36-year old lefty swinging Ichiro Suzuki played in 146 games for the Mariners last season in which he was 225 of 639 (.352 avg, .851 OPS) with 88 runs scored, 11 homers, 46 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. Look for Ichiro to steal more bases and score a lot more runs in 2010 in the improved lineup of the Mariners. Ichiro made 4 errors in 145 games in RF last season for the Mariners while showing good range. Ichiro only had 5 assists in RF but that’s because he wasn’t challenged too much in 2009. Ichiro has been an All-Star all nine years he has played in the majors and he has also won a Gold Glove every year…..look for both of those streaks to continue in 2010 for the Mariners.

31-year old switch hitting Milton Bradley will be the Mariners’ starting LF in 2010 but he will also be the top backup in RF if something happens to Ichiro. Bradley played in 108 games in RF for the Cubs last season making 3 errors while showing slightly below average range. He also had 5 assists in RF as he has a decent throwing arm.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: A+

27-year old righty swinging Franklin Gutierrez really turned into a very solid player in 2009 and they are hoping that he takes the next step this season. Gutierrez played in 153 games for the Mariners last season in which he was 160 of 565 (.283 avg, .764 OPS) with 85 runs scored, 18 homers, 70 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. With Ichiro and Chone Figgins both at the top of the lineup I really think that Gutierrez will knock in 10-15 more runs in 2010. Gutierrez made 7 errors in 153 games in CF last season while showing outstanding range. He also had 6 assists in CF as he has a very strong throwing arm.

34-year old righty swinging Eric Byrnes will back up Gutierrez in CF this season. He played in 6 error-free games in CF last season while showing outstanding range.

30-year old lefty swinging Ryan Langerhans will be #3 in line for P.T. in CF in 2010 for the Mariners. He played in 38 games for the Mariners last season and he was 22 of 101 (.218 avg, .697 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. Langerhans didn’t make any errors in 4 games in CF last season while showing out of this world range. Langerhans is a outstanding defensive outfielder which will likely help him a lot in his bid to make the Mariners this spring.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: B

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

The Mariners have signed 27-year old righty reliever Wes Littleton to a minor league deal. Littleton pitched in 35 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 0-5 with a 6.50 ERA and a 2.06 WHIP. The Mariners likely looked past his minor league numbers last season as he has been effective in the majors. Littleton last pitched in the majors in 2008 with the Rangers. Littleton has pitched in 80 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 5-3 with 3 saves, a 3.69 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.

40-year old lefty swinging Ken Griffey will likely be the better half of a platoon with either Ryan Garko or Mike Sweeney. Griffey played in 117 games for the Mariners last season and he was 83 for 387 (.214 avg, .735 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 19 homers and 57 RBIs. The Mariners really hope that Griffey can bring his average up into the .270 range and it’s possible that he can do that because he has a career average of .285. Griffey still has good power as he averaged a homer every 20.4 at bats last season and a RBI every 6.79 at bats last season.

29-year old righty swinging Ryan Garko played in 118 games for the Indians & Giants last season and he was 95 for 354 (.268 avg, .765 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 13 homers and 51 RBIs. Garko mashed lefty pitchers last season to the tune of a .308 batting average with a .870 OPS in 117 at bats against them last season. He could also get some P.T. at 1B for the Mariners in 2010.

36-year old righty swinging Mike Sweeney showed that he still has some pop in his bat last year for the Mariners. Sweeney played in 74 games for the Mariners last season and he was 68 for 242 (.281 avg, .777 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 8 homers and 34 RBIs. Sweeney only hit .235 with a .752 OPS against lefty pitchers last season. But, he did crack 7 homers in 136 at bats against lefties last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE DH IN 2010: C