Comments on: Scraps: Wilson, Aumont, Fonseca, YuBet

By: Mariners121212

Mariners121212 — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:02:15 +0000

And the A’s have not done enough to contend. They got two great hitters to help out their offense which will now be a mediocre offense. They didn’t bring in any pitchers so they are relying on 5 young starters to be healthy and effective for a whole year.Good Luck.

By: Mariners121212

Mariners121212 — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:58:21 +0000

Do you know many 90 year old women who can hit 10 homers against professional pitching? If you do I would like to meet her.

By: FelixFanChris420

FelixFanChris420 — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:19:23 +0000

Dustin Shires,

“This team is so close to being a team that can win this AL West”

I disagree and am curious as to why you think this is the case?

Oakland has gotten alot better in the offseason, the Angels are a little bit weaker losing Big Tex, but are still better than we are by a considerable amount. We could finish ahead of Texas and their terrible pitching, but even that isn’t a sure bet.

If everything breaks perfectly our way, and I mean PERFECTLY I have us in second place.

By: FelixFanChris420

FelixFanChris420 — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:16:27 +0000

Is there a worse starting SS in baseball than Betancourt?

He has taken less than 60 walks in the past 3 seasons combined, has the range of my kid sister and the power of a 90 year old woman.

Truinfel can’t get here soon enough!

By: moethedog

moethedog — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:37:58 +0000

Heck…I thought the M’s 2nd spot hitter (and SS) should have been Hulett!

Yuni should be in KC…or Tacoma…or anywhere but Safeco…

Keith

By: Dustin Shires

Dustin Shires — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 03:03:38 +0000

“^*Cough*Carlos Truinfel*cough*”

I think he’s going to be a main-stay by 2011. The earliest I think we see him is a September call-up in 2010.

Yuniesky Betancourt has to go. He’s garbage. I haven’t hid my opinion on this, and Jon and I have talked long on this too. I don’t know if he shares the exact same opinion as mine, but I’d be ALL for signing Orlando Cabrera to a one-year deal. Who knows, maybe Triunfel dominates Double-A and is ready by 2010. I just can’t stand seeing Betancourt go out there and hurt the team.

This team is so close to being a team that can win this AL West, and I’m not sold on our ability to win it with Betancourt sucking both at the plate and in the field…

As for Aumont, I’m against him pitching in the WBC. I don’t care if he is relieving or not. That doesn’t change that fact that even relief pitchers get hurt. A kid with so little experience on the main-stage needs to be kept under the control and supervision of the Mariners, not Canada. I can’t wait to see him pitch, but I just don’t want him hurt over something that could have easily been avoided.

By: ppl

ppl — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:06:31 +0000

I hope that Yuni can turn it around this year, but the shelf life of middle-infielders who are sub-par defensively and don’t hit good enough to move to the outfield, third or first is not a long one. But I have always hoped he would excel not just because I am a M’s fan, but because I like to see all the Cuban defectors do well, and he was one of the younger ones with a chance for a long career. Growing up in the seventies, I got see Tiant, Cuellar, Oliva, Tony Perez and several others in the back ends of long careers who represented the last wave of Cubans who could freely come here.

By: Slurve

Slurve — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:26:04 +0000

^
*Cough*Carlos Truinfel*cough*

By: Jon Shields

Jon Shields — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:57:35 +0000

“If Yuni is so terrible why is he our starting SS?”

That is a great question.

Yes, Yuni is a professional baseball player. Yes, Yuni is better than 99.9999% of the people reading this. But he is indeed TERRIBLE when compared to other starting shortstops. Last season every single starting SS was more valuable than Yuni, including the Bobby Crosbys of the world.

Why is he our starting SS? Because Bill Bavasi thought he was going to become a star and didn’t provide the team with a better one. This season he finally has some legit competition in Ronny Cedeno, and if Yuni doesn’t perform in 2009 you can bet there will be someone better in Seattle before Opening Day 2010.

By: Mariners121212

Mariners121212 — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:40:46 +0000

First off the M’s really didn’t invite Aumont to ST? I could have sworn they had. Second off I hate it when people do this. Whenever anyone say that a professional athlete is terrible I think they are idiots, seriously if you want to call any player on the M’s terrible it better be Silva.If Yuni is so terrible why is he our starting SS?

By: Jon Shields

Jon Shields — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:38:40 +0000

^That is a good point. There isn’t very much quality video of Aumont out there and seeing him in the WBC would be kind of nice.

By: Slurve

Slurve — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:48:02 +0000

Hey if I get to see Aumont pitch on TV without that much of a risk of him blowing out his arm and with a chance of an A-Rod SO by Aumont I’m all for it.

By: MtGrizzly

MtGrizzly — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:30:47 +0000

I’ll be reasonably happy if Yuni recovers at least some of the range he flashed early on. Offensively, I think he is what he is but it’s the degradation of his defense that has really hurt his value.

By: bakomariner

bakomariner — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:27:48 +0000

And to comment on the rest:

I’m glad Wilson was brought back too…he’ll probably never contribute to the Mariners, but as a franchise, you want all the levels to do well…if he can do well at AAA for Tacoma, and help them win a championship, it helps the entire franchise…it’s a good move…

Aumont pitching anywhere but with the Mariners scared the hell out of me…he could be a legit stud for the Ms in the future, and he’s already having health issues…if he never pans out and becomes another “Little Unit,” I’m going to be extremely pissed…

By: bakomariner

bakomariner — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:22:01 +0000

Slugoben

“In BP Yunie passed up 5 balls. Also remember his amazing September?”

For one, his September was last year, and you said no other years matter but this spring. You contradict yourself in your own argument…

And for the 5 passed balls, if I read the article right, he was participating in a tracking drill, so he HAD to let the balls go by…

You really have no clue what you are saying do you?

Yuni is terrible…he’s a hacker and he always will be…what strengths he had (speed and defense) were all but gone last year because he was fat and unfocused…

Supposedly, he’s in great shape, and this new season could give him new focus, but as a hitter, he’s not going to change…

By: Jon Shields

Jon Shields — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:54:21 +0000

"In BP Yunie passed up 5 balls. Also remember his amazing September?"

By: section331

section331 — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:54:03 +0000

Jon – for some reason, I thought he was older than that. I knew he had had some medical issues, but honestly haven’t been paying as much attention to the minor leagues as I maybe should be. It’s a lot to keep track of!

By: Brandon

Brandon — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:41:50 +0000

I think I side more with jon than most of you others…I think Yuni is gonna be a bad deal in the two slot…Yuni is a bad deal in any slot.

By: Jon Shields

Jon Shields — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:30:22 +0000

Aumont is just 20 years old, still doesn’t have many competitive innings under his belt and dealt with elbow soreness last season. Pitching with extra adrenaline this early in the season just doesn’t seem like a good idea, especially since he’s young enough that he’ll have plenty of opportunity in the future to play for Canada in the WBC.

That said, pitching as a reliever is much safer and I’m overall okay with it. Also, ppl made a good point about the level of competition he could face, which should help his development (unless he gets plastered, but he’s already got the stuff to avoid it).

By: section331

section331 — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:49:15 +0000

I don’t know – they didn’t invite Aumont to ST, so he probably figures he might as well go play ball for the WBC. Playing for your country at the very least has to improve your mental game, I would think…or am I way off on that?