TERRY MOSHER
JACK ZDURIENCIK
So Dustin Ackley is traded to the Yankees after four-plus poor seasons, especially for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 June Amateur Draft. And if things go according to plan Ackley will spring to life with the Yankees and have a great career.
When players leave the Mariners that is the way things go. Or don’t you remember this trade: Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe to Boston for Heathcliff Slocumb.
Or Dave Henderson traded to Boston.
Or Carlos Guillen to Detroit.
Or Brian Fluentes to Colorado.
Shin-Soo-Choo to Cleveland.
Mike Hampton to Houston.
Flame-throwing Rafael Soriano to Atlanta.
Little O (Omar Vizquel) to Cleveland.
Adam Jones to Baltimore.
Dave Ortiz to Minnesota (Big Papi has been Hall of Fame big in Boston). Ortiz, by the way, was known as Dave Arias with the Mariners. Arias is his given name.
That’s enough. I don’t want to get too sick.
To the Mariners’ credit, they gave Ackley four-plus years to prove himself. I guess it must just be bad scouting. Or the jinx of the Mariners.
You know, this season was supposed to be the season the Mariners reached the World Series. That’s what just about everybody predicted during spring training. This team, most of the media said, was loaded, especially now that it had landed power-hitting Nelson Cruz.
Cruz has been as advertised. He has been great. But he’s proving the old adage that a team can’t be carried by one guy. It takes a village. Or in the case of the Mariners a general manager and a manager that can evaluate talent properly.
Who could Jackie Z and Lloyd McClendon be so wrong with so many?
Let’s put it this way, if you had a chance to select all the position players you want from the Mariners’ 25-man roster, how many would you pick? I think that is easy. I just think who do the Mariners have that could start on any other team in baseball?
Me and you would likely pick the same three – Cruz, Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager. The rest of the cast would not make another team’s starting lineup, and some may not even make the 25-man rosters of other teams.
A solid pitching rotation might cover up for this Mariner roster. But the pitching staff, which was selected to be among the best in baseball coming out of spring training, including the bullpen, has not come close to fulfilling that prediction. Of course, there have been some injuries, but every team in baseball will have injuries. It is part of the game. So that can’t be used as an excuse.
Bottom line is that the team was over-evaluated by Jackie Z and McClendon and the media went along with that evaluation.
One thing that is not talked about is that I believe this team does not have a true leader, someone teammates gather around and follow. And that is a big part of a team’s success; to have an effective team leader.
The Mariners, when they were going good in 1995, had a true leader in Jay Buhner. Yes, they also had some talented players like Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr, Tino Martinez, Dan Wilson, a spirited, profane spewing little guy in Joey Cora and a young Alex Rodriguez and, of course, Randy Johnson, but the main force in the clubhouse and in the field was Buhner, who ran into walls, dived for balls, hit home runs and was a strong voice in the clubhouse.
I have always believed from a business standpoint the current Mariners’ ownership been at least among the best in baseball. They make money. But the baseball side has been lacking since the 2003 season.
It will be interesting to see what happens to the Mariners in the off-season. I got to believe Jackie Z is at least gone. The problem is who can come in and rebuild an almost empty farm system and instill some leadership on the field?
I don’t have any answer. I just know something has to be done if the Mariners are to compete in the 2016 season.
That’s enough.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.
