My Evaluations and Grades (So Far) of the 2011 Seattle Mariners

Well, so far this season, at May 31^st, the Mariners are 27-26, one game above .500. I have to admit I never thought that they would be above .500, albeit by one game, this late in the season. It’s time to grade each player (that is currently on the roster) and then give grades to each part of the team (infielders, outfielders, starting pitchers, relief pitchers, coaches). Then one final overall grade at the end.

Infielders:

Miguel Olivo, Catcher
Miguel started out really slowly, hitting under .200 for over a month. But in the past few weeks when the Mariners have gotten hot, so has he. Every time the Mariners score 4+ runs, he seems to have been in the thick of things. His defense has been so-so, but I’m most impressed with how he’s worked with the pitchers.
Grade: B-

Chris Gimenez, Catcher
Not only a backup catcher, but he can play 1^st base and the outfield as well. He hasn’t played a ton, but he has filled in quite nicely when Olivo needed a day off. He isn’t our catcher of the future, but he could be a very capable backup in the next few years to come for us.
Grade: C+

Justin Smoak, First Baseman
Smoak has had an up and down season so far, but when he’s been up, he’s been great. He leads the team in home runs and RBI’s and is as a result, the Mariners best power hitter. He got his average near .300 at one point, but his recent struggles have dropped it down to near .250. I felt that at the beginning of this season we would find out if Smoak is our first baseman of the future, and so far, I think he is.
Grade: B+

Adam Kennedy, Second Baseman (and occasional First Baseman)
Every team needs a guy like Adam Kennedy. A scrappy veteran who is able to fill in when needed. The 2001 Mariners had McLemore, the 2005 Cardinals had Eckstein. Adam Kennedy has not only hit for contact, but has shown a bit of power with the bat with his 4 home runs, good for second on the team. He doesn’t need to start every day, but he is a good fill in at 2^nd and 1^st.
Grade: B+

Jack Wilson, Middle Infielder
Jack has had a very mediocre year at best. Some would say he’s no longer worth a roster spot. Jack has been outperformed by Kennedy, and has been on the bench a bit more than he’d like. Someone might be looking for a veteran middle infielder come trade deadline time, and to be honest, I don’t expect him to be a Mariner at the end of the season.
Grade: D+

Brendan Ryan, Shortstop
At first, Ryan struggled with his bat, but showed he is very capable with the glove. However, recently, he has shown his skill with a bat bringing his average up to .276. Yes, he started out slow, but he recently got promoted to the #2 spot in the order and his scrappiness and hustle makes him a good shortstop to have.
Grade: B

Chone Figgins, Third Base
To say Figgins has been a disappointment would be a huge understatement. He has been a colossal bust and a pain in the ass for the Mariners. His .190 average is pathetic, and it’s even sadder the team has allowed him the 2^nd most at-bats with that average. When a guy can’t hit for contact or power and he’s not a clubhouse leader, and he sometimes has trouble fielding, he starts becoming borderline worthless. It’s only his fat contract that is keeping him with the club and in the starting lineup (for the most part).
Grade: F

Luis Rodriguez, Utility Infielder
Luis has been a very nice guy to have on our team. He has provided a walk-off hit (which ended our longest losing streak), and has provided spot starts. He can play 2^nd, SS, or 3^rd, he has shown good speed and great defense. He’s even a switch-hitter. Not good enough to start, but definitely capable enough to be a bench player. He just needs to work on his average, which is a paltry .180 right now.
Grade: C

INFIELDERS GRADE: C+

Outfielders/Designated Hitter:

Carlos Peguero/Mike Wilson, Left Fielders
I’m grouping these guys together because they haven’t played that much. Peguero has shown power and a good arm, and Wilson has shown some great defensive skills. However, both are hitting under .200, but then again, neither of them has seen much of the plate. It just seems like neither of them is much of an offensive upgrade over Milton Bradley, although they are both much less of a headcase.
Grade: C-

Michael Saunders, Left and Center Fielder
Saunders has shown capable defense, but his offense has been horrid for the most part. He is currently hitting only .172, and at this point in his career, you have to start to wonder if he will ever find a groove and succeed. He still has time, but he cannot keep hitting under .200. At least he has stayed healthy and been able to be in the lineup at whatever outfield spot we needed him at.
Grade: D

Franklin Gutierrez, Center Fielder
We all know Franklin started out the year on the DL and has only been back for a couple weeks. So far, not too bad. He has made a few great defensive plays and has hit fairly well. It seems like he’s getting back to his old form. We know he won’t hit like Griffey, but he plays defense like him and is able to hit the ball hard every now and then.
Grade: C+

Ichiro Suzuki, Right Fielder
We know Ichiro gets off to slow starts. But he usually starts heating up by the end of May. So far, his average has dropped to .276 and he is slumping… still. It’s hard to believe we have done so well with Ichiro not performing up to his standards. Hopefully, he will have a much hotter June. Perhaps he needs a day off every now and then. He is, after all, 37 years old. I grade him hard because I expect a lot from him.
Grade: D+

Jack Cust, Designated Hitter
Jack started out real slowly. REAL SLOWLY. Didn’t get his first home run until less than a week ago. But now he has become a source of power on this team. I was starting to think “What a horrible signing by Zduriencik” but Cust has woken up with his bat. We don’t even ask Cust to play defense or run real well, we just ask him to hit and he is finally doing it. I’d give him a better grade, but his slow start took a little too long to get over. He’ll have to keep up his hitting in order to get a higher grade from me. And I expect even better hitting from a designated HITTER.
Grade: C-

OUTFIELDERS/DESIGNATED HITTER GRADE: C-

HITTERS OVERALL GRADE: C

Starting Pitchers:

Felix Hernandez
“The King” has been pretty much his usual self, although you might say not as dominant as last year. His strikeouts lead the team and he has given us the most innings. He is only 5-4 now, but he could have a better record with a better offense. He hasn’t been outstanding, but he’s been very good.
Grade: B+

Michael Pineda
What can you say about Pineda? He is a finalist for Rookie of the Year, he has drawn comparisons to his teammate, Felix, and he really has shown he could be the second part of the 1-2 punch for the Mariners. He has impressed everyone and he will only get better with experience. His 2.42 ERA is best among Mariners starters and one of the league leaders in the AL.
Grade: A

Jason Vargas
At times, he has looked like a very good #3 starter. On a rare occasion, however, he loses control and teams find it extremely easy to get hits off him. Overall, I am impressed with Mr. Poker Face here and you can’t ask for more from him. He has been as good as we could expect.
Grade: B-

Doug Fister
You see his 3-5 record and think not much of him, but his 3.24 ERA says otherwise. He has gotten poor run support, just like the rest of his fellow starters. His record should get better with luck and better offense. Overall, he has pitched well enough for us to win.
Grade: B

Erik Bedard
Erik had a rough start, but in May man did he heat up. In May he is 2-0 with a 1.04 ERA. Outstanding. At first, I was thinking “Oh boy, here we go again”, but he has really impressed me in the last month. For a #5 starter (that he is at the moment), he has been superb.
Grade: B+

STARTERS GRADE: B+

Bullpen:

Relievers not named Brandon League (David Pauley, Aaron Laffey, Jamey Wright, Jeff Gray, Chris Ray)
Our bullpen has been pretty much as impressive as our starters, at least these five guys have. Pauley and Laffey have been excellent, Wright has been great, Gray, well we just got him, and Ray has struggled but hasn’t seen too much action. It’s an odd collection of guys to say the least, but they are getting the job done.
Grade: B+

Brandon League
At first, he looked pretty good. He was 9 for 9 in saves. Then he started becoming Brandon League again. He blew four games in a row and when he struggles, he serves up homers like they’re peanuts at a ballgame. He has however regained his confidence and got back to getting saves. So an up and down year so far for him. I’d prefer it if I kept his blown saves and losses far apart, rather than grouped together. I think he would too.
Grade: C

BULLPEN GRADE: B-

PITCHERS OVERALL GRADE: B

Coaches
So far, I have been impressed with this coaching staff. Carl Willis is handling the pitchers well, and Eric Wedge has shown a lot of poise and leadership, especially when the team has struggled. If the Mariners end up with a winning record, Wedge has to be a candidate for manager of the year.
Grade: B

OVERALL TEAM GRADE: C+

Well, for a team barely over .500, a C+ grade seems pretty fair. I graded more on how they have performed as a whole, not and vs. what I expected, except in the cases of Ichiro and Felix, both of whom I expect to dominate. I have been pleasantly surprised with this team, although not too impressed. We’ll see how they fare when summer actually comes and the weather heats up.