I thought he was with Boras like Ackley and Franklin, but so far it looks like he and our Seager are non-Boras clients. Gonna wanna look into contracts for both if this keeps up, complete with club option years into FA. Moreso for Seager right now, but I'd kick the tires on Smoak after the season if he keeps this up.
Keep in mind: yes, Smoak has been hot the last month. You know who else has been? EVERYONE.
Entire Mariners lineup, last 28 days: .262/.332/.465/.797.
OPS numbers, last 28 days go: Rauuuul at 1.145, Smoak at 1.018, Seager at .992, Morales at .871, Saunders at .825, Miller at .717 and Franklin at .696.
Mike Zunino is at .575 and Ackley is still drowning in an inflatable kiddie pool at .544. Other than those two, every position is plus positionally over the last month, with several guys crushing it.
Maybe that's just the synergy of having a 2B who can hit HRs and a SS who can leg out triples and get on base taking pressure off the rest of the lineup. Maybe it's just the maturation of guys like Smoak, and Saunders shaking off a bad stretch.
But this finally looks like a real offense. You can survive bad O from a catcher and a center fielder if you're getting corner production to make it up. We finally are, which is why we're a .500 ballclub over that timeframe. It's the pitching that'll have to take the next step and start getting quality starts chained together out there, but really - in the last 365 days we're 81-86.
Isn't that basically where we wanted to be? .500 and about to deploy some serious pitching instead of #5 retreads? It's too bad about that Cleveland/Anaheim section of the road trip, because without that soul-crushing weirdness we'd be in a very interesting position. But that doesn't mean it can't still be a fun second half.
Drop Taijuan off in Safeco after the ASB, find out what he and E-Ram can add to the Two Headed Death of Felix and Iwakuma, and see if that suddenly-productive O can finally help get us on a winning streak.
~G
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