................

We sent the Blues out against the A's Opening Day lineup, and they never stood a chance.  Halfway through the first spring game, the M's have four HR's and counting.  These include the two most important ones possible - a Boone-style, off-field shot from Jesus Montero -- while playing the catcher position -- and a two-run GWRBI from Michael Saunders.  

Admittedly, the Japan-bound M's have been in camp a lot longer than anybody else, but baseball isn't a sport in which game sharpness matters very much.  Let the march of the SoDo Hit Men begin.

...........

Zum-Bro' sez,

Anybody getting a '90s Cleveland Indians vibe here? Quietly put together a bunch of kids and let them blossom together. Didn't do any free agent spending, just patiently got really good. And stayed good for quite a while, too.

While M's fans wring their hands over Gutierrez being out for a couple of months, I see a chance for Wells or Saunders to show their stuff in center. Or even Robinson and his new glasses.

Figgins a bust? There shouldn't be any "Oh, man, why didn't we sign a third baseman? Catricala, Liddi, Seager, Martinez. Any one of them could put the position in a hammerlock for ten years.

The point is, there are now multiple, intriguing choices at most positions. Jack pulled that off in under three years. Look at a roster with young talent like Smoak, Carp, Ackley, Montero, Hernandez, Paxton, Hultzen, Walker, Catricala, Franklin, Robles, Wells, Seager, Ramirez, Robinson. Even guys like Saunders and Moore are young enough to take jobs from good players.

If we'd gotten Fielder in here, Jack may have taken a different direction this year. Like keeping Pineda and trading some of those prospects to take a real shot at contending this year. I'm not so sure I don't prefer to sit back and watch all these kids come on. A lot of people are going to be surprised at how fast it happens.

This could be an amazing year.

Great stuff Zum-Bro'.

One of my clearest memories of earliest Bill James text:  about 1992-93 somewhere, the Indians had lost for 40 years in a row, but a very young corps of Lofton, Belle, Baerga and the super young Manny were up ...

James goes something a la "The Indians have a deserved reputation for mismanagement.  Fine.  But don't say that none of their young guys can play, because some of them sure as shootin' can."

...........

How fast can it happen?  In 1993, the Indians were #6 in a 7-team division; in the strike year they were on a 95-win pace before the strike, and then in 1995 they went 100-44 and would have won 110-115 in a full season.

Cleveland:

1993 - 76-86

1994 - 95 wins (per 162 games, strike year)

1995 - 112 wins 

1996-2001 - five playoff appearances in six years

..............

Tampa Bay:

2007 - 66-96

2008 - 97 wins, World Series (Upton, Longoria, Price, Zobrist, Garza)

2008-2011 - three playoff appearances in four years, despite playing in division with NYY and Boston

...............

The Arizona Diamondbacks went from 97 losses to 94 wins last year ... and a few years ago they went from 97 losses to 100! wins the next year, and won the whole enchilada two years after that.  You can count up other examples.

The Mariners have done pretty much the same thing in 2012, with four home runs already in half a game.  Last year they went all of June, July and August with fewer than 4 home runs the whole summer.  At least that I ever saw.  And, hey, Baker says this game was our second string against their Opening Day lineup.  Just let the rodent A's hope we never send the Nazgul out.

.

=== Sizzlers & Fizzlers ===

If Michael Saunders actually did figure out a swing, that's fine by me - if and when he assumes his .260, 30-homer incarnation then he's a lot better Safeco player than Gutierrez was.  If the wind-aided CF stats can give 6.0 WAR to Gutierrez, they should be able to get 10 or 12 WAR to Saunders.

Jesus Montero took a foul ball and had to come out of the game.  Just don't let it have anything to do with his hands.

We went back and listened to a January podcast with Zduriencik and he stated that although James Paxton was "a bit of a longshot" for the rotation, "We're going to give him a good fair look" to make the rotation out of spring training.  "The same with Danny Hultzen."  The longshot comment was nothing more than a nod to good ole boyz.

In that show, he also said that Forrest Snow, "who pitched so well in the AFL" had a shot to make the rotation out of spring training.  They had the kid on the show and his pitches have been given the nicknames "Forrest Fire" (for the fastball) and "Snow Flake" (for the fluttering changeup).  Remember, Snow is the guy with the unusual RPM (and therefore life) on his fastball.

In another year, Snow would be the exciting story of camp.  He is completely buried in the avalanche of 2012 kids.

In 2012, there is no excuse whatsoever for that stuffy, dreadful "More Objective Than Thou" nonsense.  The appropriate response to this team is to get excited by it.  

The 2012 Mariners are absolutely everything you want in an up-and-coming team, plus some.  Whether they win 70 or 95 this year, Jack Zduriencik has already proven himself a top major league general manager.  At least as pertains to the first half of the plan.