Don Wakamatsu sure didn’t look like a rookie last season as he led the Mariners to a 85-77 (52.5%) record. The stakes will be higher in 2010 with all of the additions that the Mariners have made over the winter. I think the Mariners have the right guy as Wakamatsu seems to get the most out of his players and I have no reason to think he won’t once again in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE MANAGER IN 2010: B+

28-year old righty David Aardsma came out of nowhere last season to become one of the most effective closers in the American League and the Mariners are hoping it wasn’t a mirage. Aardsma pitched in 73 games (0 starts) for the Mariners last season in which he was 3-6 with 38 saves, a 2.52 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Aardsma only allowed 49 hits in 71 1/3 innings for the Mariners last season while whiffing 80 batters. The big thing with Aardsma is that he needs to make sure he’s throwing strikes as he walked 34 batters in 2009 but it didn’t hurt him.

26-year old righty Mark Lowe also blazes the heaters from his arm. Lowe pitched in 75 games (0 starts) for the Mariners last year and he was 2-7 with 3 saves, a 3.26 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Lowe has good enough stuff to close if needed in 2010 as he only gave up 71 hits in 80 innings for the Mariners last year.

27-year old righty Brandon League also has a great throwing arm. He came over from the Blue Jays in the Brandon Morrow trade over the winter. League pitched in 67 games (0 starts) for the Blue Jays last year and he was 3-6 with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He whiffed 76 batters in 74 2/3 innings last season showing what kind of stuff he has.

28-year old righty Sean White is coming off a fine season for the Mariners. He pitched in 52 games (0 starts) for the Mariners last season and he was 3-2 with 1 save, a 2.80 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He only gave up 50 hits in 64 1/3 innings last season showing that he really has learned how to pitch.

27-year old righty Steve Shell pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Nationals last season and he was 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He has now pitched in 43 games (0 starts) in his two years in the majors and he is 2-2 with 2 saves, a 2.45 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. He has the potential to help the Mariners in middle relief in 2010 if he gets the chance.

33-year old righty Mike Koplove pitched in 55 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last season in which he was 5-4 with 11 saves, a 1.87 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors in 2007 with the Indians. Koplove has pitched in 222 games (0 starts) in his 7 years in the majors and he is 15-7 with 2 saves, a 3.82 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Koplove has had success in the majors so he could help the Mariners in 2010.

32-year old righty Jesus Colome has always had great stuff but he has never really been a good pitcher in the majors. Colome pitched in 21 games (0 starts) for the Brewers & Nationals last season in which he was 1-1 with a 7.59 ERA and a 1.88 WHIP. Colome has now pitched in 329 games (0 starts) in his 9 years in the majors and he is 19-26 with 6 saves, a 4.66 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.

27-year old righty Wes Littleton will also try to get to Seattle in 2010. He 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. Littleton last pitched in the majors in 2008 with the Rangers. He has pitched in 80 games (0 starts) in the majors and he is 5-3 with 3 saves, a 3.69 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2010: B

23-year old Felix Hernandez and 31-year old lefty Cliff Lee will make the Mariners’ starting rotation very top heavy. Hernandez started 34 games for the Mariners last season in which he was 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He finished 2nd in the Cy Young Award voting last season and he might move up one spot this year. Hernandez gave up 200 hits in 238 2/3 innings last season while whiffing 217 batters showing just how nasty he is. Hernandez has started 138 games in his five years with the Mariners and he is 58-41 with a 3.45 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. The best is yet to come from King Felix.

31-year old lefty Cliff Lee will serve as the Mariners’ #2 starter in 2010. He started 34 games for the Indians & Phillies last season in which he was 14-13 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. In his 8 years in the majors Lee has compiled a dazzling major league record of 90-52. He won the Cy Young Award in the American League in 2008 for the Indians when he was 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Lee will challenge Hernandez this season to see who can win more games for the Mariners.

31-year old lefty Erik Bedard will start the 2010 season on the D.L. He started 15 games for the Mariners last year and he was 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He only gave up 65 hits in 83 innings for the Mariners last season while whiffing 90 batters. When he is healthy he is one of the better pitchers in the American League. Bedard has started 30 games in his two years with the Mariners and he is 11-7 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. When Bedard returns to action the Mariners will have one of the best rotations in all of baseball from #1 to #3.

27-year old Ryan Rowland-Smith is a pitcher to keep an eye on. He started 15 games for the Mariners last season and he was 5-4 with a 3.74 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He only gave up 87 hits in 96 1/3 innings for the Mariners last season and he only walked 27 batters. Rowland-Smith pounds the strike zone and it keeps him out of trouble usually.

28-year old righty Ian Snell came over in a trade with the Pirates last season and he will likely get a spot near the back end of the rotation in 2010. Snell started 12 games for the Mariners last season in which he was 5-2 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. Overall he started 27 games for the Mariners & Pirates in which he was 7-10 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. Snell walked 83 batters in only 145 innings last season which led him into a lot of trouble. If he can cut down on the walks some he has the ability to win at least 10 games in 2010 for the Mariners.

26-year old righty Doug Fister looked pretty decent late last season for the Mariners. Fister pitched in 11 games (10 starts) for the Mariners last season and he was 3-4 with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He also pitched in 24 games (17 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year in which he was 7-4 with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He gave up 134 hits in 112 minor league innings last year but he only walked 12 batters as he comes right at them.

27-year old lefty Jason Vargas used to be one of the better prospects on the Marlins not too long ago. He pitched in 23 games (14 starts) for the Mariners last season and he was 3-6 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He also started 9 games in AAA-ball last year in which he was 4-3 with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He will likely wind up in the bullpen at the start of the year for the Mariners.

24-year old lefty Luke French came over to the Mariners in the Jarrod Washburn trade last summer. French pitched in 8 games (7 starts) for the Mariners last year and he was 3-3 with a 6.63 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP. He gave up 54 hits in only 38 IP for the Mariners last season as he was throwing batting practice. French pitched in 15 games (12 starts) for the Mariners & Tigers last year and he was 4-5 with a 5.21 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. Look for him to start the year in the minors.

26-year old lefty Garrett Olson pitched in 31 games (11 starts) for the Mariners last season and he was 3-5 with a 5.60 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He gave up a stunning 19 homers in only 80 1/3 innings for the Mariners last year. Olson pitched much better in relief last year for the Mariners and that’s where he will likely start the 2010 season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE ROTATION IN 2010: A-

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