Comments on: Didn’t See That Coming

By: Slurve

Slurve — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:28:18 +0000

“I also don’t see him sticking in CF, I project him in LF.”

He certainly got the speed to play CF the main worry whether he would stick or not was if he could recover from TJ surgery on his arm. Also if he makes the switch to 2nd base also he value goes up as well. Grant Green didn’t do so well this past weekend however while Ackley is still lighting the league on fire.

By: Walrus

Walrus — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 23:16:01 +0000

Per Geoff at the Times, Wilson has cleared waivers and has now been re-assigned to minors.
This seems awfully fast to clear waivers though isn’t it?

By: Jon Shields

Jon Shields — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:42:06 +0000

You have to like Strasburg after his amazing coming out party last season, but there is some cause for concern (injury-wise) when it comes to his delivery.

http://www.drivelinemechanics.com/2008/11/18/665018/quick-note-stephen-strasbu

http://www.drivelinemechanics.com/2008/9/5/607023/on-strasburg

By: micahjr

micahjr — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:35:09 +0000

I was making a joke about the Nats picking Ackley #1, since they seem to love stockpiling outfielders. They have like 11 of them right now who are mlb ready. That GM is a doofus.

I don’t have any problems with Strasburg either. Guy throws 100 and has repeatable mechanics.

I do think Ackley is a top 5 talent. Lowest projection for me would be top 10. I also don’t see him sticking in CF, I project him in LF.

By: Bilbo

Bilbo — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:11:10 +0000

as for Wilson, yes he is 25 and repeated AA, but is finally starting to put it together. 276/388/549. 2:1 K/BB though the K’s are a bit high he is a TTO player who destroys lefties. In fact, I would have given him a chance to earn the platoon spot in LF/1B. Z stated when he added him to the 40 man that they needed more power in the system and that is why they kept him. I really hope he clears waivers and gets to Tacoma.

By: Bilbo

Bilbo — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:59:29 +0000

Ackley played CF over the w/e in the late innings. As the season rolls on he will be out there more and more. I don’t know if he is a good defender out there, but his speed rating is very high so he probably can hold his own. If he can’t stick at CF then the talk is of him as a 2B. Either one is very valuable especially with his bat so I can definitely see him going top 2. My only question is his arm in CF because I understood it to be pretty weak but that was before TJ.

I reeeeeeeally hope a couple of position players take crazy leaps forward this year ala Beckham, Longoria, etc.

By: Jon Shields

Jon Shields — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:55:59 +0000

Yeah.. I don’t see Ackley going 1 or 2 unless something completely unexpected happens. Especially since he has played 1B so far in 2009 from what I’ve heard (haven’t checked it out myself). To be a high pick he has to go back to CF. As things stand now, Ackley should fall between Seattle’s first and second pick, but (and I can’t emphasize this enough) a lot can AND WILL change between now and draft time. Dennis Raben was expected to be a first round pick at this point in the season but injuries and a slight down year bumped him down to Seattle at the 66th pick.

@ SABR Matt – I can agree that Hulett would have been someone worth keeping over Wilson and LaHair.

I do like Wilson though, for obvious reasons that go beyond stats. He wasn’t drafted as a ballplayer, he was drafted as an athlete, so it will take him a while. I would gladly give him another 2 years in the system and see if he can become a late bloomer power threat.

But, as I said in the initial post, it’s not a big deal and nothing to cry about.

By: Mariners121212

Mariners121212 — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:14:14 +0000

I would much rather have Strasburg!

By: micahjr

micahjr — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:41:29 +0000

Problem is, the Nats would then draft him… and we would end up having to take Strasburg

By: micahjr

micahjr — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:39:29 +0000

I’m with Slurve on Sweeney. If he shows that he is healthy and can produce heading into the season, great. You still have Shelton down in AAA if that doesn’t end up being the case. Two really nice upbeat guys in the clubhouse with outgoing personalities could really help the team not tear into each other over petty stuff.

On the draft: I think if Ackley hits around .400 again, and shows some ability in the outfield and/or has a power surge he becomes can’t miss and a lot higher probability to make the majors than Alex White. The rep is that this is a pitcher heavy draft, so we could still pick up a guy in the late first round or the supplemental round with a ton of upside as a starting pitcher.

By: SABR Matt

SABR Matt — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:50:53 +0000

Mike Wilson is terrible. I don’t know why it seems like so many Mariner fans in the blogosphere like him. 25 years old, repeating AA, and showing no signs of improving whatsoever. I’d rather keep LaHair. Not that that says much since I’d have rather kept Hulett than either of them.

By: Slurve

Slurve — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:17:06 +0000

Sweeney if he’s healthy can be an asset since for most of his career he’s hit .300 with a .350+OBP and a .450+ SLG but if there is someone better than him he’s outta here. It would be nice to have him contribute both on and off the diamond though since he’s a great clubhouse guy and he could hit for power but we’ll just have to wait and see.

By: Dustin Shires

Dustin Shires — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:27:46 +0000

“I really hope Sweeney makes it. Whether or not he plays a lot I don’t care. But I want him and Griffey in that clubhouse on April 6, 2009.”

Wow screw that. I don’t want Sweeney in the clubhouse if he isn’t going to play. That’s a waste of a roster spot that could be used on somebody far younger, who has played recently, and who still has room to grow.

Sweeney has posted a “full” season since 2005… We would be far better off just letting him go if he’s not going to be going at it 100% all year.

By: Slugoben

Slugoben — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:33:09 +0000

I really hope Sweeney makes it. Whether or not he plays a lot I don’t care. But I want him and Griffey in that clubhouse on April 6, 2009.

By: ppl

ppl — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:31:50 +0000

I hope that Sweeney does make it, and puts up a decent offensive season in the limited righty platoon role. Sweeney and Branyan combined could out produce a lot high paid first sackers out there. It doesn’t matter whcih one Branyan platoons with, Shelton, Morse, or Sweeney: The production from that position will exceed the last couple years. The M’s managed to win 88 games getting a .295 OBA out of that postion in 07. And if I recall correctly there was a month last year that the “Big guy” failed to produce an extra base hit. I also recall Lahair not hitting for a great average in AAA, still looking like a gem to step up at the time, as there was no way he would go that long without at least four doubles. Anything propsed tops the last two years.

By: Jon Shields

Jon Shields — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:46:47 +0000

Talent/production has to be more important than a player’s impact on the team chemistry. It is bad GMs (such as Bill Bavasi) that choose intangibles over talent.

If Sweeney proves to be healthy and the best option out of the Sweeney/Shelton/Morse competition, then great. But if someone else proves to be a better fit, then his supposed positive impact on the team’s chemistry shouldn’t be what gets him in a Mariner uniform.

I’ve said this before, but Sweeney seems like a pretty good lock to make this team barring something unexpected, based on his relationship with Wakamatsu and the manager’s comments thusfar. We’ll see.

By: Slugoben

Slugoben — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:37:25 +0000

You have to think about team chemistry. I would love a Branyan/Sweeney platoon.

By: Mariners121212

Mariners121212 — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:05:51 +0000

I would rather have a Branyan/Shelton Platoon.

By: Slugoben

Slugoben — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:58:07 +0000

I REALLY hope Sweeney gets the job at 1B. Him and Griffey together could be great.

By: StandinPat

StandinPat — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:45:17 +0000

Waiving Morse instead of Wilson doesn’t really gain you anything. Even if you feel like Morse has zero chance of making the 25 man, his spot on the 40 man is basically the place-holder for our RH 1B. You could have waived Morse, but then you still would have needed to make another move to make room for either Shelton, or Sweeney once the team heads back north. Since someone will be in Morse’s spot once camp breaks, might as well let him compete, it’s not like Shelton and Sweeney are light years better than him anyway.

LaHair would have been the smart move IMO. He’s now behind like 6 other 1B on the depth chart and has never shown anything besides slightly below average power and plate discipline for a 1B and he strikes out a ton. I don’t see any scenario where LaHair is any kind of solution…..unless Sexson was your starter at the beginning of the season ofcourse.