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Seattle Mariners 2010 MLB Predictions

Written March 10, 2010 by Jack Jones

The Seattle Mariners were right in the thick of the AL West race last season, and finished with a respectable 85-77 record. Their pitching staff carried them the entire way, as their starters finished with a 3.89 ERA as a team, the best in the American League. But their lack of run production helped waste the efforts from their starters, as the Mariners scores the fewest runs in the majors at 3.95/game. Ichiro finished with 225 hits, but their impatient line-up as a whole resulted in a .314 team on-base percentage, the lowest in the AL. That’s why they brought in Chone Figgins from the Angels, who is one of the leaders in runs scored every year. The Mariners also got Milton Bradley from the Cubs, and though he’s a clubhouse distraction at times, he still has a great eye at the plate. The starting staff got a boost with the signing of Cliff Lee who has been dominant each of the past two seasons, and helped get the Phillies to the World Series last year. Baseball odds for this team show the Mariners projected win total at 83.5. Do you think they can reach this number? Take your money over to BetUS and deposit at least $500 or more initially and they’ll give you a $500 match-bonus right away!

Pitching:

After finishing with the best starting staff in the majors last season, the Mariners’ toughest decision will be whether Felix Hernandez or Cliff Lee will be their Opening Day starter. Hernandez finished runner-up last season in the AL Cy Young voting, winning a league-high 19 games and finishing with a 2.49 ERA. After going 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA en route to earning the AL Cy Young award in 2008, Cliff Lee came back with a another solid ‘09 campaign, going 14-13 with a 3.22 ERA in his time with Cleveland and Philly last year. Eric Bedard will be their No. 3 guy when he returns, but he won’t be back until the beginning of June. Ryan Rowland-Smith has finished with a sub-.400 ERA in each of his last three season with Seattle and he’ll certainly win a starting job. Ian Snell came over before the trade deadline last season, and he’s an innings-eater. His best season came in 2007 with the Pirates, pitching 208 innings with a 3.76 ERA. The No. 5 spot should go to Doug Fister until Bedard returns. Closer David Aardsma was a pleasant surprise last season, finishing with 38 saves and a 2.52 ERA. Getting the games to Aardsma will be Mark Lowe and Sean White, two power set-up men. Lowe has a 94-to-98 MPH fastball, and White is up around 95.

Hitting:

Catcher Rob Johnson will get the nod this season, but only because the team opted to not pay Kenji Johjima what he was owed this year. Johnson lacks plate discipline, and he has minimal power. This will certainly be a sore spot in the Mariners’ line-up once again. 1B Casey Kotchman was signed from Atlanta to replace Russell Branyan, who had been a nice source of power last year. Kotchman hits for less power, but he has a much better eye at the plate. 2B Jose Lopez is one of the more underrated players at his positions in the league, hitting .272 with 25 HR’s and 96 RBI’s last year. Chone Figgins replaces Adrian Beltre at 3B coming off a season in which he hit .298 with 114 Runs and 42 SB’s with the Angels. The SS will be Jack Wilson who is excellent in the field, but he’s not much of a threat at the plate, though he does hit for solid contact. The outfield features Milton Bradley in left, Franklin Gutierrez in center and Ichiro Suzuki in right. Bradley did hit over .300 in 2007 and ‘08 before imploding in Chicago. If he can return to form, Bradley could prove to be a huge offseason addition. Guitierrez improved dramatically last year in his first season with the Mariners, hitting .283 with 18 HR’s, 70 RBI’s and 85 Runs scored. And what more is there to say about Suzuki. He has registered over 200 hits for nine straight seasons with Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr. returns for another season in Seattle to serve as their DH after belting 19 bombs in 2009, proving he can still go yard with consistency.

Jack’s Prediction: 2nd in the AL West and OVER 83.5 Wins – The Mariners improved both their staff and their line-up in the offseason, so it’s hard to see them falling below the 85-win total they put up last year. Figgins and Bradley were solid additions to a line-up that previously lacked plate discipline. And Lee only adds to the staff with the best ERA from a year ago, so there’s no reason pitching should become a problem. They’ll take the Angels down to the wire this season for tops in the AL West, but I’m not about to bet against Mike Scioscia, even though I would not be surprised one bit to see the Mariners take down this division.

Jack Jones is one of the many expert handicappers at Betfirms that offers MLB predictions! If you wager on baseball, then give Jack a try for the 2010 season if you are looking for a proven winner!