Looking For Potential Breakout Stars On The 2015 Seattle Mariners
Jul 23, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop Brad Miller (5) hits an RBI-double against the New York Mets during the eighth inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a bummer to even see Miller on this list, since 2014 was supposed to be his coming out party. But there’s a bug that bites Mariners prospects, and it got Miller last year. His struggles at the plate seemed to come and go, but the season-ending line of .221/.288/.365 more or less tells the story. This, of course, despite another nice power showing for a middle infielder. And his terrific play at shortstop.
In 2013 Miller hit slightly above average, played good defense, and entered 2014 as one of the best shortstops in the game, according to most projection systems. He had a rough season last year, but nobody’s given up on his potential. He’s still right up near the top in most projections, and that makes sense given his potential to mash homers while playing an athletic short.
How does Brad Miller become a star in 2015? Easy: hit the ball in play a little more while cutting down on the strikeouts. Way easier said than done, but Miller’s been there before. Recently, in fact. If he gets back there and plays like that for a full season, he’s going to remind us an awful lot of Kyle Seager. Who, I’ll remind you, is one of the very best young players in the game.
The 2015 Seattle Mariners include a nice collection of former top prospects who are looking to parlay their relative successes of the past into major successes of the future. Some of them even seem fairly well-positioned to make this happen! Be it Ackley or Montero, Zunino or Miller, someone’s gotta be ready to break out. They can’t all be Justin Smoak, right? Right?!! RIGHT?!?!?!