Linkage 2.24.17
a spot o' good cheer for yer

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KEVIN MATHER:  M'S FANS DESERVE OCTOBER BASEBALL

Excerpting:

Kevin Mather is beginning his third season as Mariners president, which puts him in perfect position to pass on a Presidents Day message for Seattle baseball fans. 

The Mariners have made a host of changes to their organization since Mather replaced the retiring Chuck Armstrong. MLB.com asked him to share his thoughts as the team prepares to embark on the 2017 campaign. 

Here's what he had to say:

It is time to play October baseball in Seattle. Our fans deserve playoff baseball, and I'm not just talking about a Wild Card Game. Once in the playoffs, our goal is to win the World Series. Period. And having said that, we don't want to win just one.

Every person in our front office and ownership group comes to work each day with that goal in mind. That is always the number one item on our agenda.

That's why I'm so impressed with the work that general manager Jerry Dipoto and his staff have done putting the processes in place in player development, player acquisition (including the Draft) and the hiring of Scott Servais and the Major League coaching staff. It is vital for our baseball operation to be successful in all facets, since it takes the sum of many parts for the Major League team to win a World Series.

Last year, every team in our Minor League system advanced to the postseason, and our Major League team was alive until Game No. 161, the next-to-last game of the year.

The other two things we always try to keep in mind at the Mariners are creating lifetime memories and fun for our fans, and having a positive impact in our community.

Mariners baseball should be fun. Our manager stresses to our players that they should have fun playing the game. We want our fans to have fun at the ballpark; to know that coming to Safeco Field with family and friends will be a great day. We want our radio broadcasts and telecasts to be filled with fun and excitement that our fans at home can enjoy. We want our front office to be a fun place to work.

Baseball is, after all, a game. And it should be fun.

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Sort of spins from an "Arnie Mobile Strike" commercial into a Willie Mays bus ride, but Dr. D will take it.  Beats "a competitive ballpark and a nice night out in the air" with a sharp stick.  Words are words, but we've needed THOSE words for quite a while.

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LOOKOUTLANDING ON MARK RZEPCZYNKSI

LL has a good piece up on our LOOGY.  Quoth they:

The 2016 Mariner leftied yakked up a 4.19 FIP against left hand hitters, in 2016, and a balloon payment of 5.72 FIP was due against left hand hitters when Montgomery went off to collect his ring.  Good thing Vogelbach is good.

Zip's lifetime FIP is 2.45, which is lower than 5.72.

He did throw some ill-advised change balls in 2016, but they were to right hand hitters.  His BB rate actually went down to 1.95 vs LHB's last year.

Ergo, it's all up to Servias to find platoon matchups for Zip.  He probably will.

GO READ LL

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LIFE'S TOUGH, THEN YOU DIE

Jeff Sullivan has like 10 Mariners questions in his Fangraphs chat today.  

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