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Bedard is becoming really important... Hopefully he can come back and for good. I'm skeptical about his health after shoulder surgery, but I'll be crossing my fingers.
Players that I, and the Mariners, like more than others do, part 1
Guys that the Mariners are, in their wisdom :-) currently deploying though other teams might not:
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Erik Bedard. It's now completely evident that the Mariners planned The Bedard Maneuver from the moment he went on the DL.
Mariner-world had one foot out of town for the 10-K ace all winter long. We have a feeling that, when Safeco has 44,000 for an Angels series in September, Mariner-world is going to be awfully glad that wasn't true.
There really isn't any reason to choose a healthy Cliff Lee over a healthy Erik Bedard, if both are ready to go and a Big Game is up that night. In fact, Erikkkk is the one with the ten strikeouts a game.
Bedard seems to have gotten a re-set, because Zduriencik endorsed him, and now we're standing to reap the benefits of twin Stars & Scrubs trades in a 7-game series.
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Doug Fister. Questionable fastball velocity, and skimpy minors/majors track record, wouldn't have had Doogie coming in as the tentative March #5 in most organizations.
As conceded many times before, pitchers with 87-88 fastballs are trying to defy gravity. They must do so with premium command and plus secondary pitches.
Among the pitchers who win in the majors, right now, with weak fastballs are Mark Beuhrle, Jarrod Washburn, Ted Lilly, Barry Zito, and now Jered Weaver and Derek Lowe. In times past you could've included Jamie Moyer, of course, Chris Bosio, Brad Radke etc.
Fister has a terrific changeup and a Japanese-style 70 mph change-curve he didn't throw much last year. His mechanics are wonderful, his PCL control ratio was 7:1 last year, and I feel he has a shot to pitch with plus-plus command.
Call it a 30%, 40% chance at a Brad Radke-class couple of years.
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Few SSI readers seem to agree. But we notice that the Mariners do. :- )
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I wonder if the latest injury has killed his chances, or if the M's faith will withstand even this setback? I hope so...
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Adam Moore and Rob Johnson. Don't know of other sources that took this pair seriously in December 2010.
To me, it's both very gutsy, and very outside-the-box for the M's to entrust their Cliff Lee acquisition and pivotal 2nd year to a couple of rookie catchers.
But both of these guys look like the real deal. The M's are smart and decisive, and when they judge players to be talented, they'll bet into the pot.
Good for them. That's Herzogesque, Weaverian, whatever you want to call it.
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Matt Tuiasosopo. Not only do most other sources disagree with us here, but most national sources disagree by a parsec. When even the Head Chef at the Bakery snuffs you, you're really out there alone... check that. Shields and Churchill had Tui in their org top 5, didn't they.
Several national sources had Tui at, like #19, #22, even outside the top 25 even in the M's own org.
Here he is, on the brink of making the 2010 ballclub and at this point, his potential is silencing almost all doubters.
Kudos to the M's ;- ) for knowing a blue-chipper when they see one.
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Brandon League. $/WAR computers choked, asphyxiated and melted down when Capt Jack relinquished SP Morrow for League. Consensus was that there is simply no way to make the logic work.
The logic is that an overwhelming 9th-inning Boss Ganondorf, like a Papelbon or a Rivera, is a huge part of a championship team. Aardsma is a transitional pitcher. If and when they have the parade, Brandon League's sadistic two-pitch arsenal will be in the second car back.
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