Seattle Mariners - The Obama / Trump Years (2010-2019)

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2010

101

2013

Decade

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Titles:

Top Mariners Players of the Twenty Teens

None

Pitchers:

Ballpark:

Felix Hernandez (32.48) - 85

Safeco Field

Hisashi Iwakuma (5.9) - 41

Edwin Diaz (5.48) - 28

Team Name:

Jason Vargas (6.85) - 26

Mariners

Marco Gonzales (2.49) - 22

James Paxton (10.92) - 19

Owner:

Brandon League (0.97) - 16

Nintendo - CEO Howard Lincoln (2010 - 2016)

Mike Leake (4.55) - 14

Baseball Club of Seattle - CEO John Stanton (2016-2019)

Fernando Rodney (0.05) - 14

Tom Wilhelmsen (5.86) - 14

General Managers:

Roenis Elias (2.82) - 10

Jack Zduriencik (2010 - 2015)

Taijuan Walker (2.56) - 10

Jerry DiPoto (2016 - 2019)

Erik Bedard (1.01) - 9

David Aardsma (0.68) - 8

Managers:

Cliff Lee (3.86) - 6

Don Wakamatsu (2010)

Doug Fister (9.8) - 5

Daren Brown (2010)

Eric Wedge (2011 - 2013)

Catchers:

Lloyd McClendon (2014-2015)

Mike Zunino (6.93) - 24

Scott Servais (2016-2019)

First Basemen:

Hall of Famers:

Justin Smoak (0.87) - 15

None

Second Basemen:

Rookie of the Year:

Robinson Cano (23.63) - 50

None

Dee Gordon (1.43) - 8

MVP

ShortStop:

None

Jean Segura (7.5) - 21

Brad Miller (3.84) - 14

Cy Young:

Brendan Ryan (7.46) - 11

Felix Hernandez (2010)

Third Base:

No Hitters:

Kyle Seager (30.66) - 63

2012 - Kevin Millwood, Stephen Prager, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League, Tom Wilhusen

2012 - Felix Hernandez

Outfield:

2015 - Hisashi Iwakuma

Nelson Cruz (16.81) - 35

2018 - James Paxton

Dustin Ackley (8.26) - 22

Mitch Haniger (10.45) - 21

Notable Events:

Michael Saunders (5.98) - 21

Ichiro Suzuki (5.26) - 20

The last time Seattle made the playoffs was in 2001 when they won 116

Franklin Gutierrez (5.87) - 16

games in the regular season, but lost to the Yankees in the ALCS.

Mailex Smith (-0.14) - 12

That was the year all-time great Ichiro Suzuki was a rookie for the Mariners.

Seth Smith (2.31) - 10

That was the year that all-time great Alex Rodriguez had left as a free agent to

Leonys Martin (0.93) - 10

Texas. That was the year after all-time great Ken Griffey Jr left for the Reds

which was a year after all-time great Randy Johnson left for Houston and

Notable Events:

then Arizona. Seattle fans got unbelievably spoiled with all of that ungodly talent

on the squad - and, even when they lost most of it, there was still enough

2015 - Nintendo spends some more to try to get to the next level as they pick

there to win 116 games. Fast forward to 2010. Ichiro is still making his magic,

up DH Nelson Cruz, 34. Cruz holds up his end of the bargain going 44-93-302,

Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee are two of the best pitchers in the game and there

but the offense continues to flounder. Meanwhile, the pitching unexpectedly

are two other good starters in Jason Vargas and Doug Fister, but there's little else.

collapses and, instead of taking a step forward, the Mariners drop back to 76-86.

After the initial incredible amount of success the Mariners had after Nintendo had

Rodney goes from lights out to lights on and the rest of the bullpen falls like

acquired the club in 1992, focus seemed to shift away from winning after

dominos behind him. Meanwhile, Iwakuma gets hurt and innings eater

the 2001 season. The Mariners were one hundred game losers in 2010

Chris Young, 36, leaves as a free agent to KC.

- and that's despite having a rotation consisting of four good starters.

Roenis Elias, 25, can't overcome the weaker bullpen not saving his bacon.

The 2010 roster cupboard was pretty bare:

□ OF Ichiro Suzuki, 36, who will still be a productive player well

2016 -The Mariners are purchased by a local consortium away from Nintendo.

into his Forties - a unicorn for sure

Let's see if they are into putting in the resources necessary to help the

□ RHP - Felix Hernandez, 24, one of the best in the game, IFA in 2002.

team contend. In the meantime, Seattle goes back over .500 at 86-76

□ RHP - Jason Vargas, 27, obtained in 2009 from the Mets

and this time, it's the offense that is responsible for Seattle's success.

□ RHP - Doug Fister, 26, 7th round pick in 2006

Cruz, 43-105-.287, Seager, 30-99-.278 and Cano 39-103-.298 lead the way.

□ 1B - Justin Smoak, 23, The Mariners traded LHP Cliff Lee, 31,

There are also several guys around who help the offense rather than hurt it

for this guy at mid season - a disaster

such as outfielders Seth Smith, Nori Aoki, and Leonys Martin and

□ Reliever - Brandon League, 27, obtained from Toronto for Brandon Morrow,

infielders Adam Lind and Ketel Marte. They aren't great, but they're not

both talented guys severely curtailed by injuries

automatic outs either.

If the Mariners had the pitching they had in 2014 with this lineup, they would

2011 - 3B Kyle Seager, 23, is a rookie. He was a 3rd round pick in the 2009 draft.

have been contenders. Instead, Hernandez and Iwakuma have off years

and there's not a whole lot of pitching support behind them.

2011- RHP - Michael Pineda, 22, is a rookie. He was an IFA in 2005.

Lots of raw talent, accent on the raw

2018 - It is now a pattern. Seattle is a good club in even years (87 wins in

2014, 86 wins in 2016, and 89 wins in 2018) and not so good in odd

2011 - The Mariners finally give up on lefthander Erik Bedard, 32,

years (81 losses in 2013, 86 losses in 2015, and 84 losses in 2017).

sending him to Boston.

The Mariners have a solid core of position players

□ C - Mike Zunino, 27, number 3 overall pick in 2012 draft

2012 - Looking for hitting, Seattle deals Michael Pineda to the Yankees for

□ 1B - Ryan Healy, 26, trade from Oakland 2018

C Jesus Montero, 22. A widely acclaimed deal at the time, it turned out to be

□ 2B - Robinson Cano, 35, FA from Yankees 2014 - still a great player

a dud as both players were highly overrated and ended up doing nothing.

□ SS - Jean Segura, 28, trade from Arizona 2017

Very frustrating for Seattle, who were sending high profile pitchers into the abyss

□ 3B - Kyle Seager, 30, 3rd round pick in 2009 draft

for hitters like Montero and Justin Smoak who were turning into outright busts.

□ OF - Denard Span, 34, trade from Tampa 2018

□ OF - Mitch Hanniger, 27, trade from Arizona 2017

2012 - RHP Hisashi Iwakuma, 31, is signed as a Free Agent from Japan.

□ DH - Nelson Cruz, 37, - free agent from Baltimore 2015

He is one of the top starters in the game and along with Felix Hernandez,

gives Seattle a formidable one-two punch at the top of their rotation. RHP Jason

The ptiching held up in 2018, closer Edwin Diaz's performance papered

Vargas is still around as is 3B Kyle Seager on offense, but there's too little talent

over a lot of cracks:

around outside of those guys to keep the Mariners out of the second division.

□ Diaz, 24, 3rd round 2012 draft - 57 saves on a 1.96 ERA, 'nuf said

□ RHP - Mike Leake, 30, trade with Cards 2017 trade deadline

2014 - Nintendo is looking to sell and the product is ugly.

□ RHP - Felix Hernandez, 32, IFA 2002, His last big year was 2015,

They sign 2B Robinson Cano, 31, from the Yankees for a

it's definitely over, signed thru 2020

huge contract to make the team more attractive. And, guess what?, it is.

□ LHP - Marco Gonzalez, 26, trade with Cards 2017 trade deadline

You can call Cano, "The Natural" as he's a brilliant player both on offense

□ LHP - James Paxton, 29, 4th round pick in 2010 draft

and defense and he does it effortlessly. Without protection in the lineup,

□ LHP - Wade LeBlanc, 33, FA 2018, unexpected contributor in 2018

Cano still manages to hit .314 without seeing a good pitch to hit.

2019 - The odd numbered year jinx continues for Seattle as they drop

2014 - Seattle signs a closer, Fernando Rodney, 37 and he gets it done with

a huge twenty one games in the standings. The recent pattern has been

48 saves. He also makes all of the starters much better.

have a good, not great, record in an even numbered season, followed by

a stinker in the ensuing odd number season.

2014 - The Mariners look good.as they go 87-75. Cano and Seager hold up a

Looking forward, the Mariners have a highly rated farm system.

flimsy offense as best they can, while both the starting pitching and bullpen

Unfortunately, other than LHP Marco Gonzalez, 27, there's not a whole

are quite good as Seattle yields close to two hundred runs less than 2013.

lot of young talent on the Mariner roster. So things might take a while

to improve for Seattle.