All-Time M's
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At Slack they've got a roundtable going on the current Ms' best chances to set franchise records. One point I hadn't noticed was that Ichiro's OBP was that Bone has a higher lifetime OBP than Ichiro, .359 to .355. Considering the homers are 34 and RBI 106 per 162 games, to Ichiro's 7 HR and 46 RBI, it's hard to imagine just how the "intangibles' get Ichiro anywhere near Buhner.
Intangibles or not, Bone was a 2.5 WAR player (touching 3+ once or twice) and Ichiro racked up 5+ WAR like clockwork for 10 years. That's because Ichiro chipped in +1.4 WAR per year defensively and on the bases.
Dr. D always insists on an intangible here: that great leadoff hitters are more effective than average against good pitching. If nothing else, Justin Verlander and Nolan Ryan are ineffective at preventing stolen bases. Therefore, the Mariners fan can, at minimum, hope for some "toughness" as Dee Gordon lays down his bunts, and Jean Segura dives into 2B headfirst, against the Astros' pitchers. (Might Ichiro contribute a bit here too as he slaps grounders through the SS hole?)
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Kyle Seager wants to take his game to the next level. Welllllll.... K-Swag had a 133 OPS+ (.280/.360/.500) the year before last, 2016, before "regressing" to 107 last year (.250/.325/.450). Dr. D will take either one from a pick-it infielder with that kinda glove, but sabermetrically we see 2016 as K-Swag's highwater mark.
Love the attitude. Love the whole cample's attitude. And Ichiro seems to be injecting some real life into it.
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Will the M's start slow in April? well, English teacher Detecto asks for a def of "slow." Which a sked full of games against the Indians and Astros, a .500 April would be fine with us -- and would leave us in good shape besides. However, getting flamethrown by both teams and it's another dreary June hoping for a hot streak.
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Ichiro on Sunday: for a first game, looked like he saw the pitches well, got ripped off (I thought anyway) on a 3-2 strike call, moved precisely like the old Ichiro. FWIW.
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Dr. D will believe Cano's leg injury is serious, if and when it is proven so. However, it does underline how crowded the 1-9 is getting: where do you put Boomstick?
Actually I put him in RF, put Haniger in LF, and let everybody else play cribbage in the traning room.
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You been watching 'Bach dominate this spring? Here's a typical Vogelbach RBI single with the authoritative "crack" that beats the defense. He's running a .478/.618/.857 line with a 1569 OPS and is anybody else having fun imagining that Moneyball argument between the 60-something scouts and Billy Beane?
I don't care if HQ does have Ryon Healy scheduled for 35 homers. That's fine, and I think Healy's a good draw at the deck, but I platoon the two of them, with Vogelbach getting the vs. RHP jobshare. Is Dr. D alone in this?
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Gonzales against the White Sox, on TV right? Siddown and watch this guy hit the mitt.