10 things the Mariners can improve in 2012

- resolve the Chone Figgins situation. It’s a distraction for the team, for whatever that’s worth, and he’s bad and expensive
- find more starting pitching depth. The future looks great and the present looks good, but is Jason Vargas a replacement level starter or the guy who started #2 in 2011 on one of the better staffs in the AL?
- figure out what’s wrong with Franklin Gutierrez. I miss Guti that could hit. That guy is good.
- let the younger, MLB ready players have a chance. This might be more geared for 2013 than 2012, but between Seager, Robinson, Jaso, Wells, Saunders, Carp and Smoak, you would think at least two or three of those guys have to be real players
- don’t mess with Brendan Ryan. He is awesome

Perhaps this has been addressed with the new regime, but perhaps not. The reporting has left me yearning for more details, and the promotion of Peguero left a lingering odor. In the past, I had the impression that our minor league development was a haphazard affair with the system leaving the players to sink or swim with little to no cohesive plan between the teams or the levels.

I don’t have any clear supporting evidence to offer, it’s just difficult for me to believe the team drafted so many players that failed to succeed. I’m of a mind that a few of them, while likely not stars, were capable of being decent players and were let down by a lack of proper coaching. Basically, I’d love to have a clearer picture of what was going on before GMZ took over, and how it has changed.

Or a systematic way of correcting non-US player’s approaches.

1. Raise Payroll – More money always means more opportunity.
2. Drop Chone Figgins – He should not be here anymore.
3. Work on Stubbornness – The front office has good ideas, but they need to learn how to let go when one doesn’t work out.
4. Trade Brandon League – He’s expensive and not worth what his arbitration contract will be to a team with a pile and limited payroll.
5. Find Replacements/Backups for Ichiro/Guti – Both might improve, but banking on it is a bad idea, and backup plans aren’t the front office specialty.
6. Stock Up Hitting Talent – We don’t have this. We should try to get it somehow.
7. Change the Dimensions of Safeco - May be a good idea!
8. Give Healthier Food to Minor Leaguers – <-That.
9. Mandatory Intense Training in the Minor Leagues – As others have said, teaching players how to walk, forcing significant physical training, etc. Minor leagues should be a breeding ground for major leaguers, not a place to go when one looks like they might do well.
10. Push Low Cost/Multiple Year Contracts - It may not be possible after Evan Longoria, but the low cost/multiple year contract strategy has its advantages with less downside. This should be pursued with all good young players.

Curious to read the syllabus and similar info online.

#1. The best way to bring back the fans and make money is to win. Jack Z should have carte blanche to make the moves he thinks will build a long term winner without interference from the suits. No more aging superstar lifelines—-we did that with Griffey and a rerun with Ichiro would be counterproductive.
#2. Reduce beer prices at the park.

I don’t actually know what the stadium is called, but it’s a crazy hitter’s park that encourages bad habits in hitters and pitchers. It is totally unhelpful to player development to learn the game in an environment so different from major league baseball in general and Safeco field in particular.

Since you can’t probably use the word “fuck” in your essay, you could say “fix”. Fix it to make it play like a neutral park in which R/9 is about 4.5.