Seattle Mariners MLB News - Mariners Baseball Blog

1B Luis Jimenez is off to a good start in AAA-ball for the Seattle Mariners

chinmusic — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:21:04 +0000

30-year old lefty swinging 1B Luis Jimenez is off to a good start in AAA-ball for the Mariners. He has played in 32 games in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 36 for 117 (.308 avg, .977 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 7 homers and 23 RBIs. Jimenez has now played in 869 games in his first 11 years in the minors and he is 852 of 2,993 (.285 avg, .840 OPS) with 465 runs scored, 128 homers, 539 RBIs and 45 stolen bases. Jimenez could get his first shot at the majors with the Mariners in 2012, if he keeps raking like he is right now.

Jason Vargas is looking solid for the Seattle Mariners so far this year

chinmusic — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:41:22 +0000

29-year old lefty starting pitcher Jason Vargas has been really pitching well so far this year. Vargas has started 7 games for the Mariners already this year and he is 3-2 with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He has only given up 32 hits in 43 2/3 innings so far this year, with 32 whiffs and 13 walks. Vargas has now pitched in 93 games (84 starts) in his first four years with the Mariners and he is 25-33 with a 4.10 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. The Mariners hope Vargas keeps up the good work to give them a rock solid pairing at the top of the rotation along with Felix Hernandez.

The Seattle Mariners released outfielder Eddy Martinez-Esteve

chinmusic — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:22:39 +0000

The Mariners have released 28-year old righty swinging outfielder Eddy Martinez-Esteve. Esteve didn’t get into any games in the minors for the Mariners this year. He played in 15 games in AA-ball for the Mariners last year and he was 14 for 52 (.269 avg, .762 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 0 homers and 5 RBIs. Esteve has played in 599 games in his first 8 years in the minors and he was 618 for 2,097 (.295 avg, .814 OPS) with 275 runs scored, 42 homers, 305 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. No loss here for the Mariners.

Taijuan Walker is on the fast track for the Seattle Mariners

chinmusic — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:33:07 +0000

19-year old righty starting pitcher Taijuan Walker came into this season as the Mariners’ #1 prospect according to Baseball America. Walker has started 4 games in AA-ball so far this year and he is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has only given up 16 hits and 6 walks in his first 22 innings while whiffing 26 batters, and those are damn impressive numbers. Walker has now pitched in 26 games (22 starts) in his first three years in the minors and he is 10-6 with a 2.58 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He has only given up 87 hits in 125 2/3 innings in his minor league career so far with 148 whiffs. Walker is going to be in Seattle in 2013 at the latest if he keeps pitching like he is right now.

DH/C Jesus Montero can really swing the bat for the Seattle Mariners

chinmusic — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:29:42 +0000

22-year old righty swinging DH/C Jesus Montero is the real deal for the Seattle Mariners. He has played in 23 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 26 for 89 (.292 avg, .751 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 4 homers and 13 RBIs. Montero has now played in 41 games in his first two years in the majors and he is 46 for 150 (.307 avg, .852 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 8 homers and 25 RBIs. 3B coach (and ex-catcher) Jeff Datz has been working hard with Montero behind the plate to improve his defense. Montero has a gigantic upside because he can really rake at the plate.

The Seattle Mariners activate 1B/OF Mike Carp from the D.L.

chinmusic — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:28:31 +0000

The Mariners have activated 25-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF Mike Carp off the D.L. to replace Miguel Olivo on the active roster. Carp played in the season opener for the Mariners in the season opener this year against the A’s and he was 0 for 4. He hurt his shoulder in that game. Carp didn’t looked too good on his rehab assignment in AAA, as he played in 13 games there in which he was 7 for 51 (.137 avg, .362 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 0 homers, 4 RBIs and 1 stolen base. But, the Mariners need offensive help and Carp will likely serve as the DH with Jesus Montero likely starting at catcher. Carp played in 79 games for the Mariners last year and he was 80 for 290 (.276 avg, .791 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 12 homers and 46 RBIs.

The Seattle Mariners place Miguel Olivo on the D.L.

chinmusic — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:23:05 +0000

The Seattle Mariners have placed starting catcher Miguel Olivo on the 15-day disabled list due to a groin injury. Olivo has played in 23 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 17 for 81 (.210 avg, .575 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 3 homers, 7 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Righty swinging Jesus Montero and lefty swinging John Jaso will split up the duties behind the plate for the Mariners until Olivo is ready to return to action. Montero has played in 21 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 21 of 82 (.259 avg, .690 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 4 homers and 13 RBIs. John Jaso has played in 8 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 5 for 18 (.278 avg, .961 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs.

Brendan Ryan is stuggling big time with the bat for the Seattle Mariners this year

chinmusic — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:54:18 +0000

When the Mariners picked up 30-year old righty SS two years ago, it was for his D. He played in 123 games for the Mariners last year and he was 108 of 436 (.248 avg, .639 OPS) with 51 runs scored, 3 homers, 39 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. The Mariners were actually probably o.k. with Ryan’s hitting last year due to his glove work. He has been lost at the plate so far this year. Ryan has played in 17 games for the Mariners so far this year and he is 8 for 49 (.163 avg, .629 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. He has walked 11 times so far this year, so at least he’s finding some ways to make up for his lack of hitting. The Mariners don’t really have an alternative to Ryan on the roster right now, so he’s going to continue to start for the time being.

Julio Cruz gave Seattle Mariners’ fans a reason to watch early on

chinmusic — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:32:47 +0000

Switch-hitting 2B Julio Cruz was one of the reasons to tune in and watch the Seattle Mariners in their early years. Cruz played in 742 games in his 7 years with the Mariners and he was 649 of 2,667 (.243 avg, .634 OPS) with 402 runs scored, 17 homers, 162 RBIs and 290 stolen bases. Cruz’ best offensive year came back in 1979 for the Mariners. He played in 107 games for the Mariners in 1979 and he was 112 of 414 (.271 avg, .689 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 1 homer, 29 RBIs and 49 stolen bases. Cruz is #2 in Mariners’ history in stolen bases (290) and he is #8 in walks with 330 of them. In the Mariners’ record books, Cruz has five of the top 10 one season totals in stolen bases. He is #2 on the list for his 59 steals in 1978, only one behind franchise leader Harold Reynolds.

Felix Hernandez continues rolling for the Seattle Mariners

chinmusic — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:28:27 +0000

26-year old righty starting pitcher Felix Hernandez continues to dominate despite not having his won/loss record reflect it. Hernandez has pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Mariners so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 2.76 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He has 31 whiffs (leads the majors) and only 5 walks in his first 29 1/3 innings as he is pounding the strike zone. Hernandez has now pitched in 209 games (all starts) for the Mariners in his first 8 years with the team and he is 86-68 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He is the Mariners’ all-time leader in both ERA (3.23) and WHIP (1.22). He is also #4 in starts (209), #3 in wins (86), #4 in innings pitched (1,417 2/3), #2 in strikeouts (1,295) and he is tied for 10th with Freddy Garcia and Aaron Sele with 4 shutouts. Hernandez has been flat out awesome for the Mariners in his career and they hope he keeps up the good work.