Seattle Mariners: Spring Training Information

By Jon Shields
Location: The Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria Arizona
Pitchers and Catchers Report: Feb. 13th
First Game: Feb. 28th
Schedule

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Ichiro Suzuki, CF
2. Jose Vidro, DH
3. Adrian Beltre, 3B
4. Raul Ibanez, LF
5. Richie Sexson, 1B
6. Kenji Johjima, C
7. Brad Wilkerson, RF
8. Jose Lopez, 2B
9. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS

Vidro and Beltre could flip-flip, as could Johjima and Wilkerson.

Projected Bench

• Jaime Burke, C
• Willie Bloomquist, INF/OF
• Miguel Cairo, INF
• Wladimir Balentien, COF

If he can prove himself ready, Balentien could platoon with Wilkerson in RF. If not, Seattle has several other options. The versatile Mike Morse (COF/CIF/SS) should have a spot on this bench, but the signing of Miguel Cairo may have bumped him off the roster. Morse is out of minor league options.

Projected Rotation

1. Erik Bedard, L
2. Felix Hernandez, R
3. Carlos Silva, R
4. Miguel Batista, R
5. Jarrod Washburn, L

Projected Bullpen

Long Reliever: Cha Seung Baek
Runners Up: Horacio Ramirez, R.A. Dickey
Middle Relievers: Sean Green and Ryan Rowland-Smith
Runners Up: Chris Reitsma, Cesar Jimenez, Jon Huber
Left-handed Specialist: Eric O'Flaherty
Runners Up: Cesar Jimenez, Arthur Rhodes
Setup: Brandon Morrow and Mark Lowe
Runners Up: Chris Reitsma, Arthur Rhodes, Sean Green
Closer: J.J. Putz
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Key Battles: Despite dealing George Sherrill and Kameron Mickolio to the Baltimore Orioles this offseason, Seattle's bullpen is still crowded. The long reliever slot could go any which way, as all three players mentioned above bring variables of their own that don't make this a straight forward competition. Baek is out of options, and will likely be picked up should he hit waivers; Ramirez has a very steep contract for a border-line player; and Dickey is a rule-5 draft pick and will be returned to Minnesota should he not make the team. All the other spots, besides closer, should be hard-fought competitions. Keep an eye on Mark Lowe, Chris Reitsma and Arthur Rhodes, as all three missed significant time due to injury last season. Rhodes shouldn't be ready for Opening Day.

Several other names that could pop up this year are Jake Woods, Ryan Feierabend, Sean White, Philip Barzilla, Ray Corcoran and Brodie Downs. The competition is a great thing, and the Mariners should once again have one of the top relieving corps in the league.

The 2008 starting lineup is all but set in stone and features eight of nine players from last season's Opening Day. Richie Sexson is finally healthy, so look for him to show signs of a big comeback season. Albeit cliché, he is reportedly in the best shape of his life coming into this Spring Training. Raul Ibanez will be another one to watch, as the 35 year-old will be fighting off imminent decline.

Of the non-pitching positions, second base could feature a nice position battle. Jose Lopez has been Seattle's starting second baseman for the last two seasons, showing off some great skills. He made his first All-Star appearance in 2006, but dropped off in the second half. 2007 featured a similar drop-off for Lopez, landing him on the hot seat this offseason. Management spoke of the need to improve at second base, but didn't bring in much competition. A Taiwanese infield prospect by the name of Yung-Chi Chen could have a shot at overthrowing the incumbent Lopez. His defense and baserunning are superior to Lopez's, and he has shown good plate skills in the minor leagues thus far.

What to expect: With a new cast of experienced, hard-nosed coaches on hand, look for Seattle to develop a little attitude this Spring. The pitchers are going to be aggressive in the strikezone and off the plate inside behind no-nonsense pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and bullpen coach Norm Charlton. Manager John McLaren has also stressed this offseason the importance of being aggressive on the bases, bringing in two guest coaches to work on players' stealing techniques.

The bullpen could shape up any which way, but look for successful members of last season's bullpen to lock up some spots. These pitchers include Sean Green, Eric O'Flaherty, Brandon Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith and J.J. Putz.

The Mariners should have a very solid team coming into Opening Day, but look for them to add another bat mid-season.

Jon covers the Mariners on his blog, Bleeding Blue and Teal.

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