February 22nd, 2012 at 11:15 AM
By Anthony SanelliThe Seattle Mariners are onto day 12 of spring training. There's been plenty to talk about so far so lets recap on some of the bigger stories.
Ichiro moving out of the leadoff spot. As big of deal it may be, we all sort of expected it to happen. Manager Eric Wedge has been hinting towards it, and keeping Chone Figgins this offseason should have told you they have not given up on him yet. Like it or hate it, Figgins will be leading off when the season starts.
Seattle Mariners Ichiro Suzuki warms-up during batting practice before playing the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, California July 15, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT
BASEBALL)
Hisashi Iwakuma and a media frenzy. It's safe to say the Mariners fan base is evenly split between fans here in the U.S. and fans in Japan. We still poses their greatest baseball player in Ichiro. The Mariners acquired another good one in Iwakuma this offseason and media from both here in the states and in Japan wanted to get a first look at him down in Peoria when pitchers and catcher arrived.
Seattle Mariners' right hand pitcher, Hasashi Iwakuma, a free agent from Japan who signed earlier this winter, adjust his hat at the Seattle Mariners Fan Fest at SAFECO Field in Seattle on January 29, 2012. UPI/Jim Bryant
Read more... Join the Conversation... February 21st, 2012 at 3:17 PM
By Anthony SanelliAfter Tuesdays practice, Manager Eric Wedge made it official that Ichiro will not be hitting leadoff when the season starts; Chone Figgins will. There's been a lot of speculation this offseason about the change but now it seems to be something of certainty.
Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki waits for his turn to bat in the batting cage to prepare for their MLB American League
baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, California September 10, 2010. REUTERS/Alex Gallardo (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT
BASEBALL)
We talked about it earlier at Mariners 101 when Wedge hinted towards moving Ichiro down in the lineup after only hitting .272 last season and not reaching 200 hits for the first time in his career. It seemed like a necessary move especially when you have a guy in Figgins who has waited two years for the chance to be in that spot.
Ichiro's on-base-percentage was also the lowest it's ever been at .310. Compared to any other leadoff hitter in the game last season, he ranked at the very bottom when looking at the OBP of hitters who leadoff in at least 80+ games. Figgins stats were not any better (they were a lot worse) but he is a natural leadoff hitter who has been trying to adapt to a different role.
Read more... Join the Conversation... February 21st, 2012 at 10:53 AM
By Anthony SanelliIt's that time for another Mariners 101 weekly updates. It will be a short week for most of us and hopefully everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend, but now it's time to get back to business. Lets take a look at what to expect this week from Mariners 101.
- Mariners 101 Podcast – Mariners101.com will be hosting it's very own podcast that will be launched sometime this week. Anthony Sanelli and Tom Brown will go back and forth on current Mariners topics as well as news around the league. The show will provide an entertaining way to digest your Mariners news and information as well as give in depth analysis on the things you as baseball fans want to hear.
- Spring Training Updates - The Mariners start inter-squad games this week and we'll get a chance to see how the players we've been talking about so far handle live pitching. Will Munenori Kawasaki continue to impress when he's facing Felix Hernandez? Will James Paxton show the same command when Dustin Ackley or Jesus Montero is in the box? Will find out, and talk a lot about it.
Also, be sure to like Mariners 101 on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Read more... Join the Conversation... February 19th, 2012 at 7:26 PM
By Anthony SanelliThe two are completely unrelated but on a day when former Seattle Mariners all-star, Mike Cameron retires, manager Eric Wedge made it clear that Chone Figgins is going to be an everyday player.
First lets talk about Cameron. Who could possibly forget that game against the Chicago White Sox when he hit four home runs? And, how many times in all of baseball history has there been a seamless transition when a team loses one of the greatest baseball players ever? Mickey Mantle did a pretty good job replacing Joe Dimaggio and so did Cameron when he took over for Ken Griffey Jr.
Cameron played 17 seasons in the big leagues for nine different teams. The team he spent the most time with (four seasons) and from a statistical stand point, excelled the most with was the Mariners. Congratulations to you Cameron for a great career.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron prepares for batting practice during a workout before a spring training
baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Florida, March 13, 2011 REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Lets get back to Chone Figgins and spring training. Wedge has made it clear that Figgins is going to be getting the bulk of the work at third base. That's most likely why Kyle Seager has been working out a lot at 1st base this spring. It's also been said by Wedge that he may be moving Ichiro Suzuki out of the leadoff spot. It doesn't take a scientist to see what may be formulating. At Mariners101 we have talked about it for a few weeks now; you take Ichiro out of the leadoff spot, Figgins is the most natural fit.
Read more... Join the Conversation... February 18th, 2012 at 10:22 PM
By Anthony SanelliWith so many young players to evaluate, the Seattle Mariners have a new task to identify a role for Japanese infielder Munenori Kawasaki. Since joining the Mariners this spring as a non-roster invitee, Kawasaki has proven himself as a a hard working and vocal presence on the baseball field. Even though his English is not great, he does what it takes to communicate with his teammates and brings a certain level of energy that you just can't teach.
Kawasaki showed up the first day camped opened for pitchers and catchers, taking batting practice, ground balls, and working with the pitchers doing their PFP's. For those of you unfamiliar with the acronym PFP's, it stands for pitcher fielder practice. He has a long way to go, especially while competing with guys like Carlos Guillen, Kyle Seager, Chone Figgins, and Luis Rodriguez for the back up and or utility infield spot.
He brings intangibles though, such as energy, clubhouse presence, and even more so friendship to Ichiro, that make make him a valuable asset to the big league squad this season. Ichiro hasn't had a buddy in the clubhouse since Ken Griffey Jr. and before Griffey, no other names come to mind.
Seattle Mariners Ichiro Suzuki (L) and Ken Griffey Jr share a moment prior to their 2010 MLB American League season opening
baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, California April 5, 2010. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT
BASEBALL)
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