Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Kyle Seager Calls It a Career

Episode Date: December 29, 2021

Hosts Ty Dane Gonzalez and Colby Patnode discuss Kyle Seager's retirement from MLB, which minor league hitters could contribute to the Mariners in 2022 and more.Be sure to follow or subscribe to Locked On Mariners wherever you prefer your podcasts! For questions and other inquiries, email: [e-mail] the show on Twitter: @LO_Mariners | @danegnzlz | @CPat11For more of Ty and Colby, check out their Patreon: patreon.com/controlthezone/Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

You are Locked-on Mariners, your daily Seattle Mariners podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to Locked-on Mariners, your home for Daily Seattle Mariner's News and analysis. Thank you so much for making us your first listen of the day. We are free and available on all platforms. And today is Wednesday, December 29th, 2021. I am your host, Tadian Gonzalez. Join, as always by my co-host, Colby Patnode.

follow us on Twitter at L-O-U-U-U-N-S-E. You can follow me at Dane Gonzalez, that's D-A-N-Z-E, G-N-Z-L-Z, and Colby at C-E-P-E-P-A-T-1-1. Be sure to also check out our Patreon where we talk about the Mariners even more and also get into some non-baseball talk twice a week. Visit patreon.com forward slash control the zone

for more information on that if you are interested. And on today's episode of Lockdown, Mariners, we're going to answer the few questions. We weren't able to get to on yesterday's mailbag. We saved some pretty good ones. So that should be a lot of fun to get into. And if this is your first time joining us, welcome to the show. If you like what you hear, give us a follow or subscribe.

Wherever you listen to this, we greatly appreciate it. But before we get into your remaining questions, our first topic today is a shocking one, one that we didn't expect to be talking about today. Longtime Mariners third baseman, Kyle Seeger, has officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. His wife, Julie Seeger, today taken to 24. Twitter to post a statement from Kyle saying, quote, today I'm announcing my retirement from Major League Baseball. Thank you to all of my family, friends and fans following me throughout my career. It's been a wonderful ride, but I am unbelievably excited for the next chapter of my life.

Seeger, who turned 34 in November, one time gold glove winner, one time All-Star back in 2014. he finishes his career a 251, 321, 442 hitter with a 111-WRC plus. He was worth 34.8 F-4 in his career. This is shocking to say the least. Obviously, we had talked about, you know, there had been some declines in his game, but, you know, and there was no chance that he was going to be coming back to the Mariners this off-season, but it seemed like he was eventually going to land somewhere.

But now instead, he didn't. He decides to end his career here after 11 seasons of Major League Baseball. And I'm personally stunned by it. Colby, have you been able to make any sense of this over the last couple hours since Julie Seeger and Kyle Seeger made this announcement? You know, there are going to be a lot of theories. It's quite possible that he headed out to free agency and didn't like what he found and just decided that he'd rather spend time with his family. it's possible, although I think unlikely that this was always the plan. It just feels like if this was the plan all along, there would have been an announcement made prior to the last homestand and all of that.

So, yeah, it's kind of weird. My best guess would be that, you know, he went out there and either he didn't get really any interest in free agency or the interest he was getting what were deals that he. he deemed not worth the time away from his family. You know, the guy, the guy made $102 million or something like that over his entire career. So he certainly doesn't need a paycheck. And his kids are getting a little bit older now. They're starting to, you know,

starting to grow into their own interests and all that. So, yeah, it's surprising for sure. Again, best guess is that the market was just in a place where Kyle Seeger's market was just in a place where he didn't feel like he was going to make enough money or play in a good enough opportunity or get a good enough opportunity to take the time away from his family. So surprising. But at the end of the day, it's his decision. And it doesn't really matter why it's happening. It just it is.

And so Kyle Seeger ends his very, very, very good 11 year career. So he retires pretty much a Seattle Mariner, even though they declined the option on him. He was officially a free agent. But he didn't play for another team other than the Mariners. So let me ask you this. Where does he fall in Mariners' lore and Mariners history? As of right this second, probably a top five or six offensive player. obviously, you know, Griffey and Edgar, they're number one.

But, yeah, it's hard to think of, I mean, he's clearly the best third baseman in franchise history. I don't really think that's up for debate. You know, and not the accolades that you would expect for a franchise grade. He only made one all-star team. He won one gold glove. But, yeah, he's certainly, I mean, like, I said, it's really hard for me to sit here and name five better offensive players, at least once who played, you know, a considerable amount of time with Seattle, you know, 10 plus years.

So, yeah, he's definitely top 10, at least in franchise history in terms of, you know, everyday players. but yeah it's it's a legacy that is well i would i would say it's been stained a little bit based on his his actions over the last year it's certainly still one of overwhelming positivity so uh he's uh he's going to get a nice ceremony here um in a few years i think three years is when they choose to induct people into their team hall of fame he won't have to wait past that um and just you know for the record He did finish fifth in franchise history amongst offensive players in career F-war at 34.8. Point two behind Alex Rodriguez.

Kyle Seeger is a unicorn. Honestly, when you think about it, for the Mariners, that is. The fact that they were able to draft him and develop him into an actual all-star talent into a gold-glove talent, that's just, you know, that just didn't happen for the Mariners during this time, during this playoff drought. and, you know, during the time that he came up, I mean, these, these were some of the darkest years for the Mariners during this drought, this ongoing drought. And, you know, he's been one of the few, you know, the very minor successes, success stories that they've had in the last 20-something years. So, you know, you got to tip your hat to Kyle Seeger to, you know, do what he was able to do with his career. just he's one of the greatest mariners of all time.

That's undeniable. And just one of the greatest stories because he was brought up in this one organization, this really dysfunctional organization at the time with the Jack So forensic regime and all that. So just being able to overcome that is pretty remarkable, really, because there weren't any other players that followed the same path as Kyle Seeger that even came close to what he was able to do with his career. It's unfortunate that he never got to go to the playoffs, World Series, anything like that.

But he's forever a local legend in the city of Seattle and for this organization. And one day is absolutely going to be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame. Just a fantastic career for Kyle Seeger. And yeah, you know, wishing him the best and all that stuff. Obviously, you know, things didn't end. well in Seattle this past year, but, you know, just ignoring that right now, a fantastic career for Kyle Seeger and, you know, I'm sure Mariners fans.

And, you know, we especially are thankful for what he was able to do for this organization for all these years of the last decade or so. We're going to be answering our remaining questions that you sent in yesterday, or the day before yesterday, actually, for our mailbag and answer those. just a moment. But real quick, a reminder of this episode of Lockdown Mariners is brought to you by Bilt Bar. It's the New Year. So that means New Year's resolutions. And if yours is about getting fit or eating healthier, make sure you include Bilt Bar in your plan. Built Bar is the protein bar that tastes like a candy bar, maybe even better than a candy bar. You want to eat healthy, but it just

gets so boring by like week three, you might be thinking, this is just not worth it. Where is the chocolate? Well, Bilt bars are covered in 100% real chocolate. And most Bilt bars even contain 130 calories, four grams of sugar, four net carbs, and 17 grams of protein. Meanwhile, compare that to a candy bar, which usually has around 240 calories, 30 grams of sugar, and dozens of net carbs. Now, here's an idea for the new year. Go to all your secret treat stashes at home in the pantry, at the office, in the car, wherever. Throw out all the sugar of your calorie-filled treats and replace them with built bars.

So when you're craving a snack or treat, you can reach for something that's healthy and tastes incredible. And there's so many flavors that you choose from. Coconut almond, peanut butter brownie, raspberry, cookies and cream, salted caramel, mint brownie, and many more. In fact, Built is always coming out with new limited time flavors. So check out Built.com often to see what's new. So go to build.com. Use promo code Locked 15 and get 15% off your order.

That's LOC, KED15 for 15% off your order at Built.com. You're listening to Lockdown Mariners. Thank you again for making us your first listen. of the day, just like you do here every day. We greatly appreciate your support. Now that we're done talking about Kyle Seeger, let's get into your remaining questions from yesterday's mailbag, starting with Jake G. Nat, want to run 73. Who asks, is there a Mariners minor league hitter besides Julio Rodriguez, who is yet to make it to the big leagues with a shot at contributing to the big league club in 2022? Colby, let's start with you. No. I, the mayor.

earners don't have, you know, the depth of high minor league bats right now. So when you're talking about, you know, the caveat of never played in the big leagues, it eliminates Taylor Tremel. It eliminates even guys like Jose Godoy who do some interesting things at the plate, at least. There's just not a guy that's all that close to the majors who's going to make any kind of an impact on a regular basis, which, you know, kind of coincides with the conversation. we had yesterday that, you know, why should the Mariners go get another outfielder or two, a veteran outfielder or two?

Well, because of Kellnick and Rodriguez, and Lewis gets hurt or Hannager gets hurt, there's not anybody in the organization behind them to kind of take those guys' place, unless, again, you want it to be Taylor Tremel. So that's one of the areas that the Mariners don't have a lot of depth in their minor league system, bats that are really close to the big leagues. Zach Deloche, I suppose, is possible that he's one of those guys, but I really doubt it. And aside from Deloche, the only other guy that stands out is maybe can help you this year at the plate.

Steven Still is probably a stretch would be Cade Marlowe. So, yeah, I don't really see any, you know, bats, minor league bats coming up. They're going to make a noticeable impact on the Mariners, which is why getting that major league depth and getting those minor league signings are going to be pretty key for for seattle i think we can potentially see zach deloge he had a uh in all right time down in uh in double a he you know obviously he only hit 22 27 but still the the development that you saw from him was was pretty encouraging um yeah but ultimately there isn't a guy that really jumps out like colby said you know i i think kate marlowe maybe has an outside shot kaden polkovitch of it

maybe has an outside shot because he's older because he was able to get to double a but he was bad when he got to double a um so yeah i don't know you know all these guys are going to start at double a which i mean that means that you're pretty close because a lot of guys don't spend too much time in triple a anymore uh but yeah overall i i just can't really think of of anyone outside of hulio that is going to get enough at bats to you know to answer your question contribute, at least in the way that I think you're asking, Jake. So, yeah, those three guys, though, Deloche, Marlowe, Polkovich, maybe. Those are the three guys that I think are probably the closest to making the big league team.

But I wouldn't be surprised if none of them made their major league debut in 2022 as well. I think Deloge probably does in the end, but we'll see. we'll see unless you know hey maybe one of those guys pops right maybe they have a great year down in the minor leagues and they force their way up maybe but i would say if you're giving any of those guys significant at bats at the major league level at any point this year something has gone horribly wrong and it's it's a failure of the front office to build the adequate depth necessary again unless there's that just one in a million chance that zach deloche just pops um or you know some of the whoever it is, doesn't really matter who, just pops. Right. Which, again, I don't see Zach Deloches that way. He's probably the best bat who is, you know, aside from Julio, who actually has, you know, even a 1% chance to play in the big leagues this year. But I see a lot of people, they rank Zach Deloche in the top like 5, 6, 7, 8 of the Mariners.

And I just, I don't even think he's that. I think he's a lot closer to 15 than he has five. I'll put it that way. I don't really see any of these guys coming up until September at the earliest, really. And at that point, you know, if they're going to get at bats, it's going to be so few and far between. So in consequential in the grand scheme of things. And honestly, they might not even get that shot then.

But yeah, overall, I think Julio's it, if you're looking for guys to come up and actually contribute from the miners on this major league roster. in 2022. It kind of begins and ends with with Julio Rodriguez. But yeah, appreciate the question, Jake. Let's move on to Cody, Cody Anderson at Code underscore Mode 15. I like that name. What numbers do you think the upcoming Mariners prospects will wear next year? Any guesses? All right. So this is an answer for me because Colby is not hashtag not good when it comes to Jersey numbers. I focus on the things that matter. Yes, yes, yes, yes. All right. You're out of this conversation. This is an A&B conversation between me and Cody.

See your way out. Ties obsessed with the aesthetic. So this will be good for him. I do love aesthetics. I do love me an aesthetic or two. So to answer your question, you know, it's really hard to gauge, right? Because a lot of guys prefer numbers, those are already taken by major league players. And that's kind of the case with someone like George Kirby.

who's been wearing 37 from from high A to double A That's already That's obviously taken by Paul Seawald right now So I don't know if he would be able to get 37 from him Julio I believe is going to be wearing number 44 I think that's what he is long to

Has long been theorized to where maybe he's even already said it But I'm pretty sure 44 is the number for Julio My camera number. I like it. So those are the two kind of big ones. Brandon Williamson's worn 33, but right now that's just a Sheffield's number, which I mean,

that's not that big of a deal. But yeah, those are kind of the three, you know, big prospects that we'll probably see this year that would be getting new numbers that we don't know about yet. But Julio,

I would say is pretty safe to wear 44. Kirby is probably going to have to get a new number. Same with Williamson. I know Kirby wore, what, 13 at Elon? I think so. But,

yeah, but is that taken right now? Yeah, Toro wears 13, right? So, obviously I'm not asking you because you wouldn't know,

Colby. Just saying, Brandon Williamson ends up wearing a number in the 50s or I quit. Yeah, that kind of seems, that seems right for him.

He's a tall. Lanky, lefty, yeah. He's gonna be like 55 or something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 55 feels pretty good from Rayne Williamson. He was picked 59, B 59. There you go. There you go.

So yeah, so I know that's like kind of a half answer, but yeah, it's kind of hard to know because a lot of these guys, their preferred numbers are already taken right now and they just, you know, they don't switch numbers mid-season. so yeah i don't know what kirby would end up wearing uh or williamson but like colby said 59 for williamson that that sounds pretty good um all right so thank you for the uh the question

cody uh let's let's move on here to daisy and the dingo at daisy's dingo's what do you guys see the mariner's identity being going forward as in who's run office strategy slash roster construction would you compare them to who Colby you want to start this one off? Like current roster construction it

it seems pretty similar to the Braves where the Braves kind of they stockpiled pitching and they just kept on stockpiling more and more pitching while they continue to develop and acquire players

you know high profile players offensive players from other team. That's how Dansby Swanson got there. Then he was traded for pitching and, you know, Jared Kelnick was traded for pitching and Robinson Canoe, which I still laugh at. So, yeah, it feels like Seattle is pretty closely mimicking Atlanta, which is obviously a good thing. In terms of like who they want to be like, like who's their model organization,

I think their model organization is going to most, closely resemble the the St. Louis Cardinals, um, who are very player development heavy. They're that, that way. They're not afraid to spend money, but they're not giving out like mega deals. Like they'll go acquire Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Aronado, but they're not giving Albert Pujos, $250 million when he becomes a free agent. So I think that's probably the model of the Mariners are looking at. And that's a pretty good model.

The Cardinals are constantly winning 90 games. They're in the playoff on every single. year and they've won a couple World Series along the way. So I think that's what we're looking at right now. The rebuild is, I would say it's very Braves inspired, although obviously nothing matches up perfectly. But overall, in terms of what they want their organization to look like, I think it's going to look similar to what the St. Louis Cardinals have going on. I mean, that's that's the model of sustained success in Major League Baseball, right? And we've heard Jerry DePoto talk ad nauseum about wanting to sustain success, not to just be.

a one-hit wonder, not to, you know, do all of this just to get in the wildcard round a couple of times. You know, you want to build a team that's successful for five, 10, 15, 20 years, right? So, I mean, you look at the Cardinals, that's who the Cardinals have bet. And so, yeah, and I think, like, philosophically, too, like how they, how they handle player acquisition and all that stuff, it is very similar to how the Cardinals do as well. I mean, even when you look at it, you look, look at an off season like this and kind of the statements that they made about an off season like this it is very cardinalsy if that makes sense like it it's kind of just on that similar path and philosophically i think they're they're they're kind of wanting to be the cardinals

and you know jerry's also talked about the royals uh those you know the mid 2010's royals teams and all that he's talked about how how much he liked those teams obviously a lot of people have pointed towards the Cubs and the Astros with the rebuild and everything like that. But I think like if we're talking about just those teams in general, just some of the more recent successes, I think the Royals are probably that one team that they probably want to be the most like. But in the end, I agree with you. I think it's the Cardinals in general.

Yeah, basically they want to avoid being the Oakland A's who are really good for three years and then they have to rebuild for three years. And they're good for three years and they have to rebuild for three years. they don't want to do that. They want to be consistently good for a decade. And that's the Cardinals. So I think that's probably the model they're looking at. And I think market is pretty similar size and, you know, payrolls are going to be pretty similar.

Not that the Mariners won't spend a little bit more here and there. But I think it's just a good overall sustained model that shows that you can be a mid-market team and still consistently win without having to, you know, spend outrageous amounts of money. according to the owners, at least outrageous amounts of money on players. So yeah, I think St. Louis is probably the call there. All right. So we got a couple more questions to answer from you in just a moment. But real quick, a reminder of this episode of Lockdown Mariners is brought to you by betonline. com.

Bet Online has you covered this holiday season with more props, odds, and lines than ever before. As football continues, it's march through the college bowl season and the pro football playoffs. Bet Online remains your number one spot for all the sports action this season. Head to the website or use your mobile device to sign up today and receive your 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. Just use our promo code locked on. That's LOC, KED on to receive your bonus. From basketball, football, NHL, boxing, and UFC right to your favorite Vegas casino games. Don't wait to take advantage of all the amazing offers available for the 2021 season.

Bet Online is the fastest and easiest way to bet on all your favorite sports. So don't wait to take advantage of all the new amazing offers available. Bet Online, where the game starts. All right, so we got a couple more questions to answer real quick. Let's start with Brian at a player to be named later, who asks, it's anticipated the Mariners will rebrand around the time the All-Star game comes to Seattle in 2023. If instead they went full rebrand, which of the original possibles, would you go with Seattle Sovereigns, Utopians, Totems,

schooners, seagulls, Cetacs, Sultans, Centurion? None of those. Thank you. I'll stick with the Mariners. Colby? Yeah, the Mariners feels like a pretty good name. It would just be weird. And I mean, teams don't, you know, change their name often unless they have.

have to. Like the public pressure gets so great, like Cleveland and Washington. So, yeah, I'm fine with the Mariners. I just, I can't, like, I saw this question. I was thinking, I was like, what is, like, even more? Like, the only thing I could think of, like, if they want to go back to being the Seattle pilots, I guess that would make more sense. Or not more sense.

I'd be kind of down with the steelheads. Yeah, God, I hate fish names. If they came with the black and white. The jerseys house. Yeah, like if you got the jerseys with them. Like if that's the new home, that's the new home like kit or whatever. And it comes with the steelhead name change. I will live with it.

But if you're just going steelhead and then you just change it like none of the uniform or anything like that, no thanks. So yeah, for me, pilot steelhead. I do like totems. It was one of my runners up in my NHL. team name. Obviously, my first choice was the Cracken, so that worked out. I like totems, but again, there's, you know, how you have to be careful with the indigenous population and you have to be respectful of their wishes on that type of thing.

So, you know, that could create some problems. So I'd just like to avoid it all together if I could. So, yeah, to me, it's Mariners should be one. If you're going to rebrand, like you told me, give me your top three new names. it would probably be blast from the past. So we're talking about the pilots, the steelhead, and the rainiers.

So, yeah, just I like the name as it is. Can't wait for those new uniforms, though. I don't know why they would wait till 2023 when they could do it right now, but whatever.

All right. So let's wrap things up here with Cody Anderson again. At code underscore mode 15. Assuming the Mariners don't add great veteran talent. Would you be happy to see our long-term future? outfield starring Kellnick, Julio, and Tremel with maybe Hanager or a free agent as a fourth outfielder. It doesn't need to be better than that. I assume you mean not in 2020, but down the road.

Let's go with that. Colby? Based on what I've seen of Tremel and Kelnick right now, no, I wouldn't be happy. Particularly with Tremel. Actually, I think he did mean 2022 now that I read it again. So yeah, no, no, no, no, thank you for 2022. No, no, no. you have to be better than that have to

not should be not want to be they have to be better than that so uh no absolutely not go get somebody even if it's corey dickerson and Tommy fam you have to be better than that you have to have a higher floor than that outfield you just have to do it well you just need some stability you need some guys that have been there done that all that stuff right

you know because like you mentioned fam and and Dickerson like those guys aren't great right like their league average they might not even be that good they might just be average right but which still makes them better than tremel yeah which still makes them better than tremel and kelick right now uh not long time that's the thing if tremel and kelmick hit and you have to relegate you know fam and dickerson to the bench oh no we have two really good bench bats or oh no we have a outfieler that we can trade at the deadline like yeah you have to more floor than that. And if those three or I guess four guys force their way into the lineup every day,

great. Then you have a good bench bat or two. If they don't, okay, I'm protected. So yeah, long term, if they all hit their ceilings, that'd be fine. I think that's a pretty good outfield. If they all hit their ceilings, um, short term this year, no. You need more, you need a, you need more of a safety net than that. Look, uh, going back to the beginning of the show or second segment too.

because you don't have those bats, those emergency bats in your system right now. Right. You don't have like Seth Smith rolling around in AAA right now. So, yeah, you have to have a higher floor. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. You just can't roll with those guys too much uncertainty for where you are right now as a team. Like you've got to be serious about competing,

especially with some of the moves that you're making right now, when you're going to give, you know, someone like Robbie Ray, $23 million a year and stuff like that. like that signifies its go time so you can't you can't half step you can't just go halfway with it you got to go all in um in terms of just you know adding major league talent and um you know ignoring the outfield overly relying on young players to all simultaneously reach their ceilings it's just not the way to go about it because that's just not going to happen right like that's just that the odds of that happening are slim to none um you know probably even worse honestly.

It's just it's just not going to happen for you. So you need some stability. You need some dependability. And even if it's, again, you know, the example of FAM or Dickerson or whatever, while those guys are probably average hitters

at this point in their careers, that's a lot better than what you have right now. That's a lot better than the uncertainty that you have right now because, yeah, could Kelnick and Intramel and those guys be better than those those hitters right now possible sure we don't know that though the mariners don't know that though none of us do and so we're not going to know that until we see and you want to have at least your basis covered in the event that that does not go the way that you're hoping so yeah in the in the end

you need to just have uh you know you it was good what you said safety net um you need some safety that's on your roster right now. So, yeah, to answer your question, no. That's not ideally what I would be wanting. So, yeah, that's going to do it for our show. And thank you for all your questions that you submitted for yesterday's show. And today, we greatly appreciate it. We got some really fun questions in there, especially today.

Thank you so much for joining us here on lockdown Mariners for Colby Patnode. I'm Tiding Gonzalez. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter at L.O. underscore Mariners. You can follow me at Dan Gonzalez. It's D-A-N-Z-L-Z and Colby at C-P-P-E-E-T-E-L-Z and Colby at C-P-P-A-T-1-1. You can also find all that stuff in the description of this episode. And thank you again for making us your first listen of the day, just like you do here every day. Now make your second listen to the day, blocked on bets, your daily one-stop shop for all your gambling needs. Blocked on bets hosted by Your Boy Q with expert analysis and insight from Lee Sterling and just like us, their show is free and available wherever you get your podcast. So have yourself a beautiful baseball day and we'll see you on Friday for fanfiction Friday. Be sure to submit your trade ideas to us.

See you.