It seems as though maybe Jose Lopez’ switch from second to third base is not going too smoothly.  Reports indicate that he looks rough on the hot corner, and now it sounds as though he’s not that happy about the situation.  To hear Jose say it, he’s not comfortable over at third yet, and not being comfortable seems as though that makes him “mad” when he’s playing on the field.

As has been brought up around the blogosphere, Lopez fits the theory of a third baseman fairly well.  Decent instincts, better moving laterally than in a straight line, and an arm more than capable of winging the ball across the field.  How well he can charge a bunt has yet to be seen, but we can hardly expect him to be Adrian Beltre in that regard.  However, theory and reality can be two different animals, and so far they are very different indeed.  To be fair, this experiment is only a week old, and has a long ways yet to go before we might see it in a real game.

This apparent unhappiness coupled with Mike Salk’s recent observation that the front office isn’t thrilled with Jose’s weight doesn’t seem to be a good indicator as to his longevity with the organization from here on out.  It’s long been thought that his dead-pull swing from the right side and inability to take walks would make him a better fit in another organization, and that process may finally be hastened if Jose can’t get things together.

Another item working against Jose at third is the Beltre Factor.  After five years of Mariners fans marveling at the wizardry Adrian Beltre put on at the hot corner night after night, even a very good performance by Lopez will look pedestrian at best.  And if he struggles there, at all?  The fans will be all over him like Carlos Silva on a buffet spread.

Other thoughts:

Like Jon, I was very impressed by Robles the other day.  Very eager to see how he develops this year….. The bullpen battles should be interesting this year, with Sean White, Kanekoa Texeira, and a handful of minor leaguers all vying for the same spot…. The Rainiers announced their plans to redesign Cheney Stadium, and the early images are impressive.  Check it out…. The forgotten man in the Mariners’ pitching staff picture seems to be Luke French, but it seems as though he’s quietly having a solid spring so far. Reports have it that his arm looks better in his bullpen sessions than it ever did in his M’s tenure last year, supporting Jon’s “dead arm” theory.  If French winds up in Tacoma, he could wind up in a “first arm up” type of role in the event of an injury.