To say it has been a slow start for the Seattle Mariners, would be an understatement. The M’s have not yet truly shown signs of the contending team that they were projected to be at the beginning of the season. There have been a few bright lights on the team such as Felix Hernandez, Michael Morse and Tom Wilhelmsen and some slow starters such as Brandon Maurer, Dustin Ackley, and Jesus Montero.
The team has a lot of potential with the power they have, but the question is, can they turn around their slow start to become contenders again? I believe that they can.
There are a few players that were expected to really shine this year but have not gotten off to the strongest start. One of the biggest disappointments so far is second basemen Dustin Ackley.
While his defense is still strong, his bat has been cold to start the season. He went into the home opener batting less than .100 and hasn’t really improved much since. Another slow starter is starting pitcher Brandon Maurer. This kid impresses everybody making the roster out of Double-A Jackson beating out veteran Jeremy Bonderman along with other starters in spring training.
However, in the big leagues, he got off to two rocky starts before getting his first win. Then, our catcher, Jesus Montero has not started off strong either. He recently hit his first homer of the season against the Astros on April 22, and hasn’t been hitting for a decent average or many runs batted in either. These players haven’t shown many results early in the season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t turn it around as the season progresses.
The player that has really emerged from the team is outfielder Michael Morse who is leading the team in homeruns, runs and runs batted in. Coming back for his second stint with the Mariners, Morse looks to finish what he started years ago. He is definitely doing that, along with completely impressing people all around the league. “The Bartender” Tom Wilhelmsen has impressed people around the league as one of the top closers in baseball by being the first pitcher in the American League to record five saves. If he can keep this pace up, he will be making a very strong case to be in July’s All-Star games for the best players. Even in a bleak start, there
To me, the Mariners have been led by a few shining stars which have propelled their first few wins. One of those stars is “The King” Felix Hernandez. He has picked up where he left off last season by completely dominating, baffling and trashing almost every opposing hitter.
Even though he has picked up a few losses, he has also won his hundredth career win. Another star on the team is starting pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma who has surprised everyone with how he has started the season. He started with getting two consecutive wins and only one recorded loss. He has started quite strong and has not shown any signs of slowing down. The big hitare some strong players leading the way.
While the Mariners have gotten off to a bleak start this season, there is no reason why they can’t turn it around to become a contending team again.
I think they have a chance to be a contender in the tough AL West division, but all the players have to pull their own weight in order for them to be effective.
