1) Branyan as more than useful platoon bat
2) Franklin Gutierrez as minor star in CF
3) J.J. Putz as likely done as a dominant reliever
4) Vargas as an MLB ready SP
5) Aardsma as a capable closer
6) Langerhans as a good option to start in left field for this particular ballclub
7) Garrett Olson as a useful swing man
8) Ronny Cedeno as major defensive upgrade at short
9) Chris Jakubauskas as MLB-caliber swing-man from out of the indy leagues
10) Philippe Aumont as best used in the bullpen given his crazy mechanics
11) Mike Carp as a legit first base prospect
12) Endy Chavez as a solid 4th outfielder
13) Chris Woodward as capable of filling in short term on the infield (remember, he just grabbed him off the waiver wire as insurance...Bavasi would not have had the foresight to do that)
14) Carlos Silva as not a major leaguer
15) Ryan Rowland-Smith as not a major league starter (high probability when he gets back he'll be in the bullpen)
16) Brandon Morrow best if used as a starter and OK to learn on the job
17) Yuniesky Betancourt as not a major leaguer
It's happening slowly so we aren't fully appreciating it, but Zduriencik's roster smacks of brilliant scouting insights now...not just a few times...but more than a dozen...and climbing. Every move he makes is working, even the ones that don't work ideally are still producing some benefits.
=== Sizzlers: Capt. Jack ===
The man's scouting eye commands serious respect.
Whether Jason Vargas goes into a power dive from here or whether he doesn't, it is obvious that Zduriencik called this one right. Vargas was not even the primary player in the Putz deal, just a waiver-wire pickup so to speak, but you can see the moxie and bulldog mound presence that made Vargas a worthy gamble.
Mike Carp, also, needs approximately five pitches to show you that he *works* the strike zone. He's got Alvin Davis-like presence in the box and obvious projectable power.
We all liked Russ Branyan. But it was Capt Jack, watching him in Milwaukee, who pronounced Branyan able to cover the zone against LHP's. That is blinkin' impressive.
We forget to credit him on this one, but the Mariners owed $36M to Carlos Silva when Zduriencik watched him pitch five games and said, "I don't thhiiiiinnnnk so." This is Gillick-level decisiveness, friends.
Now Ryan Langerhans, in only a few games, has shown the magic sparkle dust as well. Whether Langerhans has jumped a plateau or not, he *has a good shot* at having done so, and that's all that separates the Mikey Jays and Taros and Cool Papas from the rest of us. They see the guys who are good gambles. Langerhans looks, already, like he is.
Nobody bats 1.000. Craig Wright said that if you bat .600 in Zduriencik's field, you lead the league. But Capt Jack is way ahead on my scorecard.
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=== Ronny Cedeno ===
Is making Yuniesky Betancourt look as though Frenchy had been running through water. It's awfully nice to see a grounder up the middle get scooped, ain't it?
Tough as I've been on Cedeno -- and he has a dreadful BB/K -- the M's are at a point to where they could use a banjo-hitting, plus-glove SS. Weird as it sounds, Cedeno has started looking like that player.
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=== Kevin Youkilis ===
I wonder if, watching Youk play 3B for the brainy Red Sox, the wheels have started turning for Capt Jack and Wok.
We had a conversation with a baseball coach last week, in which coachie convinced us pretty quick that Branyan should see little effect on his bat from the move to 3B. It ain't like Branyan is 24; he's got his hitting system down to a fine art.
... Youk has moved over to 3B for the Sox, and slugged .569 while playing there. The fact that Youkilis doesn't miss the postgame buffet doesn't scare the Sox on the move to 3B; they factor in defense, but don't regard any one variable to be an absolute. If Kotsay and Youkilis are preferable to Lugo/Velazquez and Youkilis, that's what they do.
If Branyan struggles at third, he moves back. No harm no foul.
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=== Mark Lowe ===
The man is so radioactive right now, that it's easy to forget that he's still rebounding off major surgery. He's starting to hit 100 mph and I'm wondering where he's going to be next year ...
It's a bit of a mystery why his results are "very good" as opposed to "elite." Hitters turn around his 98 mph more often than they should, which suggests he's not selling his slider as well as he'd like.
Lowe has been the key fireman for an overachieving bullpen and would deserve votes for team MVP. There's upside past this, however.
.
=== Don't Look Now, But ===
David Aardsma has 20 strikeouts, 4 walks, and 0 homers in his last 11 innings. Tip o' the kelly.
Chris Jakabauskas has 10 strikeouts and 1 walk in his last 12 innings.
..............
Sean White (5k 6bb last 30 days) and Miguel Batista (5k 6bb in 16ip), like Roy Corcoran, have fallen back to earth.
.
=== Und Take Zis Mit You ===
The Angels lost Friday, the M's have won the necessary 4 games on this road trip, and the ballclub is only 2.5 back.
Despite having two games in hand, the Mariners have "won" the road trip! They're in position to start both Felix and Bedard against Texas and they are buyers going into the July pennant race.
Standing O,
Dr D
Comments
The biggest item is that you can't automatically flush seasons before the first game, as long as you incrementally upgrade the team intelligently. A lot of people say baseball rebuilds take longer than other sports, but with the right moves you can, at the least, create a semblance of a roster.
That said, what in the world is wrong with Montreal/Washington, Pittsburgh and Baltimore?
Anyways, going back to the preseason flushing, I think the season thus far reflects interestingly on the offseason... A lot of people were critical of the M's going after free agents out of the fact that the M's had no chance of a pennant race this year. Given, the M's probably had no chance signing any elite players for one reason or another (Teixeira, Dunn @ DH, weak market, etc.) anyways, it's an interesting mind exercise. At this point the M's are pretty much hurting for precisely a Teixeira or Dunn-type bat... What if we had signed one of them?