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Doc...I've been saying that about Gutierrez since we traded for him...that he has Cameron's Disease...a deadly condition which prevents a hitter from swinging at close pitches with 2-strikes. That's why his K rate is very high despite obviously having a patient approach. I think we will know that Gutierrez is about to break out when his pitches/PA DROPS...not when it goes up. Because he's got a good enough natural swing and quick enough hands that he could hit .300 with 20 HR power if he would quit striking out looking so much.
Wike Wilson reminds me a lot of Wladimir Balentien. And in case you missed the fine point...I hate Wladimir Balentien. AAAA slugger with little to no chance of being an impact hitter despite natural ability.
Jeff Clement is starting to worry me. I was very high on him breaking out this year before last night...but watching him take ABs was PAINFUL. He still can't hit a breaking ball inside...got tied up on Cha-Cha's luke warm cutter twice for big Ks.
Griffey is done. Old and crappy. Got his bat broken twice by Cha-Seung Baek for cryin' out loud. On 86 mph fastballs inside that he would normally have hammered all the way to Tuscon as a kid.
Carlos Triunfel hits like Yuniesky Betancourt right now. In case you missed it, that's a bad thing. He'd better grow a brain larger than a peanut real quick or he's going to be "just another latin swinger".
I have Beltre pegged for the big year this year and he did nothing to convince me otherwise last night.
Branyan and Sweeney may be one of the most productive platoons in the game this year. Sweeney surprised the heck out of me with his decent batspeed last night...he looks really good up there. And Branyan is obviously seeing the ball well right now.
Rowland-Smith is a #4 starter tops. The fastball is still only 87...that dooms him to a life of mediocrity.
Shawn Kelly is ready. Now. He'll never be better than he is right at this moment...pitching him in AAA is a waste of everyone's time. He should make the club immediately if the Mariners were objective about it. He looks poised, polished, hs better command than anyone (AANNNYONE!!) in the entire Mariner organization, and he misses bats because there's good deception between his 93 mph fastball and his 83 mph change-upy-looking-thing. I don't see him as a closer, but he will have a long Paul Quantrill-like career IMHO.
Josh Fields is also ready now. Just as much as Morrow was, except in his case, he was never going to be a starter so it's not a waste of his time to pitch him in the pen. He's got the unhittable fastball and a show-me off-speed pitch and he can win as a set-up man with nothing else.
Now Phillippe Aumont is NOT ready. You want him starting and he showed a WICKED nasty change-curve with great deception and a fastball with a steep downward plane...good stuff for an ace starter. But he needs to smooth out his mechanics a little because he wasn't landing in the same place twice. Seriously...watch his pitches, watch were his front foot lands.
I am encouraged overall...there's a lot more hitting talent than I thought there'd be.