2016 Seattle Mariners Thread - playoff free since 2001!

Already packing it in, huh?

 

Any update on Felix? I feel like getting him back, having a healthy Walker, Kuma, and maybe Paxton staying on and finding his groove would be nice for Julyand August

 

Why are we putting Miley back in the rotation over Karns? I get that Karns hasnt been lights out but compared to Miley he is an ace.

 

Looking ahead, we have to take 2 of 3 from Houston in our next two meetings. I'd prefer we never lose again, but that's not realistic.

Three of four from KC would be nice.

 

Well Rollins really fucked around and the bats just werent connecting. That sucked.

 

Jeff Passan ‏@JeffPassan 3m3 minutes ago
Sources: Cubs and Mariners nearing a deal. LHP Mike Montgomery would go to Chicago. DH/1B Dan Vogelbach would be a piece going to Seattle.

 

Vogelbach seems to be having a good year in Triple-A

 

• Injuries have besieged Mariners left-handed pitching prospect Danny Hultzenin recent years and will likely force him to retire at 26, writes Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune. Hultzen, who peaked entering 2012 as a top 25 prospect by the standards of both MLB.com (16th) and Baseball America (21st), hasn’t pitched regularly since 2013 because of shoulder issues that continue to persist. Hultzen could next find an off-the-field role with the Mariners, according to Dutton.

 

i would be all over that shirt if i were an m's fan

 

http://m.mlbshop.com/Seattle_Marine...s_Ken_Griffey_Jr._Nike_Navy_InductKid_T-Shirt

 

hope you guys beat out houston for the wc :3

also, we converted james jones to a reliever. apparently his fb is in the mid 90s and he has a sick slider.

thanks

 

Hey guys, going to Seattle for the first time in a couple weeks. I'm planning to catch the Brewers/Mariners on Sunday, 8/21. As far as tickets go in Atlanta, stubhub is usually the easiest/most cost effective way to grab tickets a couple of weeks in advance. Any other suggested methods to get tickets? I'm seeing lower level infield Section 135 row 20 for about 70 bucks a seat, idk if that's a reasonable price. Thanks!

 

Seatgeek is better for me than Stubhub might want to check that out. Also, if you havent used it before you can use a promo code and get 20 bucks off.

 

Spoiler

Noah Syndergaard throws the fastest average fastball out of every starting pitcher we have on record. Granted, our record stretches back only to 2002, but that's 15 seasons, and pitchers are throwing harder than ever before. Unsurprisingly, in second place, there's rookie-year Stephen Strasburg, whose every start was a well-publicized event. This year, Syndergaard has averaged 98.0 miles per hour, and in 2010, Strasburg averaged 97.3.

Continue down the list and there's the 2016 version of Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton in third place, at 97.2 miles per hour. His name might be relatively unfamiliar, but it's a name worth keeping in mind as the Mariners try to make a charge for the playoffs. Paxton is coming into his own at the big league level, and he seems to be turning into a pitcher short on peers.

Now, as anyone who has watched Yordano Ventura can tell you, there's more to pitching than just throwing hard. If you object to the Ventura reference, Nathan Eovaldi works well as a stand-in. Hitters can hit bad fast pitches, and they can hit good fast pitches if they don't have to worry about anything else. Paxton is taking a step forward, and it's about more than simply letting it fly. Name an area where a pitcher could improve and Paxton has probably improved at it.

This is a starter who has been around since 2013. However, lat and finger injuries limited him to just 13 big league starts in each of the past two years. Already that's one improvement: This year, Paxton has been durable, with 23 starts between Triple-A and the majors. But let me show you what this breakout looks like in table form. There are 168 starting pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings in each of the past two seasons. (Paxton, for what it's worth, has easily cleared those low marks.) Here you can see how Paxton has improved in three stats, and you can see his improvement rank among those 168:


Paxton has worked hard to drop about 20 pounds since last offseason. Yet that can't explain everything, because in spring training, the newly slim Paxton was awful, throwing his fastball in the lower 90s. Something else had to be tweaked.

That something was Paxton's throwing motion. Shortly after starting the year at Triple-A, Paxton lowered his arm angle. Results and velocity followed, with Paxton saying the new arm slot felt more natural. Paxton brought the lower slot into the majors, and though he has worked to raise it back up a few inches, it's still below where he used to be. Where he is now is his preferred compromise: not too high and not too low. Based on what we've seen, and especially of late, it seems this slot is where his arm wants to go. Paxton visually appears more smooth, and that smoothness translates into force going directly to home plate.

Paxton has achieved about four straight games of release-point consistency, and over those four games, he has allowed six runs, with three walks and 27 strikeouts. His fastball has been steady, between 97-98 mph, and his cutter and curve have been present for useful diversity. Paxton was encouraging even before the four starts, based on the arm strength and the strikes, but now more than ever, it looks like he's assembling his own puzzle. Paxton, for the first time, is throwing strikes both inside and outside of the zone, which tends to be done only by pitchers who are mostly complete.

Considering the headline here, there are two crucial differences between Paxton and Noah Syndergaard. One, where Paxton is a southpaw, Syndergaard is a righty. The two, therefore, offer very different looks. And then, whereas Paxton is throwing plenty of strikes, Syndergaard has been more of a strikeout machine. Syndergaard, to this point, has been harder to hit. Yet Syndergaard is also in the National League, and Paxton seems to gain more every start. Regardless, hitting against both of them would count as a chore.

It's not important to get too stuck on the specifics. Of course Noah Syndergaard and James Paxton aren't identical starting pitchers. Of course Syndergaard is the more established of the two. Yet Syndergaard is a flame-thrower in the National League who overwhelms with both velocity and control, and Paxton is a flame-thrower in the American League who's learning to do the same. Seldom does a pitcher in this mold come along. Rarer still does a pitcher ascend to the level following years upon years of frustration.

 

Sorry guys

:(

Wanted y'all to make the WC and bury Houston in the dirt where they belong

 

What a bunch of assholes.

 

Damn you, Ketel.

 

Are we making playoffs or not? These fucks are toying with my emotions.