Seattle Mariners: Scott Servais not AL Manager of the Year Material

Cold Second Half

Fast forward to August 31st, 2018. Now that seems like an entire season ago.

I watch about 140 games a year in their entirety. I’m a former baseball player and enjoy watching the game (which some people laugh at), however, I did notice some things with the Mariners that were clicking during the first half of the season in which I knew just couldn’t withstand the length of a full 162 game season.

The Mariners collapse in the second half is not due to one thing or another, it’s a collective problem that starts at the top. *Yes, I’m pointing at you Scott Servais.*

Countless times this year, the pitching staff, as a whole, and in particular the bullpen has been handled poorly. Either starting pitchers have been left in too long or pulled too early. That sounds cliche but it’s a managers job to make the correct decisions and there have been more wrongs than rights.

The Mariners team batting average slipped slightly since the all-star break. During the same time span, their ERA has climbed by over six-tenths run. Putting it together the offense doesn’t have enough punch to compensate for declining pitching. It’s still close, which means every decision the manager makes is magnified.

It’s very easy to lean on the best closer in all of baseball, Edwin Diaz and look good. But the team has to get to their closer with a lead. This all leads to the inevitable question. Does Scott Servais deserve to be the A.L. manager of the year?

Short Answer: No