Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Mariners Pre-Spring Positional Outlook: The Outfield

Episode Date: February 3, 2020

In part one of a ground-breaking, in-depth, award-winning [yeah, right!] series, D.C. Lundberg examines the state of the Mariners outfield going into Spring Training. 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.

Happy Monday, gang, if there is such a thing as a happy Monday. This is Locked-on Mariners, and this is part of the Locked-on Podcast Network. You can access all of our wonderful programming on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or virtually any podcasting app that there is. Ask your smart device to play Locked on Mariner's podcast or locked on anything, and it'll do it. On Twitter, you can follow the show at L-O-U-U-Sor-Mariners, And on Twitter, you may follow me at D.C. underscore Lundberg, L-U-N-D-B-E-R-G for those scoring at home. Big week here planned on Locked-on Mariners.

Today, tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday, we are going to go over each position group as it looks going into spring training. And, you know, Josie's on a vacation far away. Come around to talk it over. So many things that I want to say about the outfield. See what I did there? Hey, hey! I hope Tony. Lewis is listening to this.

Anyways, yes, we're talking the outfield today here on Lockdown Mariners. Of course, the Mariners Outfield, not the 80s Power Pop Group. We'll take a look at how things look going into spring training and then also what the regular season may look like. We'll begin in right field, which is Mitch Hanigers at

this point. His injury really doesn't do that much to the depth chart come opening day, and I think it's a pretty safe bet that he'll be the everyday right fielder once he's able to. Like I said last Tuesday, I think Hanigers or Manager, as I like to say, can come back and have a good bounce back season. Last year was just a throwaway due to his injuries.

I hope his mobility in the outfield isn't affected too much by the sports hernia surgery because he plays a pretty good right field. He's got plus range out there and, of course, that good arm. He works his tail off. You have to root for the guy to succeed. And again, as I talked about last Tuesday, I'm not really certain what to expect. if he puts up a 270, 275-ish batting average, 20-ish home runs, maybe 30 doubles or so, that'll be good enough for me, and I do hope he stays off the injured list.

If he does and puts up the numbers I just mentioned, hopefully that will propel him to have a better season in 2021 than he'll have this season. Centerfield will be Malik's Smith's domain, certainly during spring training at least. It may be a different story come the regular season, especially if he gets off to a similar start like he did last season. Prior to being sent down at the end of April, he was hitting a mere 165. After he was recalled, he hit 242 the rest of the way, which is certainly better than 165,

but that's like saying that dropping a bowling ball on your foot is more desirable than having boiling water poured over your head. And he has never walked enough to warrant being a lead-off hitter. He did show more pop in his bat last season, but let's face it, who didn't? Baseball reference has been projected for a 260 batting average and a 331 on base. Those are not numbers befitting a leadoff hitter. He's more of a nine-hole hitter to me. On the other hand, he did hit 296 in Tampa Bay in 2018,

so he should have the bat to ball skills, but he doesn't get on base enough to utilize his speed, and he's always struck out too much. And I honestly don't see him as a centerfielder in the future. He takes some rather circuitous routes to fly balls, and again he was better after he came back from his stinted Tacoma. He hasn't got the best glove and his arm is a little short, but at least he's not Dee Gordon out there.

They played him in both corners last year also, but he doesn't have a right fielder's arm. To me, he is definitely a left fielder, and he could probably be adequate out there, but the offensive game has got to improve, as I mentioned. And to be honest, with a young crop of outfielders that the Mariners have, I wouldn't be surprised to see him traded after next season. He is arbitration eligible for the next two years also.

Even if he does improve with the plate, the defense and center is just not there. He's a likable guy. He brings a lot of energy to the team, but the Malick Smith project may have been a bust. I hope I'm wrong. Going over to left field, that is seemingly Kyle Lewis's at this point, at least as the everyday left fielder once the season starts. He really made a splash in his cup of coffee at the end of last season. He had not shown that kind of home run power.

in the minors before, so I think that was kind of a bit of an anomaly. But he'll certainly get his doubles, and he'll rake when all of a sudden done. He came up through the system as a center fielder, but looking at his defensive numbers, his range looks just a little short out there, but I like him as a corner. He won't turn 25 until July, so he probably hasn't peaked yet. I'm excited to see what he does this year. Baseball reference also has him hitting 260 in 215 at bats. I think he's going to get more playing time than that, especially if he's,

hits like he did last September, and especially if Malick Smith turns in another disappointing year. It also looks like Lewis has switched uniform numbers. He wore number 30 last year and is currently listed on the Meritor's roster as number one, which I know is near here nor there, but I had to kill a few seconds. We will discuss the rest of the outfielders in the second half of the show, but first, yes, time for Mariner's trivia. When the Mariner's current stadium opened in 1999, it was called Safeco Field, as everybody knows. Most of you remember that. Jamie Moyer started that game against the San Diego Padres and through the first pitch. Who is the batter?

You'll tell you when we come back. But first of all, I'd like to remind you that if you've got a question, any question whatsoever or a comment on the show, please email said question or comment to Locked-on Mariners at gmail.com. And I may use it in the Friday mailbag segment. I don't know if we'll have one this Friday. It depends on how many emails I get throughout the week. I've gotten a few. Yes, I got a question about pancakes.

Keep the questions about pancakes coming. I don't care. I'll answer them. Just keep it appropriate. No, no, no raunchy questions or anything like that. If you send me an inappropriate question, I'll send Alex Bregman and George Springer over to your neighborhood corner to steal all the signs.

Hmm. Locked-on Meriters will return in about 43 billion nanoseconds. Thank you for sticking around. This is D.C. Lundberg back with you on Locked-on Mariners. The answer to the trivia question. First game and safe. field history against the Padres. Jamie Moyer started for the Mariners, who was the batter.

It was Padres' second baseman, Killio Verris, who grounded out to Moyer instead at bat. One more note before we get back to the Mariners' Outfield 2020 Vision, as it were. Ha-ha, that's hacky. A roster note. Reggie McLean, who had been designated for assignment by the Mariners to make room on the 40-man roster for Nick Margieviches, has been claimed off waivers by the... the Phillies. McLean is 27 years old, pitched in 14 games with the M's last season, had a 6.0 ERA in 21 innings. However, it was pointed out on Twitter. I wish I could remember who said this,

but McLean gave up 11 of those runs in three innings pitched in Houston. In every other stadium, three earned runs, 11 innings. If you take away all of the outings at Minutemade Park, his ERA goes all the way down to a respectable 270. So that was the buzz on Twitter, or at least the buzz in Houston. Did I just say that? Yeah, I did. In any case, time to talk about the rest of the M's outfielders. Aside from the three presumed starters, Manninger, Smith, and Lewis,

the rest of the outfield picture is not nearly as clear. I think it's going to come down to who has the best spring. There are two other outfielders currently on the 40-man roster, Jake Fraley and Braden Bishop, Dylan Moore, if you want to count him too, and there are three outfielders who will be in camp also as non-roster invitees. We'll start with Jake Fraley, or as he will be referred to from here on out, Ace Fraley. He was part of the package that the M's got from Tampa Bay along with Malick Smith for Mike Zanino. After playing an advanced A ball in 2018 in the Rays system,

he began last season at AA Arkansas and was promoted to AAA Tacoma. in mid-June after hitting 313 with 11 homers and 15 doubles and 530 at bats for the travelers. He did pretty well in Tacoma also hitting 276. He got a brief look at the Major League level last season where he really didn't do that much. He could contend for the fourth outfield spot, but I think it would benefit him to open the season in AAA. He looks like he's going to be a pretty good power speed guy. He's stolen a few bases in the miners also. Looks like he's got some outfield range.

Again, not the best glove. that kind of seems to be a theme here. But he'll certainly see some playing time, I'm pretty sure in 2020 at some point, given injuries and roster shuffling and the like. Braden Bishop made the Meritor's opening day roster out of spring training last season, but was sent back down to Tacoma

after the M's opening series in Japan. He missed two and a half months with a ruptured spleen, which could have not only cut his career short, but it was almost life-threatening. He came back from it. He rehabbed in advanced amadesto for a short time, before rejoining the Rainier's, which is rather difficult to say.

I dare you to say it five times fast. Bet you can't. Anyways, he was called back up to the big leagues when the rosters were expanded in September. Bishop might be the Mariners' best defensive outfielder. He is certainly the best defensive center fielder, and he can play all three positions. His hitting at the top level is not there yet, though he has a 291 career minor league average, so the bat to ball skills should come around. He's not going to hit for much power, and he doesn't walk all that much.

Offensively, it looks like he could profile out to be a sort of rich Amarolish-type player, but with fewer walks and maybe not as good of contact. Maybe a fourth outfielder who gets two, three starts a week in the three outfield spots. I think he's got a better shot at making the opening day roster as the fourth outfielder than Fraley does, if for no other reason that his defense is superior to Fraley's, or Kyle Loises, or Malick Smith's. Dylan Moore also saw some playing time in the outfield, though he's really an infielder. Defensively, he's a lot more like Rich Amarrow or Willie Bloomquist. He can play everywhere.

In fact, he played every position last year except catcher. He even pitched once. 31 games in left field, 31 at short, 18 at second base, 14 at 3rd, 11 in right, 5 at first base, and 4 in center field. I think the Ms would like to keep him more in the infield this season than they did last, but he can certainly play out there in a pinch. and you really don't lose all that much. With Manninger's injury, it was rumored that Jerry Depoto might want to bring in an outfielder

with some major league experience. Honestly, I'm not really sure who's available, but it sure as hell won't be mooky bets. Domingo Santana is still a free agent, but he really didn't hit very well down the stretch. His batting average went from 271 at the beginning of July to 253 at season's end. And I cannot recall a worse defensive outfieler the Mariners have had since Glenn Allen Hill. And somehow, he's statistically worse than Hill by a lot. The Mariners are going to keep D. Gordon out of the outfield, it appears, which is a good thing. He's not the first middle infielder to try to transition to center field and fail,

and he will not be the last either. He's much better suited for second base or shortstop, but we'll talk about the infield tomorrow. The Mariners invited prospects Jared Kalenik, Luis Liberato, and Julio Rodriguez to spring training, but I'd be very surprised if any of them made the big league roster. For one thing, they'd have to clear a roster spot off the 40 men to do so. Kalenik is, however, developing ahead of schedule, and it looks like this kid is going to hit.

He started off last season at the single A level at West Virginia, it hit 309, moved up to advanced A ball and Modesto and hit 290, then made the jump to AA Arkansas where he hit 253. It'll be good to see him in training camp, but don't get too excited. He's not ready for the show just quite yet. It would not surprise me to see him get a cup of coffee and say, September though, but he needs another year of minor league seasoning before he can contribute at the big league level.

Certainly one to keep an eye on though. He's going to be exciting. Julio Rodriguez played at the single A and advanced A levels last season, amassing a 326 average. However, he just turned 19 in December, so he's an even longer shot to make the big club. I can see him starting at either Advanced A or Double A this season. He's also an exciting player to follow. This dude is going to hit and it looks like he'll turn in solid defense also. I really can't wager a guess as to when he'll be ready for the big show.

But if I had to, I would guess maybe September call-up in 2021 or maybe even mid-season if the Mariners are out of it again. I really have no idea. The final non-roster invitee is Luis Liberato. I have to be honest, I do not know much about him, but looking at his minor league numbers, he appears to be something of a defensive specialist. His minor league batting average is 248, but his defensive numbers look pretty good. Well, gang, that's the outfield.

I wish we could have had some outfield songs playing in the background, but we can't afford to do that. In any case, tomorrow, we will talk about the infield. Ladies and gentlemen, if you've been listening to this show or the other programs we have here on the Lockdown Network, I am positive you have heard all the great advertisers working with Locked On to reach sports fans. But you might not know that Locked On Mariners

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