33-year old switch-hitting 3B Chone Figgins has been officially banished to the bench by the Mariners. The Mariners have called up rookie Kyle Seager to replace him at the hot corner. Figgins has played in 71 games for the Mariners this year and he is 48 for 262 (.183 avg, .476 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 1 homer, 14 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Figgins has now played in 232 games in his first year and a half with the Mariners and he is 204 for 864 (.236 avg, .596 OPS) with 83 runs scored, 2 homers, 49 RBIs and 51 stolen bases. What looked like a great signing two winters ago is turning into a nightmare for the Mariners.

33-year old 2B/SS Jack Wilson’s days are likely numbered now with Dustin Ackley on the Mariners. Wilson never really earned the faith of Eric Wedge going back to the game when he asked out. Wilson has played in 44 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 28 for 117 (.239 avg, .531 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 0 homers, 6 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He has now played in 136 games in his three years with the Mariners and he is 100 for 417 (.240 avg, .570 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 1 homer, 28 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Wilson is still a good defensive player but he just can’t hit anymore.

37-year old lefty swinging RF Ichiro is mired in a deep slump for the Mariners. In his last 18 games, Ichiro is 12 for 76 (.158 avg) with 9 runs scored, 0 homers, 3 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 65 games for the Mariners this year and he is 70 for 271 (.258 avg, .617 OPS) with 33 runs scored, 0 homers, 21 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Ichiro has had at least 200 hits in each of his 10 years in the majors and that could be in jeopardy this year. His career lows are a .303 batting average with a .747 OPS and he’s on pace to shatter those numbers. The Mariners need the old Ichiro because if he doesn’t hit it’s going to be really hard to get the offense going.

The Mariners thought that a return to 3B (he played 2B last year) might help him spark his bat. That experiment hasn’t worked as Figgins has been pathetic with the bat so far this year. He has played in 45 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 37 for 183 (.202 avg, .515 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 1 homer, 12 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Figgins has been especially awful this May. He has played in 19 games for the Mariners so far in May and he is 15 for 80 (.188 avg, .442 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 2 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. The Mariners should definately consider dropping Figgins in the lineup, but he has to play because of all of the $ he is making this year.

24-year old lefty swinging outfielder Michael Saunders is testing the patience of manager Eric Wedge so far this month. Saunders has played in 12 games so far this May for the Mariners and he is 3 for 43 (.070 avg, .251 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. He has walked 2 times while whiffing 15 times already in May. Saunders has now played in 33 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 19 for 113 (.168 avg, .486 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has also whiffed 33 times already this year as he has looked helpless with a bat in his hands quite often this year. I think the Mariners should send Saunders to the minors soon before they ruin his career.