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The Mariners churned their roster this offseason in a manner more suitable to a video game. Some of the new acquisitions have done well -- see Leoyns Martin -- while others have thus far been disappointing. While we know all too well how our local team is performing, how are our old friends faring early in the 2016 season?
The Good
- It's early yet, but Mark Trumbo is thriving in Baltimore, hitting five homers and driving in eleven runs already. Trumbo has always had power, but so far he's cut his strikeout rate by over five percentage points, swinging at balls out of the zone and balls within it at career-best rates.
The Bad
- Roenis Elias didn't make the Red Sox out of camp, and has struggled with free passes as a starter in Pawtucket. Elias could be called up soon to start in place of the injured Joe Kelly.
- Danny Farquhar has given up two walks and a dong-dong in just four innings of work, but he has struck out four batters and his ERA is good, so it's hard to call him ugly. Farquhar's velocity is steady, and the Rays having him using his cutter less in favor of his changeup.
The Ugly
- While Nate Karns hasn't been awesome, boy have Logan Morrison and Brad Miller been bad. LoMo can barely make contact, and when he does, he's not hitting the ball hard. Miller hasn't been much better, but at least there are some decent signs in his profile that suggest he may be able to turn things around.
- Tom Wilhelmsen was not only battered by the Mariners, but by the Orioles, as well. Wilhelmsen hasn't struck out a single one of the 26 batters he's faced this season, and his fastball velocity is down nearly two full ticks from last year. The Mariners sure did dodge a bullet with The Bartender.
- Carson Smith hasn't had a directly negative impact on the Red Sox's season, but his arm troubles has kept him on the shelf and weakened the team's bullpen.
The Minors
- James Jones has been quite bad for the Rangers in Triple-A, striking out nearly a third of the time and walking just twice in 42 plate appearances.
- C.J. Riefenhauser has given up six earned in less than three innings of work for the Iowa Cubs, his third organization in six months.
- Jesus Montero has done well in Triple-A Buffalo, though that's nothing new.
Bonus! Older Friends
- Justin Smoak has less than 30 plate appearances, but he's already struck out 13 times. In the good news column, he's also walked eight times, so his OBP is a stunning .481.
- Dustin Ackley hasn't missed a single pitch this year! Granted, he's swung just 12 times, but hey, it's something fun. Ackley won't be playing in New York unless there's an injury.
- Austin Jackson hasn't contributed much in Chicago, though at least the club is smart enough to bat him in the bottom third of the lineup, instead of at the tip top.
- Dominic Leone has done fine in five minor league appearances, and may be in line for a promotion any time now.
- Welington Castillo hasn't been crushing the ball in Arizona like he did last year, but he's still hit the ball out of the park thrice.
- Michael Saunders has been awesome for the Blue Jays, and although some of it is just BABIP related, he's already racked up seven extra base hits. The man he was traded for, J.A. Happ, hasn't carried over all of the Ray Searage magic to Toronto, but there's some signs that he's a little more than the back-of-the-rotation arm we saw in Seattle.