12 Mariners That Could Sneakily Impact This Season

Everybody knows Nelson Cruz, James Paxton, and Robby Cano will be critical for the success of the Ners this season. But what about the sleeper picks, the rising stars, or the aging vets who could still pull off some greatness? The MM editors each select a hitter, a starter, a reliever, and a Wild Card factor that might wind up being key in 2018.

Who's Your Hitter To Watch?

Patrick: Mike Zunino

I legitimately think Mike Zunino can hit 40 home runs this year. Am I crazy for thinking that? Probably. But the optimism surrounding Z has been without bound on Mariners Twitter since he turned it around last year, and if he’s truly taken the next step, there’s no reason to think he can’t do that in a full season.

Anthony: Ryon Healy

Healy will be the best first baseman the Mariners have had since John Olerud. He has only had one full season in the Majors and hit 25 home runs but also struck out roughly 25% of the time and was only slightly above league average according to OPS+. A step forward from Healy would be to walk more, strike out less and keep his slugging percentage up near .500. He lost a lot of the spring to a hand injury which I am worried about lingering throughout the season and impacting his swing. But if we are going to take a step forward, Healy is one of the guys we will need to produce consistently. Plus he can hit the ball really far, which is always fun to watch.

Travis: Jean Segura

Jean Segura has the potential to be the AL player of the month every month. He’s probably the best shortstop this franchise has seen since A-Rod (sorry, Carlos Guillen lovers), and can lead a team by hitting .330 at the top of the lineup. I’m excited to see whether Jean will play to his potential – but nervous about whether he will totally underwhelm.

Who's Your Starter to Watch?

Travis: Marco Gonzales

People look at Marco Gonzales right now as that guy who we stupidly traded away Tyler O’Neil for – and rightfully so. O’Neil was one of Seattle’s most exciting prospects, who crushed dingers like you read about down in AAA. And he was traded for a guy that nobody had ever heard of before, who had limited MLB experience, and definitely wasn’t all that impressive when he took the mound last year.

But there’s one thing about this guy that makes him my starter to watch: Marco Gonzales has one of the best changeups I have ever seen. See the way he grips it there above? It’s a palmed circle-change, which means it dips sharply away from right-handers and breaks in on lefties. While his break is sharp, what truly differentiates Gonzales’ change is that he will throw it on any count. 0-2, 2-0, 3-1 – Marco’s confidence in this pitch is such that, if he can continue to locate it (like he did in Spring Training), he has the potential to be a rock-solid middle of the rotation guy. And if that happens, I won’t miss Tyler O’Neil one bit.

Patrick: Ariel Miranda

There’s nothing Jerry Dipoto loves more than AAA-MLB swing starter depth. He covets it like most people would their own personal wealth. But Dipoto also churns through it like no other, so for The Little Nermaid to still be standing after nearly two full years in this role is a continually impressive feat – especially given his murky track record prior to his acquisition in July 2016.

In 2018, he projects to have a limited yet important role again. He’ll contend to start Opening Day in Tacoma, but he’ll quickly return to Seattle on April 11 when the team needs a fifth starter. From there, his MLB role will be injury-dependent – and, judging by last year, there will be injuries. Miranda made the most starts for the Mariners by a wide margin in 2017, but the role as the fill-in spot starter fits him much better than pseudo-ace. He’ll be a valuable bridge when the rotation hits inevitable health-related speed bumps.

Anthony: Felix Hernandez

(My irrational take): Have you seen Felix in Spring Training? He took a ball to the forearm and came back throwing fire. His injuries the past two years are a fluke and he tweaked his workouts in the offseason to help his durability. He is going to be unhittable all year and everyone who says that he’s washed up and at the end of his career is stupid. Top five Cy Young finish is surely in play, 200 K’s for sure. (My nuanced take): I won’t say that Felix is washed up or at the end of his career, because I’m not stupid. But this year is a really interesting inflection point for Felix’s career: he is only 31, but has thrown over 2500 innings. If he has another down year with more injuries, the end would be much more imminent than I want to consider. But a bounceback season would show he can still be an effective pitcher into his 30’s, and I would love to hear The King’s Court roar for another few years…but I’m worried The King’s injuries will persist.

Who's Your Reliever to Watch?

Anthony: James Pazos

Not only does James Pazos throw a baseball with his left hand, he throws a baseball really hard with his left hand. So I’m immediately interested. But Pazos is my reliever to watch because he may end up being The Loogy by the end of the year. Scrabble struggled in 2017 and may finally be on his last slider in the dirt – and if Scrabble can’t handle being The Loogy, it probably won’t be Wade LeBlanc (sorry Wade) that gets called in to face Brian McCann. Pazos will have to step up and clean up his command if he wants to stand a chance against the top lefties in the league and become The Loogy. (Capital letters necessary to denote superlative).

Travis: Edwin Diaz

I’m not going to elaborate here: when we’re up in a close one this season, we’re gonna need to win the game. Throwing away potential 1- or 2-run victories in the final frame is unacceptable if we’re going to contend with Houston and Los Angeles. This means Eddy is gonna have to be money (not like last night). I also just want more super close hugs like he and Zunino always have after a win (left).

Patrick: Dan Altavilla

So David Phelps’ elbow exploding pretty much sucks, but it definitely opens up a massive opportunity for Dan Altavilla. Altavilla’s promising 2016 debut gave way to an absolute nightmare of a 2017, where he pitched his way to Tacoma multiple times. That said, Altavilla did show significant improvement in September. He took the mound 10 times in the season’s final month, pitched 12 innings and allowed just two earned runs, and even more impressively, surrendered just seven hits and three walks, including no walks in his final six appearances. Altavilla still has great stuff, especially in the power department, and Phelps’ injury means that Juan Nicasio and Nick Vincent are his biggest obstacles to high-leverage appearances. He’s going to get chances to show he’s a legit eighth inning option.

Who's Your Wild Card Factor?

Patrick: Ian Miller

First of all, thank you to Ian Miller for seeking out a follow-up to a tweet we mentioned him in that discussed the speedy combination of him, Dee Gordon, and Jean Segura. Miller replied: “150 SBs.” Shoot your shot.

That said, I don’t see how Miller stays off the 25-man roster for the full season. The Mariners’ outfield beyond Gordon includes Mitch Haniger, Ichiro, Ben Gamel, and Guillermo Heredia – all of whom struggled with injuries in the spring. The fifth option is likely Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who hit .195 in 2015, .209 in 2016 and .115 in 2017. Miller, on the other hand, hit .307 and stole 43 bases across AA and AAA last year, and at the very least offers a speedier option than any of the non-Gordon Major Leaguers. Most likely, injuries will give him an opportunity in Seattle at some point, and if he takes advantage, don’t blink.

Anthony: Ichiro

Picture it with me: The Mariners vs. the California Los Angeles Angels from Anaheim. One game to decide who takes the Wild Card. Tie ballgame. Ninth inning. Two outs. Shohei Ohtani on the mound. Ichiro steps in. He points his bat. Tugs his sleeve. Settles into his stance. First pitch from Ohtani, Ichiro turns on an inside fastball. It screams into the warm Irvine night, and soars over the wall. Ners lead. But wait a second. Who comes out of the dugout to close out the ninth? Edwin Diaz? Felix Hernandez? No. Ichiro takes the hill. And who is the final batter he faces after striking out Trout and Pujols? Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani digs in. First pitch is a fastball high and tight. Ohtani backs off the plate. Second pitch paints the outside corner. Third pitch Ohtani misses by an inch and fouls it straight back. Fourth pitch, Ichiro buries a splitter in the dirt. Ohtani swings over it for strike three. Ichiro does the DMX crotch-chop as Zunino and the team rush the mound. Boom. There’s your **Wildcard.**

Travis: Edgar Martinez

Edgar’s job as hitting coach last year was fantastic: for the first time in I don’t know how long, the Mariners actually had a lineup that scared opposing starters. Somehow, Edgar was able to take charge with studs like Nelly and Robby, getting them to maintain discipline at the plate and re-focus after going through a slump – and now, Edgar is joined by a player who once batted in the same lineup he did (Ichiro), which will undoubtedly be odd. But if he’s able to continue his leadership with the sticks and keep Cano/Cruz on track, the Ners will be scary at the plate again.

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