Seattle Mariners Complete 2015 Player Predictions
Sep 2, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager (15) celebrates with second baseman Robinson Cano (22) after batting him in on a two run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Mariners are built around a good mix of established players who are among the best in baseball at their position (Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Nelson Cruz etc.), and guys who have flashed brilliance, but haven’t reached their potential yet (James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, Mike Zunino, Logan Morrison, Brad Miller, Chris Taylor, Carson Smith etc.)
Here are the Mariners’ 2015 player predictions:
Seattle Mariners Infield Predictions
Catcher: Mike Zunino
As we learned in 2014 with Brad Miller, a hot spring does not always signify a good season. Nonetheless, Zunino’s spring numbers can’t be discounted.
His seven home runs and 1.287 OPS were both good for second in all of baseball, while his slugging % of .852 was an MLB best. His .435 OBP is also good to see after posting a terrible .254 last season.
But maybe the best sign: After being one of the most undisciplined hitters in baseball in 2014 with a strikeout rate of .332, Mike Z had a strikeout rate of only .229, right around the league-average.
Zunino is the best candidate to follow Kyle Seager as the next home-grown Mariner to make the All-Star Game.
2015 Prediction: .235/.280/.450, 26 HR’s, 70 RBI
First Base: Logan Morrison
Morrison played like a legit Silver Slugger candidate the last two months of 2014. He hit a ridiculous.321/.679/1.043 in August and September.
If his 2015 numbers look like those, he will be the AL MVP, so we can’t exactly bank on that happening. But an overall improvement from his 2014 as a whole seems likely.
2015 Prediction: .255/.335/.425 16, HR’s, 60 RBI
Second Base: Robinson Cano
The best second baseman in the MLB will have an even better 2015 now that he has a legitimate clean-up hitter behind him instead of Kendrys Morales.
2015 Prediction: .330/.365/.475, 15 HR’s, 85 RBI
Third Base: Kyle Seager
Now that he isn’t going to be able to sneak up on anyone, will Seager be able to continue his ascension to the top of baseball?
2015 Prediction: .275/.350/.465, 26 HR’s, 105 RBI
Shortstop: Brad Miller/ Chris Taylor
The Mariners biggest question mark is provided by the young-duo who will make up Cano’s double-play partner. Taylor is out for the first couple weeks of the season, and presumably a few more weeks of rehab in Tacoma after that.
The Mariners have said throughout the Spring that whoever lost the battle for the starting job would be optioned to the Rainiers to make room for utility man Willie Bloomquist, but that doesn’t make much sense to me. I’ll assume Taylor does get some time when he returns from injury.
2015 Prediction:
Miller:.240/.300/.395, 14 HR’s, 40 RBI (110 games)
Taylor: .265/.345/.355, 2 HR’s, 15 RBI (55 games)
Utility Infield: Willie Bloomquist
I believe that Willie Bloomquist is on the roster only because of Lloyd McClendon and Jack Zduriencik realizing how big of a mistake releasing John Buck for Jesus Montero was. Having a presence like that in the clubhouse can make a difference.
Will Bloomquist’s morale support be enough to keep him on the roster when Taylor recovers from his broken wrist? We’ll have to see.
2015 Prediction: .230/.275/.330, 1 HR, 8 RBI (30 games)
Next: Outfield Projections