The Mariners have penciled in 31-year old switch hitting Milton Bradley as the starting LF in 2010. Bradley played in 124 games for the Cubs last season in which he was 101 of 393 (.257 avg, .775 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 12 homers and 40 RBIs. The Mariners think he will hit better than that for them in 2010 as he has a career batting average of .277 with a .821 OPS in 941 major league games. In Bradley’s 10 years in the majors he has only played in 140+ games 1 time in his career so the backups better be ready to step in and play. Bradley will likely be a average defender in LF and he has a decent throwing arm.

34-year old Eric Byrnes will likely be the Mariners’ #4 outfielder in 2010. He played in 84 games for the Diamondbacks last season in which he was 54 of 239 (.226 avg, .663 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 8 homers, 31 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Byrnes has a career batting average of .260 with a .763 OPS in 948 major league games so the Mariners expect him to rebound in 2010. Byrnes made 3 errors in 49 games in LF last season for the D-Backs while showing outstanding range. He also had 3 assists while in LF as he has a decent throwing arm.

23-year old lefty swinging Michael Saunders is the Mariners’ #2 prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. That being said I still think he will start the 2010 season in AAA. Saunders played in 46 games for the Mariners last season in which he was 27 of 122 (.221 avg, .537 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 4 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Saunders also played in 64 games in AAA-ball last season in which he was 77 of 248 (.310 avg, .922 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 13 homers, 32 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Saunders future is bright but it likely won’t be that way in 2010 for him. Saunders played in 39 games in LF last season making 1 error while showing out of this world range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE LF IN 2010: C