The Mariners have already reached their peak, at least with this front office and ownership

Hey, this is Brian from Oct. 2023, the regular text is what I wrote towards the end of July.  It was right before the Mariners went on their amazing run in August.  Unfortunately, they followed it up with a stinker of a month in September.  I thought I'd go through and make any additional comments to what I previously said.  I'll save them for after the paragraph (if I have a comment), so I'm not interrupting too often.  

 I haven't done a mid-season review of the Mariners, but I think it's obvious why I haven't.  This year's team, the 2023 team, is painfully mediocre.  They capitalized last year on a lot of players finding success, and most of those same players have not been able to replicate last year's success, for the most part.  I believe last year was their peak, and they will not reach any higher heights with this front office and ownership.  I think this season is more of a regression to the mean.  I think the average amount of wins you will get with these kinds of teams is 80-90.  They're slightly better than average, on average.  This year, they're just average.

The Mariners finished with 88 wins, right where I said.  90 wins is about their ceiling.  They may get lucky and get 92, 93, 94 wins, but a division title is unlikely given the competition from Texas and Houston.

One reason why this team will never eclipse 90 or so wins or win the division or even get to the ALCS is because ownership has restricted spending.  Take a look at the last couple of big contracts they dished out: Robinson Cano and Robbie Ray.  It's safe to say that so far they have not been worth the money spent.  Cano did have a couple great years, but he was unable to help us get to the playoffs.  I think ownership and John Stanton are extremely hesitant to give Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander the green light on doling out a contract worth $100m or more, mainly because the last few haven't quite panned out.  They aren't the cheapest ownership group in sports, but they're cheaper than the average ownership group.  

Another reason why this team will never reach a higher peak is because hitting just cannot be developed in a consistent manner.  How many hitters have come through the Mariners' minor league system and had a successful career with them?  Not many.  Kyle Seager is basically the only one in the last 20 years.  Julio and Cal Raleigh can perhaps join that list, but both have had down years after great first full years in 2022.  For whatever reason, this team and organization can develop pitchers as well as anyone, but they cannot develop hitters.  The most baffling thing to me is how they preach "Control the Zone", yet the Mariners are consistently near the top of the league in strikeouts.  

Julio's massive August really boons his season, and I think it's safe to say he's a rare success story coming out of the minors.  Cal is borderline.  But Julio had so much upside it was hard for him not to pan out.  Also, the Mariners finished 2nd in the AL in strikeouts, behind only Minnesota.  But Minnesota was 4th in the AL in OPS, while the Mariners were barely above league average.  

The one thing I can fault the front office for most is the construction of the roster, namely the position players.  A team built on pitching doesn't need to be complemented by power hitters who strike out a lot.  They need consistent on-base guys that have speed, get around the bases, and play small ball to support the pitching.  It is a lot easier to play small ball and manufacture runs than it is to rely upon the home run ball.  Relying upon the home run ball is just asking for spurts of bad offense, which will ultimately result in losses.  Acquiring guys like Eugenio Suarez and Teoscar Hernandez were not the smartest moves, because this team already had high strikeout guys in Julio, Kelenic, and Raleigh coming up through the system.  It's like having a football team with a great defense, but an offense that cannot run the ball nor has a short passing game.

One thing I am always quick to point the finger at during losses is coaching, namely manager Scott Servais.  But Servais is not an awful manager.  However, I do not believe he is the type of manager that can elevate a team with average talent.  He's great at motivating young guys, and would probably have a surprising amount of success on a team like Oakland, Pittsburgh, and Colorado.  And he'd probably do ok managing elite talent-level teams, like the Dodgers and Astros (which is true of most managers).  His in-game management and decisions leave a lot to be desired, such as his reliance on having a left/right advantage with the opposition.  Often, he will remove a better hitter for a worse hitter just to get that advantage.  He doesn't seem to have a good game feel, relying on colder bats in clutch moments than hot ones.  I don't think he's the biggest reason for this team's inability to do better than 2022, but he's certainly a contributing factor.  I think Servais, once he leaves the Mariners, will likely be mostly remembered for his decision to put in Robbie Ray against Yordan Alvarez in Game 1 of the ALDS.  If he goes with Swanson or someone else, the Mariners likely win the game, and who knows how that series turns out.    

I will always root for the Mariners, but it is extremely disheartening being as confident as I am that this team will never eclipse 2022 with its current front office, management, and likely, ownership.  In fact, I am willing to bet on it.  If the Mariners win the World Series under Dipoto/Hollander/Servais, I will get a tattoo of the Mariners logo and the words "____ World Series Champions", with the year they won it at the beginning.  I don't like the idea of permanently scarring my body with tattoos, but that just shows how confident I am that this team will not do any better than last season.  I could say I'd get a tattoo if they reach the ALCS or the World Series, but a tattoo saying "2024 ALCS representative" sounds pretty lame to me.  If they get to the ALCS or World Series under this regime, I will spend the combination of wins and team batting average on Mariners merchandise.  So if they win 95 games and have a team batting average of .250, I will buy $345 dollars worth of Mariners merchandise.

I'm sticking to this.  So long as Jerry, Justin, and Scott are with the Mariners, if the Mariners win a World Series, I will get that tattoo.  And I'll stand by what I said about spending money on merch, too.  I am that confident that this team will not do better than a borderline wild card/ALDS loser.  Last year, 2022, was their peak.

I hope I am wrong about all of this and the team surprises me.  But I have watched enough baseball, specifically Mariners baseball, to know that this team is still shackled by its ownership, front office, management, and roster construction.  They will have plenty of great moments and may once again sneak into the playoffs, but I will be beyond shocked if this team plays like one of the league's absolute best for any significant amount of time under this regime.  In my opinion, there are too many things that would need to change about this team and organization in order to consistently become one of MLB's best.  Simply firing Servais wouldn't do it.  Acquiring a contact bat: same thing.  But I can still enjoy their good moments when they come, despite the fact that I will be wishing they were more frequent.

My Top 10 Nintendo 64 Games

This is my second post in a series where I rank my top 10 games from each console I've owned.  If you haven't seen it, go check out my Top 10 Original Xbox Games of all time.  Anyway, this one will be about my top 10 Nintendo 64 games of all time.  I've only ever owned about 25 or so, but this will focus on the 10 I played most.  If you played Nintendo 64 games like me growing up, you should recognize most or all on this list.  As before, if any had a sequel, they will be combined into one entry.

Honorable Mention: Pokemon Snap
As a huge fan of the first two generations of Pokemon, I had to get and play Pokemon Snap as a kid.  I loved trying to best my previous shots that I had submitted to Professor Oak.  I also loved how the game slowly expanded, adding maps and items to interact with the Pokemon.  Unfortunately, this game is limited, as it sets you on the same linear track for each map.  It would've been cool if they at least had multiple tracks to choose from (each one with Pokemon you couldn't get on other paths).  I was also hoping for a sequel to be released when Generation 2 games came out, but alas, it wasn't to be.  

10. Super Smash Bros.
I was never that great of a Smash Bros. player, as my friends could attest to, but I still enjoyed it.  My favorite to play as, unsurprisingly, was Kirby, as he was easiest to succeed with for noobs like me.  What I really liked though were the "Break the Targets" and "Board the Platforms" challenges they had for each character.  I liked how each character's challenges were uniquely different and suited them.  I completed most of them, but I think there's a couple I could never manage.

9. NBA Hangtime
This arcade style basketball game was pretty fun.  If I could change one thing, it would be to not have a time limit on the team/player selection screen.  But they had to make it as much like an arcade game as they could, I suppose.  I did once beat every team in the game with a created player.  I also wish the game had famous players like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Charles Barkley, who were in the NBA at the time, but I think they weren't part of the players union or something.  

8. Pokemon Stadium (+ Pokemon Stadium 2)
Like I said, I was a big fan of Pokemon during the first two generations, so I had to get Pokemon Stadium.  I remember going opening day and spending my birthday money on it.  I distinctly remember it was close to $100, due to it containing the Gameboy cartridge adapter pack.  But I just absolutely loved how you could now play your Pokemon games on a bigger screen.  A screen, also, that didn't require additional lighting.  I spent countless hours doing that.  I also thoroughly enjoyed playing through the gym leaders they had in this game and of course, the minigames, which are still fun to this day. 

7. Star Fox 64
I remember playing this as a kid, but not having a ton of success with it in the single-player missions.  I always get stuck on the same planet.  Eventually, I played it through as a young adult, and I beat the game.  It was the easy path, but hey, I did it.  Maybe someday I'll do a harder path.  Anyway, as a kid, I remember playing multiplayer with my sister/friends and shooting each other down.  That was fun.

6. Wave Race 64
Another great multiplayer game was Wave Race.  I enjoyed the single-player races as well, and the stunt missions were fun, too.  I think I raced best with the girl in the game.  I thought she had the best handling.  But this game did get a bit monotonous at times, as it was basically just riding a jet ski to the correct side of a buoy.  But hey, it's still fun, and that announcer guy really earned his paycheck.

5. Goldeneye 007
Who didn't play the multiplayer version of this as kids?  I remember it fondly.  I also played the campaign many times, although I could never beat it, and I still haven't beaten it.  I have tried picking it up in recent years, only to realize how bad the controls are compared to FPS today, but perhaps someday.  

4. Mario Party (+ Mario Party 2)
I would argue the first two Mario Party's were the best multiplayer games on the Nintendo 64.  I remember putting countless hours into the first, both by myself and with others.  I also remember getting burns/blisters on the palm of my hand from the control stick spinning minigames.  I then (not very smartly) used a pair of batting gloves I owned, but I only ended up ruining those.  As for the second one, I never owned it, but I rented it several times from Blockbuster.  I probably should have just bought it (or asked for it for Christmas).  

3. Mario Kart 64
My girlfriend and I will still to this day whip this game out and do a grand prix together.  It holds up well.  I never had a favorite racer or favorite map, but I still enjoyed it.  I also loved the multiplayer battles they had as well.  I don't think there's been a 2 or 3-year period in my life that I haven't played this game since getting it.  I just have to play it every few years.  

2. Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.
This may be my favorite baseball video game of all time.  It's close.  It's got an arcade style, which you have to accept.  But I loved playing as the Mariners, mainly because they had such great players at the time in Jr., Edgar, Buhner, Randy Johnson, and A-Rod.  It's a bit too easy for me now, as I can just run up the score on the computer, even with a team full of bad players.  I just love the controls, which in my opinion, hold up well today.  

1. Super Mario 64
How could I not make this #1?  Granted, there is no multiplayer element, but there is no game I have put more single-player hours into in my life.  As a kid, this game did eventually fall to the wayside as I played others (like the ones on this list).  But I still pick it up every few years.  It wasn't until my late teens/early 20s that I finally got 120 stars.  Now, it's no problem to get.  I still see others streaming this game, showing me new ways to get stars, or showing me new glitches, so I have to try them out myself.  A few glitches I have gotten to work are glitching Mips through a door and doing the BLJ (backwards long jump) up a flight of stairs to get into an area I'm not supposed to have access to yet.  Anyway, this is just a game I could see myself playing every decade for the rest of my life; it's just that perfect.