The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

After sixteen games, the Mariners have a 10-6 record and are a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Angels for the lead in the American League West. It’s an excellent start to the season, considering the first seven games were on the road. In the first home series, Seattle defeated the Houston Astros two games out of three, with the lone loss coming against Justin Verlander, who pitched eight shutout innings.

In the new collective bargaining agreement, playoff teams increased from ten to twelve. Had this system been in place last year, the Mariners would have qualified for the playoffs. Projections don’t give the Mariners much of a chance to make the playoffs as the team is currently constructed. Most scenarios have them winning between eighty to eighty-four games. However, what most projection systems tend to miss is when young players have breakout seasons. The Mariners have six players twenty-five years old or younger that should get significant playing time this season.

On the offensive side the Mariners are hitting to a .238/.338/.401 slash line. While the team batting average is in the middle of the league, the walk rate is the best in the game. A few players have not played to their potential but could rebound as the season progresses. Jesse Winkler has been underperforming to start the season. Last season for Cincinnati, he was a .305 hitter with twenty-four home runs. He has only eight hits and one extra-base hit in sixty-eight at-bats starting for Seattle.

Another player that is struggling out of the gate is top prospect Julio Rodriguez. Rodriguez is currently striking out at a forty percent rate. Under normal circumstances, that would get a player sent down to the minors. In Rodriquez’s case, however, it is not all his fault. He has already been called out on strikes eight times when the pitch should have been called a ball, according to pitch data from mlb.com.

The Mariners’ pitching staff has been great as well. Mariner’s pitchers have given up the sixth-fewest walks per game, and the staff ERA is also sixth in the league at 2.77. The only real negative is they are giving up an average of 1.2 home runs per game which puts them toward the bottom of the league in that category. Mariners’ relievers have been even better with a 2.62 ERA. And the best news is the Mariners relievers have pitched the second-lowest number of innings of any team this season. Put it all together, and this looks like a team that will finally make the playoffs.

You could put together a pretty good team of active players that were Mariners now playing on other teams. Here is a starting lineup of former Mariners and the team they are currently playing with.

First base: Austin Nola (Padres), Second base: Jean Segura (Phillies), Third base: Asdrubal Cabrera (free agent), Shortstop: Brad Miller (Rangers), Left field: Tyler O’Neill (Cardinals) Center Field: Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks), Right Field: Chris Taylor (Dodgers), Catchers: Omar Narvaez (Brewers) & Mike Zunino (Rays), DH: Nelson Cruz (Nationals) . Starting Pitchers: Freddy Peralta (Brewers), Ryan Yarbrough (Rays), Hector Cortez (Yankees), Yusei Kikuchi (Blue Jays). Relief Pitchers: Kendall Graveman(White Sox), Lucas Luetge (Yankees).