Seattle Mariners: Spring Training Information

By Kevin Cacabelos
Location: The Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria Arizona
Pitchers and Catchers Report: Feb. 14th
First Game: Feb. 27th
Schedule

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
2. Franklin Gutierrez, CF
3. Adrian Beltre, 3B
4. Jose Lopez, 2B
5. Russell Branyan, 1B
6. Jeff Clement DH
7. Kenji Johjima, C
8. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
9. Endy Chavez, LF
   

Kenji Johjima and Clement will switch positions every once in awhile. Either Chris Shelton or Mike Sweeney will play 1B against LHP's.

Projected Bench

• Chris Shelton, 1B
• Ronny Cedeno, INF
• Mike Morse, INF/OF
• Wladimir Balentien, COF

Projected Rotation

1. Felix Hernandez, R
2. Erik Bedard, L
3. Brandon Morrow, R
4. Jarrod Washburn, L
5. Carlos Silva, R

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Key Battles:

Getting into the rotation:
There are really only three pitchers that are locks to make it into the rotation, Felix, Morrow, and Bedard. Other than that, Washburn, Silva, Rowland-Smith, Feierabend and Miguel Batista will be fighting for the last two spots. My bet is that Batista gets left off, but it's too early too tell right now. There is a strong possiblity that Washburn could be dealt before the season starts.

Catcher:
Kenji Johjima is the better defensive catcher, but Jeff Clement is the better hitting catcher. How will this contrast play out in Spring Training? Johjima had a down-year of all sorts last year, and is primed for a better season at the plate. At the same time, Clement has one year of experience against big league pitching and should be much improved from his earlier days in the Majors. Either way, Jamie Burke might be out of a job as the Mariners only need so many catchers. Zduriencik won't keep dead meat on the roster.

1st Base:
Not Jose Lopez. But how about Chris Shelton, Russell Branyan, Mike Sweeney ,or Bryan LaHair? All of these players will be vying for a starting spot at 1st base and at DH. I got to say Shelton and Branyan are the front-runners right now. Sweeney and LaHair could make a run though with solid Spring performances.


Outlook:
With a new front-office, a new manager, and a ton of new players, there is finally a level of excitement around this team. However, the Mariners will still struggle to be on the winning side of things this upcoming season. The Mariners do have a solid starting staff, but the bullpen remains unstable, and the offense is questionable at best. If the Mariners surpass everyone's expectations, it will be because of a solid pitching staff with an above-average defense behind it. Spring Training has never mattered more to the Mariners than it does now. There are a lot of jobs up for grabs. It won't be pretty, but it'll be worth it.

Kevin covers all Seattle sports at SeaTown Sports.