First you take the Fielder Polls, but then you trade Pineda
What do you get?
A poll! A poll! A poll!
155 comments
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Comments
How did you vote on your own pole?
"Fly, fly away"
by Ichiro's Jock Strap on Jan 16, 2012 3:11 PM PST up reply actions
Most likely by carving tallies with a knife
by seattlebruin on Jan 16, 2012 3:12 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Regardless of how the team looks, I am always excited for Mariners' baseball.
The off-season sucks.
by EthanN on Jan 16, 2012 2:29 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
For the record though, the combination of Ackley-Smoak-Montero has me way more excited than last year.
by EthanN on Jan 16, 2012 2:30 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
And a possibly healthy Gutie
which wasn’t really something reasonable to expect last year when he came back.
I also love me some Japanese imports, which we’ve got two of this year, one of which with presumably decent upside and the other who will seemingly make Ichiro happy, which makes me happy.
This team is about one fair contracted Prince Fielder away from me being exploding balls happy. Ackley-Smoak-Montero-Fielder for several years to come would be amazing.
"exploding balls happy"?
That would not make me happy in the least.
by Westside guy on Jan 16, 2012 5:59 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I was at a 1
Nothing to get too excited about. After the trade I’m a 3…because DINGERS!
And where do you ever hear
Eric Sogard and dingers in the same post?
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring". ~Rogers Hornsby
by extavernmouse on Jan 17, 2012 1:28 PM PST up reply actions
Bingo...one more decent hitter or pitcher and I'd be a 4.
I fucking hate you Mariners
Was a 3, moved to a 3.5 which I rounded up to 4. We might have dingers now!
If we do something like sign Oswalt it’ll be a true 4.
Seroiusly, who wants tacos and burgers in the same combo?
Regardless of what it’s called.
I'm at a 4... But I was probably 3.5 before the trade.
Doug Fister. :(
Thanks for this, Mr. Yencich.
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Just North of Wrigley Field
by jameslcrockett on Jan 16, 2012 3:37 PM PST up reply actions
5!
I’m excited to see an Ackley/Smoak/Montero middle of the order. Also, it’s baseball. By this time each year I’ve been baseball-deprived for long enough that I’d probably still be somewhat excited even if I was, say, a Mets fan.
I am always a 5 for excitement for a Mariners season.
I don’t care if the team is going to be good or not, I love me some baseball.
by TheWanderer on Jan 16, 2012 2:51 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
I think this is definitely the year the A's will be looking up to us and kissing our butts from the cellar
Is that a reason to be excited?
"Fly, fly away"
by Ichiro's Jock Strap on Jan 16, 2012 2:58 PM PST reply actions
Totally agree with the last two posts
Always a 5 about Mariners baseball — especially in January. Can’t wait! Call me a 5+ this year though.
I'm stoked for 2012 baseball season;
Because winter fucking sucks and we’re closer to the 2013 season when we will rock.
by sofa_king on Jan 16, 2012 2:59 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Yeah, I'm definitely a little bit more excited going into camp than I was last year
But I understand that this will still be one of the worst teams in the league that’ll go through some large growing pains.
But as a diehard sports fan, it’s so tough NOT to be excited once camp opens up, Hawks or M’s. When you love something so much, there’s nothing you can do. It’s the worst.
Golden Tate is to route running, what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.
Through a series of complicated formulas
I calculated my excitement at a 3.42 and was forced to round down. Z’s follow up move has the potential to slingshot me well into the 4’s (unless he somehow acquires another impact bat in which case 5’s ceiling will not be able to contain me)
You're are never forced to round down.
Rounding up is always an option.
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Just North of Wrigley Field
by jameslcrockett on Jan 16, 2012 3:38 PM PST up reply actions
Rounding either way is not very accurate.
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Just North of Wrigley Field
by jameslcrockett on Jan 16, 2012 8:13 PM PST up reply actions
What the hell are you talking about?
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work... I want to achieve it through not dying.
by Terminator X on Jan 16, 2012 8:27 PM PST up reply actions
One thing though that has dampened my excitement
Even though it shouldn’t, is that the longer the wait, the more I’m convinced Fielder will not be here. I just can’t shake the feeling that the Rangers are gonna pull in and sign him like it was their intention the entire, Darvish or not.
But possibly, with the way it’s heading, it wouldn’t surprise me if somehow Milwaukee gives a one time, final offer that he can’t pass up. Maybe shorter term, higher annual salary. The longer the wait, the greater I believe their chances increase.
Golden Tate is to route running, what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.
So the question I would pose is this:
Why is it that Fielder (at probably $120 million+) is the option you go for when the M’s just got Montero, at less than $500k per year with 6 years of team control? How is this a bad thing?
As an M's fan, how can you not be excited about any season?
by Kiwi Mariner on Jan 16, 2012 3:20 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
By not being excited by it?
Why does being an M’s fan require somebody to always be excited about Mariners’ baseball? That’s far more illogical.
If you are a big enough fan to vote in internet polls about the team, I think it's logical to expect that you would be excited about getting to watch actual baseball games
I might just be crazy though.
by Vegasexpat on Jan 16, 2012 3:26 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
You're crazy.
I follow everything the team does in hopes that maybe I will feel like watching them play again, one day.
by Aaron Campeau on Jan 16, 2012 4:01 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I must be crazy too.
I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t excited.
by Kiwi Mariner on Jan 16, 2012 6:13 PM PST up reply actions
To be fair, we all willingly choose to be Mariner's fans
We’re all crazy
Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by cdlewey on Jan 16, 2012 6:29 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
The place of my birth was not of my choosing
Seattle sports has nurtured me from the beginning and all I can do smile and follow it wherever it goes.
I'm excited that Opening Day in Tacoma is on Thursday this year, which means......
Dollar Night!
Golden Tate is to route running, what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.
by MontpikeMike on Jan 16, 2012 3:27 PM PST up reply actions
Can you still be excited if you're prepared for the worst?
Try being a Cubs fan the last two years, where we were prepared for the worst and damn near got it.
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Just North of Wrigley Field
by jameslcrockett on Jan 16, 2012 3:39 PM PST up reply actions
Woohoo Mariner Baseball!!!
Football is almost over and that means spring training and the unbelievable opportunity for our boys in teal and grey to come together and defy the odds to take us to the playoffs. Where despite statistics and projections WE ARE IN FIRST PLACE! Woohoo!
I went from 2 to 4
My emotional expectation for how many wins we’ll have just went from 70 to 90. Before I was going to be pleasantly surprised. Now I’m possibly going to be underwhelmed again.
Damn.
Determined, Jonesing Commentor
You think Jesus Montero is a 20-win player?
by thehemogoblin on Jan 16, 2012 6:13 PM PST up reply actions
A 20 win upgrade over Pineda, even!
My brain knows that’s retarded, but my heart believes it.
Determined, Jonesing Commentor
A little fuzzy math makes it work.
According to Baseball Reference, Pineda was worth 2.8 WAR in 28 games. But he played in fewer than 18% of the games. If Montero is as good as Pineda, and plays in all 162 games, then his WAR would be about five times higher than Pineda’s, or about 16.2 WAR, which is almost 20 (ok, not really). If he’s just a little better than Pineda, then we could witness history as Montero posts a WAR higher than Babe Ruth’s 1923 season. 20-30 WAR from one player in a single season? That, friends, is something to be excited about.
I'm excited about the 2012 Mariners...
for reasons that have nothing to do with their schedule. I haven’t seen a Mariners game in person where they’ve scored more than 3 runs in over 2 years. I’m pretty sure there’s a good chance I’ll see that happen this year, and I don’t think the pitching is that much worse if it is at all.
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Just North of Wrigley Field
I'm high on Montero(s)(bat).
I would be surprised if comes Out the gate and drops 25 bombs next year. I also expect Smoak and Carp to have breakout years and hit 25 out themselves. We get a full season of Ackley! If three of the four bust out I’ll be extremely happy. I’m really excited to see Franklin, Hultzen, Paxton, and Walker on the horizon. 2013 And beyond are what I’m really excited for. I think we (finally) have a good core to build around.
by sofa_king on Jan 16, 2012 3:38 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Casual Mariners fan here with some questions.
1. Are we out of the Fielder race?
2. What are some reasonable stats to expect from Jesus Montero this season?
Sonicsgate: A movie about how the Sonics were stolen from Seattle.
1. Probably less likely now, but I don't count us out until he ends up signing elsewhere.
2.No idea, but my wild guess is something like .270/.340/.450.
@Goose1701
Compared to what we've had in the line up, it's like Babe Ruth's ghost!
How come you can do all this other great shit, but you can't lie the fuck down and sleep?
The answer to number one is "Probably, but we don't know anything for sure yet because Boras."
I’ll let Jay or someone else with more prospect knowledge than me answer the second question though.
by Cascadian Man on Jan 16, 2012 3:45 PM PST up reply actions
Goose's numbers seem somewhat reasonable though I might be more bearish about the OBP.
That’s a seventy point difference, whereas the best he’s done since his GCL season is a sixty-four point difference, with stops between fifty and sixty. Given what we’ve been hearing about him, I don’t know that I’d expect him to start drawing more walks right out of the gate. I think we should give him some time to ease into that.
by JY on Jan 16, 2012 4:06 PM PST up reply actions
On Fangraphs the projections for OBP were actually higher
But those were assuming the Yankees lineup around him. Plus the Bill James projections always seem overly optimistic (the Fans projections probably are too, considering they were probably dominated by Yankees fans who had been rapturously following Montero for some time)
Regardless of what the actual numbers are, he’s automatically the most potent bat in the M’s lineup (barring some insane breakout by Smoak, or Carp sustaining the unsustainable, or well yeah, the arrival of Prince and the batting unicorns). Ackley will be the higher average / OBP guy, and he seems to be developing more power than people expected, but short of some Figginsian flame-out, Montero is the threatening bat.
I certainly hope (healthy and undistracted) Smoak does have the break-out year too, though:
“Smoak and the Mountain” has such a nice ring to it.
For some reason, I assumed he was playing in the LVBP this offseason and wouldn't have accessible splits because MiLB.com is partially run by mouthbreathers.
But hot diggity, here we are!
Pre-ASB: 70 G, 273 AB, 27 R, 79 H, 12 2B, 3B, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 62/21 K/BB, .289/.346/.418
Post-ASB: 39 G, 147 AB, 25 R, 42 H, 7 2B, 11 HR, 34 RBI, 36/15 K/BB, .286/.352/.558
If he’s walking at the post-ASB rate, the projection seems reasonable. The slugging would be nice too.
by JY on Jan 16, 2012 5:53 PM PST up reply actions
I would not be at all surprised if Smoak had the best production at the end of the year.
He is going to have as good a walk rate as anyone on the team and if he can sustain his ISO above .180 we could see him finish with a line very similar to the above.
Batting unicorns would be awesome.
Or any kind of real unicorn, for that matter.
by Cascadian Man on Jan 16, 2012 8:44 PM PST up reply actions
I don't know that I would say "excited," so much as "curious."
I want to see this Montero kid play a season so I get a better feel of his abilities at catcher and with the stick.
by Two Rs and Two Ls on Jan 16, 2012 3:50 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Went from a 2 to a 3.
This is despite not liking the trade on the prior poll. I think it’s because Jesus Montero isn’t an if we sign Prince Fielder. It’s a solid mental transition that something is happening.
The realization that maybe Paxton or Hultzen or someone is showing up in the near future to replace Pineda and we still get that bat. It’s a good mental feeling.
Went from a 2 to a 3.
Fielder would confuse me as I nudged from to 3 to 4ish. A good stopgap for the loss of Pineda (Noesi thru a decent spring training, or a free agent signing) would guarantee no less than 3.
A legit above average player for 3b or lf – especially 3b – would have me at a 5.
by Chris_FB on Jan 16, 2012 4:01 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Went from a 3 to a 3.
I would like to be more excited than that, but this may be a move that looks more towards 2013 and 2014 than 2012. The prospect of additional offense is nice, but I feel like we’re banking on the high-end of Montero’s projections here and the gap left by Pineda probably won’t be filled easily this season. We have to wait for Hultzen (maybe this season!), Paxton (also maybe), and Walker to step in.
Was at 3. Now at 4.
Even without further additions, next season I get to watch the team break camp with promising young players rather than a bunch of stopgaps and bounce-back candidates. I am looking forward to seeing more Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, Casper Wells, Mike Carp, Kyle Seager, Michael Pineda. Also get to see what we have in John Jaso and potentially Danny Hultzen and James Paxton.
With the way the team is set up, there likely won’t be as much turnover as we had last season. In 2012, we’ll get a better idea of who to stick with going forward and what improvements need to be made.
Swap out Michael Pineda for Hector Noesi and add Jesus Montero to the lineup. Plus Hisashi Iwakuma was added since the last poll. The team is more interesting. And thus, I’m more excited.
Iwakuma is also something of a variable, what with the velocity loss.
The team is more interesting. I don’t know how much better it is.
by JY on Jan 16, 2012 4:25 PM PST up reply actions
I don't know either, but my excitement level is definately rising.
I don’t see my excitement level reaching 5 this offseason, but I’m likely to have more fun watching this team than in previous years.
It's all relative.
I listened to about two-thirds of the games last season and would probably manage roughly the same in the coming year.
by JY on Jan 16, 2012 4:47 PM PST up reply actions
I am a 4 leaning 3, so I voted 4.
I can’t wait to see the “return” of Ichiro being Ichiro.
Dustin Ackley!!!!
I’m excited to see if Justin Smoak can turn it around. Dingers!
Jesus Montero. Dingers!
Carp, meh, but some dingers.
Casper Wells/Trayvon Robinson should be kind of fun, but I’m really hoping Robinson starts to show us more awesomeness.
I’m excited to see what happens with Third base.
I can’t wait to see Franklin Gutierrez do all the sexy things he does.
Brendan Ryan being the poster child for ADHD.
King Felix and his Court.
I do like Jason, I don’t give a shit, Vargas
I’m not sure I how I feel about the rest of pitchers, yet.
Jaso should be a rather interesting case.
Though he doesn’t hit dingers or anything sexy.
"Being number two sucks."-Andre Agassi
I voted 5
The team may suffer from the loss of Pineda, but the addition of Montero, Iwakuma, Jaso, and even Sherrill make this team different, if not more interesting, than last year.
Montero is going to be fun to watch, add in the potential of Smoak and Carp and you’ve got me excited.
I voted 3 but it's more like 3+.
Sad to lose Pineda from a “I want all the things” standpoint but happy to have at least the promise of offense in Jesus. I’ll feel more strongly one way or the other once the 18th passes and the Fielder sweepstakes can get rolling.
I think the nicer feeling
is that alot of the veterans who have been here the past few years, we all knew they wouldnt be here much longer, thus stop blocking youth and letting those guys sink or swim. Cust, Bradley, Branyan, both Wilsons, etc.
Outside of Figgins and maybe Olivo, we dont really have too many of those left. I dont throw League into that catagory because he is still a highly productive player who if for some reason signed a multi-year extension with us, wouldn’t get hate from me.
Golden Tate is to route running, what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.
Earlier, I voted a 2 on how excited I was with the current roster
After the trade, seeing what an Ackley, Smoak, Montero +Carp and Wells and Hultzen (maybe), I’m easily a 4 for 2012, with the hope that we might be able to contend in 2013
Being able to contend in 2013?
Holy crap, I might actually be down on the team then if that’s the majority feeling.
Golden Tate is to route running, what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.
by MontpikeMike on Jan 16, 2012 5:07 PM PST up reply actions
4.
Because I am so fucking stroked for burning, shattering disappointment.
...and now I'm here
A stroke is usually pretty exciting in a very bad way.
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Just North of Wrigley Field
by jameslcrockett on Jan 16, 2012 8:15 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
5!
nothing excites me more than a young, power hitter. plus the news about Smoak and Guti bulking up gives me even more excitement.
I don't remember what I voted last time.
But 3 for this one. I’m very excited to see what happens, but not at all excited to see us not contend. Kind of a conundrum.
Fans are typically idiots.
by The Typical Idiot Fan on Jan 16, 2012 5:10 PM PST reply actions
4 for me.
I’m really excited about Ackley/Carp/Smoak/Montero. And with a healthy Guti and a bouneback season from Ichiro… You never know.
I keep hearing people say a "bounceback" year for Suzuki
And by no way am I trying to start shit, but what makes people think he’ll be bouncing back, especially another year closer to 40? It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he hits .270-ish with an OBP of around .315 this time around.
If I had to bet, I’d be more comfortable saying Gutierrez puts up numbers closer to 2009 than Suzuki ever hitting above .285 again.
Golden Tate is to route running, what Taco Bell is to Mexican food.
Oh duh, how dumb of me to forget.
He was Johjima last year.
Marcus Trufant - proof that you can keep a job simply because of where you're from.
by MontpikeMike on Jan 16, 2012 7:09 PM PST up reply actions
The argument, I think,
is that last year’s disappointing season was more “bad luck” related than “getting older” related. The degree to which Ichiro takes care of his body is far beyond other players, and I don’t think anyone’s sure how to take that into account when considering his (future?) decline phase.
by Two Rs and Two Ls on Jan 16, 2012 7:46 PM PST up reply actions
Wasn't there some stat that showed his infield hit count dropping dramatically due to an unsustainable amount of fantastic plays being made against him?
Or am I just making shit up again?
by Cascadian Man on Jan 16, 2012 8:49 PM PST up reply actions
Fangraphs had his '11 infield-hit percentage as just 10.0
Which was still higher than his 2005 and a little more than a percent off of 2003 and 2008. His bunt hits were low, too (40.0%), but still higher than his 2006, equal to his 2004, and about a percent under his 2003.
Someone’s got more coherent numbers than that, but that’s at least something.
by Two Rs and Two Ls on Jan 16, 2012 9:13 PM PST up reply actions
Went from 2 -> 2.
The 2012 Mariners are going to be terrible.
The redeeming qualities are Felix, and watching young players develop. This trade doesn’t change either of those significantly, if at all, and doesn’t make the Mariners significantly better, if at all.
Mariners fan in SF :: @Eric_Dykstra
3 for 2012, 4 for 2013 and beyond
We now have cheap players around the infield, an inexpensive pitching staff, and what should work out to a fairly cheap DH/C/1B combo for years to come.
We still have outfield depth, and are going to have a LOT to spend in 2013 and 2014.
I am reassessing my 1 vote after some thinking.
Why you ask? Potential Ichiro and Kawasaki commercials.
From 5 to 3
What the fuck is that? We signed a nutria.
by Cuffs_Coddle on Jan 16, 2012 7:44 PM PST up reply actions
What is that, a Kawasaki?
Marcus Trufant - proof that you can keep a job simply because of where you're from.
by MontpikeMike on Jan 16, 2012 7:10 PM PST up reply actions
Oh God he's going to stab Ichiro to death isn't he?
by Cascadian Man on Jan 16, 2012 8:50 PM PST up reply actions
Maybe.
The prelude is probably a slow invasion of his life, the adoption of his style and mannerisms, and an attempt to assume his identity.
… oh god
by JY on Jan 16, 2012 8:55 PM PST up reply actions
At least this clears up our outfield problems!
"You are the molders of their dreams." - Clark Mollenhoff
It's a 3 for me right now, but it'd probably go down to a 2 if we don't do anything for the remainder of the offseason
And it could go up to a 4 depending on the quality of future moves. I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I am no doubt excited about seeing the heart of the order develop.
I am getting more excited about the fact there's a bit of power sprinkled in the lineup.
Lot’s of what ifs but… Guti, Wells, Carp, Smoak, Ackley, Montero all have the ability to hit it out of the park. While nothing has happened to make a big splash I’m starting to see what Jack has been crafting here with his limited resources at hand. Not too shabby.
Am I the only one desperately hoping that the Mariners deal Olivo once the Montero trade is finalized?
No
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Just North of Wrigley Field
by jameslcrockett on Jan 16, 2012 8:16 PM PST up reply actions
I'm rooting for an Olivo trade too.
Make Jaso the starter and split the remainder of games between Montero and Giminez.
As much as I loved Pineda, Montero is something new and that's interesting.
And while Montero isn’t Fielder, I’m going to be excited to watch him and see if he can turn into that. So I went up to a three, which is the vote I made in the earlier Fielder poll.
Went from a 3 to a 3. Adding Jackson on a 3/30ish deal might bump me up to a 4. Don't think a 1-year deal for Oswalt does the same.
There is FAR too much uncertainty on this team and questions at just about every position. How close is Olivo to pulling a Jose Lopez? Which version of Smoak are we going to see? Where does Montero end up playing? Is Ichiro declining and declining hard, or can he bounce back? Can Carp fix his K problem without dampening his power again? Is Wells’ eye problem going to continue to be an issue? And Gutierrez’s stomach? What is actually realistic for Seager/Figgins combo? And Iwakuma/Beavan/Furbush/Noesi is a whole lot of question marks for various reasons. When 2 of the most reliable 4 or 5 players on the team are Brendan Ryan and Jason Vargas I just can’t get my hopes up. I’m excited for certain things about the Mariners, but I am in no way terribly excited about the Mariners as an entirety.
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work... I want to achieve it through not dying.
Jumbaco! Jumbaco! Jumbaco!
I like the fact that many have no idea what this means beings that many people actually don’t have Jack in the Box’s.
BTW I actually only recently found that out and it blew my mind.
But he'd be blocking approximately 6 different platoon options at 1B
Which means we’d be shit out of luck at catcher, DH, and LF. That’s like 1 step forward and 3 steps back.
It's baseball, so I'm always really excited regardless of how bad the team is.
I was probably a 3-3.4 before the trade, now I’d say I’m 3.5-4, so I voted 4. Not that it makes the team much better in the short-term, but I’m excited to see some fucking home runs.
King Felix's Court: The Mariner blog for fans that like copious amounts of noise and alcohol.
When I begin counting the days until Pitchers and Catchers report,
my excitement is a solid 5. This poll would be more accurate if asked after the second week of the season.
"All I saw was purple. No jerseys, no numbers, just purple." - Todd Marinovich
Remember that this is an excitement poll.
Maybe run a poll with both excitement and optimism options and see how close they’d come out. I’m way excited as spring training gets close and probably a 3-1/2 on optimism.
Also can’t wait to change my quote. Spring is almost here!
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring". ~Rogers Hornsby

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