| Offense: One word can sum up this offense: nasty. Damon is one of the games top lead off men, and is one of the top centerfielders in the game. Alfonzo is a solid 2B as well, posting an OBP over 400 last year, and he and Damon look to set the table for the meat of the order, which begins now. Barry Bonds. Need I say more? Best hitter in the last two seasons, hands down. He just has to keep those hammys healthy for the whole year. Bagpipes had a down year, but he is still one of the premier 1B in the league. Bobby Abreu, one of the games top young RF is next. Although his power diminished a bit this year, he hit fifty doubles, and stole 31 bases. Burks put together a solid year last year and if he stays healthy is a solid threat in the order to drive in whats still on the table. Willie Bloomquist has potential, as in 33 at bats he posted an OBP over .500. Young and promising. Davis is a decent catcher who hit .259 last year and hit 7 HR. Nothing great, but nothing horrid either. Vizquel is almost a 2nd lead off hitter in the 9th spot, as he hit .275 with 14 HR. Lineup Grade: A� What more can you ask of an offense? Nothing. You could get a more experienced 3B, but theres no need to. Expect the scoreboard to bet lit up this year in Safeco field. The bench�s main pop comes in the form of Herbert Perry, who could be starting. He hit .276 and 22 HR last year. Martinez still has some pop off of the bench, but his career is winding down. McEwing is usually a serviceable utility man, but his average was horrid last year posting a .199 AVG. Grabowski is a rookie essentially coming off of the bench, and Moeller is just a regular backup catcher, but did well in his brief stint with the D�Backs last year. Bench Grade: C+� Biggest threat is Herbert Perry and Edgar, but not too much after that. Of course, you don�t really need a bench in the AL, especially with that lineup. The rotation is strong, headed by the grizzly lefty vet Leiter. Although age may be catching up to the lefty, he should still post solid SIM numbers. Weaver is a righty with a bright future, although he struggled after a trade to the MLB Yankees last year. Put him in a nice pitchers park like SafeCo and he should flourish. Williams is an injury risk, but when healthy should be effective. He posted a solid 2.53 ERA last year, but in limited action due to rib cage injuries. If he�s healthy, he�ll be very effective. Hampton is solid as his carry over man, and should post very good numbers. Coors to Safeco, not bad for Mr. Hampton. Patterson looks to be a great young pitcher and shouldn't have too much pressure in the #5 spot. He posted a 3.23 ERA in 7games, with 31k and 7BB and a 1.11 WHIP. Those numbers could be even better in the friendly confines of safeco field. Rotation Grade: B+ � Top to bottom, it�s a nice rotation for Ropers, and Patterson looking into him looks pretty damn good. If Woody can stay healthy too, watch out� but if he doesn�t and Leiter shows age, then turbulence could be experienced. But overall, it looks pretty good. The bullpen is strong, headed by top closer Kaz Sasaki. 37 saves, 2.52 ERA, 1.05WHIP and a 73/20 k/bb ratio last year. Sasaki did undergo elbow surgury in Japan this offseason to remove bone chips and other fragments, but he should be 100% by spring training. Rhodes is a top setup man, and could be the closer for many teams in the league. With a 10-4 record and 2.33 ERA, miniscule .88 WHIP and 81/13 K/BB ratio, Rhodes is pretty damn good. Nelson is a solid pen arm, although wasn't spectacular last year. Grant Roberts looks like a good young arm that could start for some teams, but he's been used out of the pen in NY, and it appears they will continue to use him from the pen. Sullivan is solid and reliable, although he did have a down year last year. Maybe all those innings finally caught up to him, but he didn't appear to be the same after taking a line drive off the elbow last year. Person is a starter, but will be in the mop up role for this squad, and should do good seeing limited action. Bullpen Grade: B+ � Top notch closer, top notch setup man in Rhodes, but depth is lacking. However, it may not even be needed. A three headed monster of Sasaki, Rhodes and Nelson will be tough for some offenses to swallow. Overall Grade: A- � Terrific team top to bottom. One of the, if not the, best lineup in the whole IBC. If the pitching stays healthy then a very formidable rotation is formed. The bullpen has an excellent 3 headed monster in Sasaki, Rhodes and Nelson. The only knock I have on this team is the lack of depth in the pen and off of the bench, but it�s really a non-issue with this squad. One of the top teams in the IBC, and a solid chance of representing the AL in the fall classic. |
| SEATTLE MARINERS *NOTE - This breakdown is completely the opinion of JP of AZ and is meant for entertainment purposes |
| GM Brennan Church '02 RECORD N/A Current Power Ranking: 6th |
| Lineup 1. Johnny Damon, CF 2. Willie Bloomquist, 2b 3. Barry Bonds, LF 4. Jeff Bagwell, 1b 5. Bobby Abreu, RF 6. Ellis Burks, DH 7. Edgardo Alfonzo, 3b 8. Ben Davis, C 9. Omar Vizquel, SS Rotation 1. Al Leiter, LH 2. Jeff Weaver, RH 3. Mike Hampton*, LH 4. Woody Williams, RH 5. John Patterson, RH |
| Bullpen Kazu Sasaki Arthur Rhodes Jeff Nelson Grant Roberts Scott Sullivan Robert Person Bench Edgar Martinez, DH Jason Grabowski, LF/1b Herbert Perry, 1b/3b Chad Moeller, C Joe McEwing, 2b/SS/OF |
| Minors Chris Snelling, OF Clint Nageotte, sp Chase Utley, 3b Gil Meche, sp Aaron Taylor, cl Rett Johnson, sp Robert Madritsch, sp Greg Jacobs, of Ken Cloude, sp Jeff Heaverlo, sp |
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