08 Mariners Outlook

Pretty good read over at fleece factor on the 08 mariners.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/02/11/the-2008-seattle-mariners-false-hope/

some notable quotes:

4. Carlos Silva (R) - .310, .290, .324, and .287. Those are opponents batting averages against Carlos Silva over the last four years.  Yes, they hit .324 against him in 2006.  Sickening.  Silva's average opponent has hit .299/.333/.458 against him over his career.  Yes, he's a ground ball/contact pitcher that eats up innings. I  get that.  But for those of you who think he'll fare better on grass, read this: Silva's ERA on grass over the last three years combined is 5.24 and batters have hit a whopping .327 against him - well above his turf numbers (3.92, .279).   Simply put, he's just not that good and certainly was not worth $48 million over 4 years. Prediction: Seattle will regret this one before Memorial Day.

1B. Richie Sexson (R) -He was AWFUL last year, hitting .205/.295/.399 with just 21 homeruns and 100 strikeouts. Every single aspect of his offense was offensive and was known to cause many Mariners fans to barf. And the worst part about Sexson is that he's typically a slow starter so the team (and fantasy owners) felt compelled to stick with him the whole season waiting for that turnaround. The Mariners even had a chance to dump him during the waiver period in August but didn't pull the trigger because they thought he could contribute to a stretch run which never materialized (partly because Dick Sexson never turned the corner in 2007). He was terrible and turned in one of the worst offensive seasons by a regular last season. Dick.