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Do NOT google "sports illustrated" in front of your wife unless you're prepared to talk fast.  That's point A.

Point B:  Bob Dutton on Twitter pointed out this super-fun Sports Illustrated article.  It's from rival scouts.  Rival scouts of the Mariners or of the Seahawks?!

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Lineup & Defense

There's a lot here to be excited about.... When you sign the type of contract Robinson Cano did, I don't care who you are: The pressure still applies. This guy is one of the best second basemen in baseball, so I expect him to bounce back and have a good year. As long as Nelson Cruz is batting behind him Cano is gonna get pitches to hit....

Kyle Seager is the truth. (Just a little bit better nickname than K-Swag - Dr D)  He can rake and hit for power. His swing is simple, his rhythm and timing are always right on point, you never see him look bad or overswing. They gave him $100 million—I can't believe I'm saying this, but it'll probably seem like a bargain.

They wanted to be more athletic, and Nori Aoki is a slash-and-dash type: understands his craft, extends at bats, puts the ball in play.... Leonys Martin will probably be their starting centerfielder. He can throw, he can hit and he can run, but his instincts on the bases and for the game are lacking.

Each year Felix Hernandez's velo may go down a tick, but his understanding of pitching goes up 10 ticks. He's the man....

Hisashi Iwakuma, I call him Sinker McNasty. When he's right he throws nothing straight, has such a great feel for pitching....

When Wade Miley was with the Diamondbacks, I think he was the victim of a stadium that could play small; he is definitely going to be a beneficiary of pitching at Safeco.

Taijuan Walker is like a cross between Dwight Gooden and J.R. Richard or Bob Gibson. (What, was Christy Mathewson not available? - Dr D)  The great body, the stuff, the athleticism, the pigeon-toe, he's just freaky out there. He's learned how to pitch—he came in there blowing 97, 99, but he realized he couldn't do that for extended periods; he started to command his curveball better, and last year his changeup was his best pitch. He does have to stop challenging guys in certain situations, because he did give up his share of homers.

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You might recall that in 2015, the M's were picked to be the best team in the American League?  By who - scouts or sabe sites?  Yes.  So this idea, that the Seattle Mariners' roster is loaded, would not be recently minted.  It's merely the, um, Truth.  

Sometimes loaded rosters wind up looking like the Houston Rockets this year.  Doesn't mean such teams should be losing.  The 2015 Mariners should most definintely not have been losers.  Not with the year Nelson Cruz had. ... in fact with Cruz' 160 OPS+, and Felix, and the Truth, and Robby Cano, that reminds you of the 90's Mariners underachieving with their four HOF'ers.

Yes, the rival scouts might be Seattle homers.  But that doesn't mean they're wrong.

Enjoy,

Jeff