adjusted back to him again. He is someone I truly feel bad for.
Ackley I'm not sure had the mental toughness to make it. Obviously he was at the top of everyones boards but the mental aspect is just something that's hard to scout. When his first slump came, he just didnt seem like he could handle it. Not sure if thats because everything came easy to him up until that point or what but I just never got the sense he felt comfortable. Of course having to deal with the Mariners development team didnt help.

But yeah we keep seeing guys like Chris Taylor and Ketel Marte leave and have much better careers. I know I am preaching to the choir but its just been a broken system here for a very long time, not bad luck

 

[seattlefan75]

I agree on Zunino and Smoak. I think they given the right organization could have flourished. Smoak fortunately got out when he was young enough to still be able to make something of themselves. Zunino just got screwed badly from the get go. Go back to 2013 when Jack Z and Co. thought a catching tandem of Montero/Shoppach could get them through a full season. Not having anything else and relying on that forced Zunino to be rushed. And then just no plan B while he just rotted and died in the majors the next two years. He had nice run a couple years ago but then pitchers adjusted back to him again. He is someone I truly feel bad for.
Ackley I'm not sure had the mental toughness to make it. Obviously he was at the top of everyones boards but the mental aspect is just something that's hard to scout. When his first slump came, he just didnt seem like he could handle it. Not sure if thats because everything came easy to him up until that point or what but I just never got the sense he felt comfortable. Of course having to deal with the Mariners development team didnt help.

But yeah we keep seeing guys like Chris Taylor and Ketel Marte leave and have much better careers. I know I am preaching to the choir but its just been a broken system here for a very long time, not bad luck

Yeah Montero that was another one. I also think its a lot of pressure on a rookie to have the expectation that you are expected to be great and change the franchise around. I think adding a talented prospect to a solid roster where there is less pressure is better than adding him to a bad one and expecting him to be great

 

[seahawksfan234]

I don't think they know what the hell they are doing. Should we win or should we lose. The whole organization is a major cluster. 2 articles in the Sea Times shows Stanton isn't even sure what to call the direction the team is going in and he says money isn't an issue. Who the hell does he think he's fooling?

It's in the best interest of the team to lose as much as possible this year. The shitty thing is that the Mariners are bad, but not in the tier of bad of the Orioles or Royals.

I don't know how I felt about those interviews with Stanton. The Mariners are just in a really situation overall right now. I believe there's not a snowball's chance in hell they make the playoffs this year or next year and I don't believe any general manager on the planet could change that without some sort of divine intervention.

If I had to make a prediction I'd say that the Mariners don't make the playoffs this year or next, in 2021 the prospects come up and deal with their rookie struggles and the team hovers around .500 then finally JD gets the can.

Unfortunately I don't believe the team will be a realistic playoff contender in 2021 unless every single prospect vastly exceeds expectations and does so immediately upon reaching the majors - which is a very unlikely scenario.

Luckily with all of the salary the Mariners have cleared and a number of young players projected to be on the roster by 2021, whoever inherits the team will likely have a lot to work with.

 

[seahawksfan234]

I'm never a fan of a team trying to purposely tank so for the players, it should definitely be their intent to win or at least play baseball at their highest level. If they lose due to the lack of talent, so be it but at least they play the game.

My problem is never with the players but it's the management they have in place with a manager who is completely inept and at times, seems like he has no clue what the hell he's doing out there. If he's trying to throw games, then he's doing a damn good job by not hiding it.

Then there's the GM who look like he has absolutely no clue in which direction he wants his team to go. Are they rebuilding or are they not? No clue.

Lastly, many of us used to blame the Japanese ownership for their lack of involvement with the team, which led to years of ineptitude and rightfully so because Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong failed as leaders. This new ownership group led by Stanton is about as bad and the whole deal with the SoDo stadium still bothers me with how they everything went down.

I don't believe that the mentality in the organization should be to encourage tanking, but the more they lose the better prospect(s) they get in the draft which helps in the attempt to eventually build a somewhat competent team.

I disagree that JD has no clue which direction he wants the team to go. We can argue over the return the Mariners have received, but it's clear the Mariners are tearing down the roster, trading away bloated contracts and veterans for prospects and if that doesn't fit the definition of a rebuild I don't know what does. It should've happened last year, but Dipoto was dumb enough to believe the Mariners were actually a contender with their fluke first half.

It's difficult for me to determine why the organization won't call it a rebuild, but that's what it is.

Regarding Servais; he's not intentionally trying to make the team bad, he just really has no idea what he's doing. Even last year when the Mariners were winning, it appeared as if he was consulting a Magic 8 ball for his decisions.

 

[PolarVortex]

Pirates released Nick Franklin today, making it five organizations he has washed out with. What the hell happened to that guy? Seems like he was a highly rated prospect in our org for awhile.

 

[Duders]

Heck, I suppose if I watched more games and/or paid more attention when I do watch a game, I might know who the hell some of the arms are that come out of the pen. Or maybe they have a high turnover in the pen? I don't know but it's a weird season no doubt.