The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

[Deuce2223]

Franchise Settings/PS3 MLB14 The Show
Mariners-Full Control-minus Auto Scouting
Other 29 Teams-Will control Draft,Free Agency,Contracts and Trades
Play-Every 3rd game (starting SP #3,#1,#4,#2,#5)
Minors-Will post monthy updates
MLB Trades-Will use Trade Forum for ideas to keep fair and realism. Will limit # of trades I make to 2 per season plus 1 additional off-season.
Free Agents-Will assign players as I see fit due to injuries.

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Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

[CENTER]

FRANCHISE HISTORY





TRANSACTION HISTORY

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Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

TEAM HISTORY

Since joining the league in 1977, the Seattle Mariners have posted a losing record in 26 of their 37 seasons and they didn't even post their first winning season until 1991.

The Mariners posted back to back playoff appearances in 2000 and 2001 including winning a record 116 games in 2001, but lost in both seasons to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Seattle followed up those playoff berths with back to back seasons with 93 wins (2002 and 2003), but then fell on tough times with 3 straight 4 place finishes in the AL West after failing to win even 80 games (63,69,78). In 2007 the M's celebrated their 30th year anniversary with 88 wins and a 2nd place finish in the division, but then followed it up with their worst year ever losing 101 games in 2008 and then did it again in 2010.


Mariner fans have seen some great players in the teams history, from the likes of Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr, Alex Rodriguez, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, Harold Reynolds, Alvin Davis and most recently Ichiro and King Felix Hernandez, who has become the face of the franchise.

Now with a new TV network deal in place with Root Sports, the M's are ready to compete with the big boys, with over 2 billion dollars available over the next 20 years, the Mariners are no longer a small market ball club and now have the money to go after the best of the best available on the free agent market.

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Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

OFF-SEASON NEWS

After missing out the past 2 years on Free Agents like Prince Fielder, Josh Hamilton and Justin Upton, the Mariners finally found someone to give some of their billion dollar TV money too as they sign Robinson Cano to a 10 year 240 million dollar deal.

Cano a 5 time All-Star, who owns a career .309 BA and has averaged over 24 HR's and 97 RBI's in his career is a great start to trying to turn the Franchise around but he can't do it alone.

Seattle also signed slugger Corey Hart to a 1 year deal with a base salary of 5 million plus another 8 million in incentives. Hart has 30 HR and 100 RBI capabilities but can injuries have plagued him in his career. He will likely spend the bulk of his season at DH.

The M's also dealt promising fireballer Carter Capps to the Miami Marlins for Logan Morrison. L-Mo once a promising prospect also has had injuries plague his career but Seattle is hoping the 1B/OF can provide enough production to offset that they currently are not getting from their current 1B and OF spots.

Seattle didn't stop their they also signed former Mariner Willie Bloomquist to a 2 year 5.8 million dollar deal to come in and provide a spark of the bench, added veteran catcher John Buck and his power bat to backup Mike Zunino at catcher and brought in a several veteran SP's to compete for spots in the rotation (Mark Rodgers, Randy Wolf, Chris Young, Ramon Ramirez, Scott Baker).

Another huge signing for the M's was that of Closer Fernando Rodney. Well he was just 37/45 in save attempts last year for the Ray's he was 48/50 in 2012 and back in 2008 was 37/38 for the Tigers proving he has the skills to be a 9th inning shutdown guy.


The M's let one of the LOGGY's go last season in Oliver Perez, but brought in a new one in Joe Beimel. A 12 year vet Beimel has logged over 600 innings in his career well pitching for 6 teams including 2 stints with the Pirates whom he made his debut back in 2001 starting 15 games and winning 7 of them.

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Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

SPRING TRAINING NEWS



A LOOK AT THE 40 MAN ROSTER

Catcher

Mike Zunino showed his ability to hit for power hitting 13 HR’s in 2013 in AAA Tacoma and hitting 5 HR’s in 52 games when called up to Seattle. He will enter the season as the starter but if he can’t get his average up, the M’s will at least have a new and better option behind him.

John Buck comes in with 134 career HR’s including 15 in 2013 with the Mets and has hit double digit HR’s in 8 MLB seasons including a career high 20 in 2010 with Toronto.

Jesus Sucre enters camp hitting .174 in 23 AB’s last season, unless he wows in the spring he will likely start the year in AAA Tacoma.

1st Base

Justin Smoak hit a career high 20 HR’s last season but it came with a .238 BA, not exactly the #’s that had M fans where dreaming about when he was acquired via the Cliff Lee trade.
With 39 HR’s, 100 RBI’s and a .225 average over the past 2 years it could be time for Seattle to move on.

That’s where Corey Hart and Logan Morrison come in.

Hart missed all of 2013 but before that he averaged 29 HR’s and 83 RBI’s over 3 seasons with the Brewers well hitting a .279 average.

Morrison however looks to be more of a Smoak clone with a career best 23 HR’s and 72 RBI’s in 2011, it came with a .247 BA which happens to be his career average.

2nd Base

Robinson Cano takes over and gives the M’s their best 2-bagger since Harold Reynolds with a 5-year average of 29 HR’s 100+ RBI’s and .300 BA, but can he really put up that kind of #’s for the next 10?

Nick Franklin made his MLB debut last season logging 369 AB’s hitting .225 with 12 HR’s and 45 RBI’s. Once the #3 prospect on the Top-20 board (2012), Franklin’s future is full of ???’s Does he change positions to remain a starter, does he become a super utility player like that of Bloomquist or will he be dealt to acquire a new arm or more proven bat.

SS

Brad Miller like Franklin made his MLB debut last season. Once rated the #9 prospect on the Top-20 board (2012), Miller hit .265 with 8 HR’s and drove in 36 runs after hitting .319 with 12 HR’s and 53 RBI’s in AAA Tacoma.

Willie Bloomquist made his debut for Seattle back in 2002, hitting .455 in 32 AB’s. He left the M’s in 2009 spending a year with KC logging a career high 435 AB’s hitting .265 with 25 SB’s in 31 attempts, which turned led to a Sept trade to the Reds and then a Free Agent deal with Arizona where he spent 3 seasons. Now is he is back to provide veteran leadership behind Miller and give the M’s a nice utility option as he can play anywhere on the field except Catcher and Pitcher.

3B

Kyle Seager made is Mariner debut in 2011 but had a breakout year in 2012 hitting 20 HR’s and driving in 86 runs well batting .259. He followed it up in 2013 hitting .260 with 22 HR’s and driving in in 68 runs

LF

Dustin Ackley like Seager made his debut in 2011 as the Mariners 2B logging 333 AB’s hitting .273. In 2012 he had a career high 607 AB’s hitting .226 with 12 HR’s 50 RBI’s and 13 SB’s. Then in 2013 he had a setback hitting just 4 HR’s and stealing just 2 bases well hitting .253 as he made the transition to the OF. Now with a move to the OF fulltime for the start of the 2014 season, can the former #2 Overall pick in the 2009 hit enough to keep the job.


CF

Abraham Almonte hit .264 with 2 HR and 9 RBI in 72 AB’s last season, but it’s his 206 career Stolen Bases in the minors that have the M’s hoping he can hit well enough to play CF and bat leadoff in 2014.

If Almonte can’t then the M’s could either turn to either Michael Saunders who has the ability to hit 20 HR’s and steal 20 SB’s (hit 19 and stole 21 in 2012) or Seattle could look to other minor league options like James Jones, Julio Morban, or veteran Endy Chavez.

RF

If Morrison can stay healthy and prove he is capable of being the everyday RF then the job is likely his. If not the M’s will go with a platoon of Saunders in RF along with rookie Stefen Romero. Romero is a former corner IF and Top-10 prospect and his Right handed bat is likely going to be needed as Ackley, Saunders, Morrison, Chavez,Jones, Morban all bat Left handed.

DH

See combo of Hart/Morrison/Smoak plus don't count out former #1 Overall prospect and drug user Jesus Montero. Once considered to be the future #1 Catcher, Montero's defense caused him to lose his job, but his 15 HR's and 62 RBI's in 2012 proves he has power and a move to DH/1B is his future. He will likely start the year in AAA, but if Hart or Morrison can't stay healthy expect him to get a call up.




Starting Pitching

Going into the Spring it appeared the M’s rotation would be their strength with Felix and Iwakuma projected in the #1 and #2 spots.

Hernandez is coming off a 12-10 season with a 3.04 ERA, but he has proven he has the stuff to win 20 games with some run support.

Iwakuma stepped up last year leading the team with 14 wins (14-6) well posting a 2.66 ERA

Top prospects (#1) Taijuan Walker, (#3) James Paxton and Danny Hultzen (was #2 in 2013) are all projected to battle with Blake Beavan (11 wins in 2012), Erasmo Ramirez, Hector Noesi, Brandon Maurer (14 starts in 2013 #11 prospect in 2012) and Roenis Elias for the #3-5 spots.

Now with Iwakuma,Walker and Hultzen all on the DL to start the year, veterans Mike Rodgers and Chris Young were brought in to compete

Young won 12 games back in 2005 well with the Rangers and followed it up in 2006 going 11-5 with a 3.45 ERA for the Padres in in 2007 he went 9-8 with a 3.12 ERA, but since 2009 he has won more than 4 games.

The likely hood is that Ramirez, Paxton, will now start as the #2, #3, with Young, Elias, Maurer and Beavan batting for the #4 and #5.

Bullpen.

Lefty Oliver Perez was let go, but veteran Joe Beimel was invited to camp to compete with Charlie Furbush and Lucas Luetge for the LOGGY role.

Former Closer T. Wilhelmsen (24/29) and Danny Farquhar (16/20) will move to the 7th and 8th inning with new closer Fernando Rodney taking over the 9th inning.

With Stephen Pryor also projected to start the year on the DL, Y. Medina will likely make the club as another righty after winning 4 games and posting as 2.91 ERA last season.

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

M'S ANNOUNCE THE 25-MAN ROSTER

ROTATION

#1-RHP Felix Hernandez (91 Ovr)
"Had 3 wins and a 0.50 ERA in this spring"

#2-LHP James Paxton (73 Ovr)
"Had 4 wins and posted a 3.50 ERA in 5 starts this spring"

#3 RHP Chris Young (77 Ovr)
"Had 3 wins and a Era in the 5's this spring"

#4 RHP Blake Beavan (71 Ovr)
"Also had 3 wins and 2nd best era among starters at 3.31"

#5 LHP Roenis Elias (68 Ovr)
Posted 2 wins and a ERA in the 5's"

Deuce's take on the rotation

"With ERA's in the 8's Ramirez and Maurer will head to Tacoma. Iwakuma and Walker will need to get healthy quickly, if not a deal will need to be made"

BULLPEN

LR-RHP Hector Noesi (67 Ovr)
"Had 2 wins and a ERA in the 4's, but Elias being a lefty earned him the spot in the rotation. They could switch early on in the season"

MRP-RHP Tom Wilhelmsen (78 Ovr)
"Posted a ERA in the 5's. The days of closing out games for this bartender are over"

MRP-RHP Yoervis Medina (74 Ovr)
"Had a 3.50 ERA in 11 IP but did manage 12 K's"

MRP-LHP Lucas Luetge (64 Ovr)
"Won the other Loggy role over Beimel (6.50 ERA in 10 IP) with a. 3.72 ERA in 9 IP."

SU-RHP Daniel Farquar (79 Ovr)
"Had the best spring of all RP's posting a 0.71 ERA in 11 IP"

SU-LHP Charlie Furbush (73 Ovr)
"Had #'s very similar to Medina with a ERA in the mid 3's"

CP-RHP Fernado Rodney (85 Ovr)
"Had a horrible spring with a 9.00 ERA but did manage to save 4 of 6"

Deuce's take on the Bullpen

"The Bullpen has the potential to be really good, the best in years. LHP Beimel (61) and RHP Carson Smith (77) offer good options in AAA for promotions as does Dominic Leone (74) who will close in AA."

INFIELD/OUTFIELD

C- Mike Zunino (75 Ovr)
"Hit .250 with 3 HR's"

1B-S Justin Smoak (74 Ovr)
"Hit just .203 but did manage to hit 3 HR's and tied sever for #2 in RBI's with 10"

2B-Robinson Cano (97 Ovr)
"Did what he does, hitting .321 with 3 HR's and 10 RBI"

SS-Brad Miller (75 Ovr)
"Hit .293 with 1 HR and 8 RBI well stealing 4 of 4."

3B-Kyle Seager (77 Ovr)
"Hit .263 with 2 HR and 10 RBI"

LF-Dustin Ackley (72 Ovr)
"Lead the team with 4 HR's and 11 RBI well hitting .276"

CF-Michael Saunders (72 Ovr)
"Hit .311 with 2 HR and 10 RBI well Almonte hit just .195 and was sent to AAA"

RF-Logan Morrison (70 Ovr)
"Hit just .248 with 1 HR and 5 RBI, but will get a chance to do better when it counts"

DH-Corey Hart (82 Ovr)
"Hit .309 with 3 HR and 9 RBI in 42 AB's"

Deuce's take on the lineup

"The starting lineup is lefty heavy. Hopefully Hart and Zunino can provide some much needed righty power. Saunders, Miller,Ackley all over decent speed, but his team still lacks a true base stealing threat. Jones is that guy, but can he hit himself into the lineup, or will the M's make a trade for a true CF"

BENCH

UTL-Willie Bloomquist (74 Ovr)
"Hit .273 with 5 RBI's"

IF/OF Stefen Romero (65 Ovr)
"Hit .242 in 33 AB's, but won the spot over Franklin for the time being"

OF-James Jones (66 Ovr)
"Hit .375 in 16 AB's earning the backup role over Almonte and Chavez, his speed 3/3 steals could factor in as well"

C-John Buck (66 Ovr)
"Hit just .195 in 18 AB's which has led to discussion of Montero going back to AAA to work on his catching skills as well as playing 1B"

Deuce's take on the Bench

"Expect eyes to be on the Tacoma lineup early on as we look to find a hot bat. There is alot of OF depth in both AAA and AA, but the question is can they hit at the MLB level. Franklin and Montero both will look to work on playing multiple defense positions in order to be better fits for the bench likely replacing Buck and Bloomquist"

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

GAME 1

Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels
Mar 31, 2014	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle ()								2		2	11
Los Angeles ()	1		3							4	5
W: Weaver (1-0) L: Hernandez (0-1) S: Frieri (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			SEA	LAA

GAME RECAP

H. Kendrick doubles in the 1st and scores off a M. Trout single in the 1st, then Kendrick drives in Iannetta in the 3rd and then scores again along with Aybar on a Trout triple to the gap to make it 4-0 in the 3rd.

King Felix would leave after just going 5 IP giving up all 4 runs on 5 hits striking out 5.

Weaver stranded base runners all game until the 8th giving up back to back homeruns to J. Smoak and K. Seager.

Frieri comes in the 9th and strikes out 2 for the save.

GAME 2

Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels
Apr 1, 2014	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle (0-1)						2				2	7
Los Angeles (1-0)		2						4		6	8
W: Wilson (1-0) L: Luetge (0-1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			SEA	LAA

GAME RECAP

J. Hamliton hits a solo HR and E. Aybar hits a RBI single to put the Angles on the board in the 2nd off J. Paxton.

Paxton would go 7 IP giving up the 2 runs on 6 hits well walking 4.

Seattle would tie the game in the 6th off a 2-run C. Hart HR, but in the 8th L. Luetge would give up a base hit to Hamilton and was relieved by Y. Medina.

Medina then walked Kenrick, and later loaded the bases for JP Shuck to hit a grand slam..

GAME 3

Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels
Apr 2, 2014	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle (0-2)				1					3	4	9
Los Angeles (2-0)											5
W: C. Young (1-0) L: H. Santiago (0-1) S: F. Rodney (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			SEA	LAA

GAME RECAP

R. Cano gives the M's the 1-0 lead on a solo HR in the 4th and that's all C. Young need as he gives up just 4 hits in 7 IP striking out 4 to give Seattle their first win of the season.

F. Rodney game in and pitched both the 8th and 9th to pick up his first save.

De La Rosa relieved Santiago in the 9th and gave up 4 hits including a 3 run HR to C. Hart.

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

MARINERS FINISH MONTH OF APRIL IN FIRST

For Mariner fans hoping to see their team end a 13 year playoff drought, seeing their team sitting atop the standings at the end of April is a good start.

Winning 7 of their last 10 games, the M's (15-11) currently hold a 1 game lead over the Oakland A's (15-13) and a 1.5 game lead over the surprising Houston Astros (14-13) however the rest of the West isn't to far behind as the Angles finish (13-13) and the Rangers are just 3.5 games back at (12-15)

King Felix has been the star winning his last 3 starts since losing on opening day and has a team leading 2.25 ERA and has pitched 5 quality starts out of 6.

The rest of the rotation has left alot to be desired. #5 SP Roenis Elias currently is tied with Hernandez at 3-1, and has the 2nd best ERA at 4.21.

Rookie James Paxton has pitched 3 of 5 quality starts but is just 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA, and well Chris Young has 1 complete game shutout and a 7 IP shutout in 2 of his starts, his other 3 starts have not even been quality as he is 2-2 with a 4.73 ERA



Danny Farquhar has continued his strong spring, with 10 2/3 IP of relief posting a 0.00 ERA picking up a win and save.

Fernando Rodney has been lights out in the closer role saving 11/11 games well posting a 0.79 ERA.

The rest of the bullpen however has been horrible at best. Lefty Lucas Luetge is 1-3 with a 10.80 ERA in 3 1/3 IP. T. Wilhelmsen has a 6.00 ERA in 18 IP of work, Furbush has a 4.05, Medina has a 4.97 and H. Noesi has a 5.52

Corey Hart has stayed healthy has given the M's the power bat they have been craving hitting .289 with 7 HR's and 20 RBI's.

Justin Smoak is on fire hitting a team best .315 among starters adding 5 HR's and 14 RBI, well Kyle Seager has posted a .313 with 4 and 15.

The 240 million dollar man (Robinson Cano) however hasn't not been able to continue his spring success in the first month of the season hitting just .189 with 4 HR and 9 RBI, well LF Dustin Ackley after leading the team in all offensive cat's is hitting just .174 with 1 HR and 7 RBI

Ackley isn't the only OF struggling, S. Romero is hitting just .154 with 1 RBI in 13 AB's and James Jones is hitting .209 in 39 AB's and has just 1 steal.

Another key position (Catcher) has also been a huge disappointment. Starter Mike Zunino is hitting just .197 with 1 HR and 4 RBI well backup John Buck is hitting just .154 in 13 AB's

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

USS MARINER DOWN ON THE FARM REPORT

The Tacoma Rainiers finished the month of April (14-12) and are currently 4 games back of the Reno Aces (18-8).


The talk of the rotation in AAA Tacoma has been none other then Jordan Pries.

Jordan Pries? I know most of you assumed we would be talking about Erasmo Ramirez, Brandon Maurer or even Anthony Fernandez here, but Pries has been lights out.

In 5 starts, Pries has pitched 4 quality picking up wins in all 4 as he leads the team in that cat. He also has posted a team best 0.69 ERA.

Don't know much about Pries, well he was a 30th round selection out of Stanford. That's right Stanford.. A teammate of Mark Appeal, Pries was the #2 on the Cardinals staff in 2011, but by looking at their #'s you wouldn't have guessed it.

Appel: 3.02 ERA, .277 avg against, 29 BB, 86 K
Pries: 3.41 ERA, .269 avg. against, 32 BB, 76 K


At 23, Pries will never make the Top-20 Prospect board, but this mid 80's throwing RHP is making a strong case to join the M's rotation sooner then later.


So well Pries has been outstanding and takes home the AAA "Player of the Month", here are some other note worthy performances.

SP E. Ramirez (79/B) Is 2-3 with 5 of 6 quality starts posting a 1.69 ERA

CP C. Smith (78/B) Is 7/7 save opps with a 0.00 ERA

RP L. Bawcom (68/C) Has a 1.29 ERA in 14 IP


At the plate, Nick Franklin(71B) is playing like someone who either wants to be back in the big's.. Franklin is currently hitting .311 with a team high 15 RBI's

Veteran C, Humberto Quintero(70/C) is proving he can still rake at 34 hitting .292 in 24 AB's, well 1B/DH/C Jesus Montero (71/B) is hitting .295 with 2 HR and 7 RBI.

But the player who want to highlight in this report is IF/OF Ty Kelly(63/C).

Acquired from Baltimore in the E. Thames deal, Ty Kelly is a man without a position and at 25 that's not a good thing, but one could say current M Willie Bloomquist has turned the ability to play multiple positions into a good thing.

So what's to love about Ty Kelly? Well for starters he currently leads Tacoma with a .351 BA in 57 AB's. What's better, he leads the team in OBP (.403) and OPS (.877) and he has 0 errors well playing 3B,2B and some OF.

What's not to love about Kelly. Well he has no power (1 HR) and he doesn't run well (last year he was caught 7 out of 10 and his career #'s in 6 seasons are 35 steals and 24 caught)


So the question now is can Kelly someone get his bat to the major league level?

Like their parent club, the Jackson Generals are currently in 1st place in the Southern North at 14-11 tied with the Chatty Lookouts (14-11) and currently 2 games ahead of the Tennessee Smokies (12-13)

So who is responsible for these 14 wins?

Well #1 SP RHP Victor Sanchez(68/B) is currently 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA pitching 4 of 5 quality starts. Sanchez is currently #6 on the M's Top-20 Board

#2 SP LHP Tyler Pike (67/B) has also pitched 4 of 5 quality starts posting a 2-0 record with a 2.41 ERA. Pike is currently #9 on the M's Top-20 Board

RP David Cohen (65/D) has posted a 0.50 ERA in 18 IP of relief, well Dominic Leone (74/B) has taken to the CP duties saving 9/9 games well posting a 2.57 ERA in 7 IP of work.

At the plate, 2013 1st Round Pick DJ Peterson(68/B) currently is leading the team with 4 HR's and 17 RBI's, numbers worthy of his #2 ranking on the Top-20 Board, but is hitting just .205

Fellow 2013 draft pick OF Austin Wilson (65/B) however is hitting .369 in 84 AB's well hitting 3 HR's and driving in 12 runs,proving his #12 ranking in the Top-20 board might not be good enough.

And Super-Utility man Jack Marder (61/D) is currently hitting .320 in 75 AB's with 1 HR and 12 RBI. Once #14 on the Top-20 Board in 2012, Marder is now 24 and is no longer really considered a prospect. Like Kelly mentioned above. His big league future is closing fast.

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

MONTH OF MAY RECAP

The Seattle Mariners finish the month of May with a 32-24 Overall Record holding onto a 2.0 game lead over the Texas Rangers (30-26) and a 4.0 game lead over the Oakland A's (28-28) well L.A. is now (25-30) and Houston has fall into last at (23-34).

7-3 in their last 10 games, the M's finish the month with with back to back win's as King Felix Hernandez picks up his 5th win of the year (5-2 with a 1.86 ERA)

Well Felix has been outstanding, much of the M's success has come at the hands of the Mariners bats.

DH Corey Hart followed up a 8 HR April with 8 more in May and now has 16 HR's and 45 RBI's on the season to go with a .272 BA. His 16 Homeruns places him in 3rd place behind Edwin Encarnacion (18)and M. Cabrera, Adam Jones and Prince Fielder (all have 17), well his 45 RBI's has him in 3rd place as well behind Fielder (49) and David Ortiz (46).

Fellow F.A. add, Robinson Cano is slowly improving as he is now hitting .218 with 9 HR's and 24 RBI's.

Logan Morrison has yet to find his grove as he is hitting .252 with 3 HR and 15 RBI playing as the primary RF.

Morrison isn't the only OF struggling proving the M's will need to make a move if they are going to keep 1st place in the West.

D. Ackley is hitting .241 with 3 HR's and 12 RBI

M. Saunders is hitting .250 with 4 HR's and 15 RBI

J. Jones is hitting .156 in 96 AB's and S. Romero is hitting .205 with 1 HR and 4 RBI in 44 AB's.

3B Kyle Seager continues to prove he is a cornerstone of the IF, hitting .284 with 9 HR and 24 RBI's, and SS Brad Miller has proved he is the M's future at SS hitting .289 with 7 HR and 24 RBI.

1B J. Smoak went from being super hot in April to not so much in May as he now is hitting .248 with 7 HR's and 20 RBI (just 2 HR and 6 RBI in May), leaving 1B as another position to be upgraded..

C Mike Zunino continues to struggle as he is hitting .172 with 2 HR and 9 RBI proving he could use some time in AAA to get his stroke back, but veteran John Buck as turned things around is now hitting .325 with 1 HR and 6 RBI in 40 AB's.

Another vet who has provided stable play has been IF W. Bloomquist who is hitting .276 with 1 HR and 9 RBI in 116 AB's.


So what about the rotation?

Well #3 SP C. Young currently leads the team in wins with 6 (6-3) well pitching 6 of 11 quality starts posting a 4.00 ERA.

#2 SP Rookie James Paxton is 3-3 with a 4.68 ERA also pitching 6 of 11 quality starts and #4 Blake Beavan is 5-3 with a 4.70 ERA with the same # of QS.

Fellow Rookie #5 SP R. Elias is currently 4-4 with a 6.37 ERA and has pitched 4 of 11 quality starts.

Loggy Lucas Luetge has turned things around in May going 4-1 and has lowered his ERA to 3.12 in 17 IP.

Righty D. Farquhar(1-1 with a 1.19 ERA in 22 IP) has continued to pitch well proving to be a great 8 inning gap to closer F. Rodney (19 of 20 saves with a 2.37 ERA in 19 IP)

The rest of the bullpen has left alot to be desired.

T. Wilhelmsen has 3 wins but a 4.01 ERA in 33 IP, Loggy C. Furbush has pitched just 10 IP and is 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA and RHP Y. Medina is 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA in 28 IP, well LR Hector Noesi has a 5.08 ERA in 33 IP.

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

DOWN ON FARM

The Tacoma Rainiers are currently 29-28 after the Month of May but have fallen back 7.0 games from Reno who is off to a blistering pace at 36-21. To make matters worse the Sacramento RiverCats have gotten hot of late and are (35-22) leaving only the Fresno Grizzlies (22-35) between Tacoma and last place.

At the plate, Nick Franklin continues to improve is stock for either a promotion or a trade as is currently hitting .304 with 3 HR's and a team high 36 RBI's. Ty Kelly's bat is still above .300 at .314. Both players have been playing more OF as they look give the M's flexibility in the field, however Kelly's lack of power (1 HR in 137 AB's) leave him a unlikely replacement for the already powerless Mariners OF.

Speaking of power, RF J. Blash currently leads Tacoma with 7 HR's but has just 15 RBI and is hitting .215 leaving it likely that he will need to stay in AAA for most of the season.

Veterans Cole Gillespie (.257 5 HR 17 RBI), Endy Chavez (.296, 1 HR 15 RBI) and H. Quintero (.304 2 HR 7 RBI) are all likely to get a callup at some point but again none offer much in terms of being a difference maker.

On the mound #1 SP E. Ramirez is making a case to be promoted. He leads the team with 5 wins (5-4) and a 2.32 ERA as well as has 9 quality starts out of 12.

SP Jordan Pries is still pitching strong with a 2.06 ERA and 8 of 11 quality starts, but a lack of run support has him now 5-4 having lost 3 of his last 4 starts.

Loggy Joe Beimel is making a case to rejoin the Seattle bullpen with a 2.91 ERA in 21 IP, well Carson Smith has been lights out saving 18 of 18 games well still not allowing a run in 16 IP.

Well Tacoma's hope of a playoff berth is dropping, the Jackson Generals are holding strong to 1st place in the Southern League North Division with a 35-21 record, having won 8 of their last 10.

DJ Peterson continues to lead the charge at the plate with 10 HR's and 31 RBI's well raising his average to .254

Austin Wilson also looks like the real deal as he is still above .300 at .332 with 8 HR's and 34 RBI's.

Fellow OF X. Avery is showing signs of life as he has his average over .300 at .302 and he currently leads the team with 9 SB's.

On the Mound, Victor Sanchez is dominating with a 7-2 record and 2.71 ERA. Tyler Pike (6-1 3.34 ERA) and E. Diaz (6-2 3.16) also are pitching well proving that the M's don't just have a "Big 3" in Walker/Paxton/Hutlzen, but also a Part II in these 3.

D. Leone is continuing to pitch well in the closer role with 19/21 save opps, as he looks to make the move west to Tacoma

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

M'S GM JACK ZDURIENCIK IS STEPPING ASIDE

Since coming to Seattle in 2008, Jack Zduriencik's tenure as the Mariners GM has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride. Nicknamed "Trader Jack", Mr Z has never really made a deal that actually has helped the M's on the field. His strengths have always been his ability to draft well bringing in the likes of Seager,Ackley,Zunino,Walker,ect..

Now 6 years later after signing a extension that would keep him in the front office through the 2014 season, "Trader Jack" is stepping down after the 2014 Draft.

So who is taking his place? A relative unknown in the organization. Ryne "The Deuce" Scott who like Mr Z started out as a Special Assistant to the GM and has been a key figure in scouting development.

Jack Z

"Deuce is going to to do a great job and I believe he has the skills to get the team where I failed to do, the playoffs..."

DEUCE MAKES MOVES FOR JUNE

THE ROTATION

With news of current #4 SP B. Beavan hitting the DL, the M's got lucky that original projected #2 H. Iwakuma coming off the DL will take his spot in the rotation.

The Deuce has also announced that E. Ramirez will be recalled from AAA Tacoma and will be taking over the #5 spot in the rotation from R. Elias who will move to the bullpen for the time being as LR H. Noesi was traded to the Texas Rangers for a PTBNL

Taking Ramirez's spot in Tacoma will be none other then #1 Prospect T. Walker who has been on the DL since the spring.

THE BULLPEN

With Elias joining the bullpen as the LR, the Deuce made another surprising move promoting veteran J. Beimel replacing Y. Medina. This now gives the M's 4 Lefty's in the bullpen to go with Tom "The Bartender" Wihelmsen and D. Farquhar in front of F. Rodney.

The M's however could have help on the right side coming soon in the form of S. Pryor. Like Iwakuma and Walker, Pryor has been on the DL since the spring, but he will start his AAA rehab.

Another hard throwing righty who is moving up is 22 yr old Dominic Leone. Leone started the year as the closer in AA racking up 19 saves for the Generals. Leone will move into a setup role at Tacoma for now which leads many to believe that current Rainier closer Carson Smith could also be making the move to Seattle.


THE OUTFIELD

After struggling for the first 2 months of the season, S. Romero, M. Saunders, Logan Morrison, James Jones are all headed to AAA Tacoma. Taking their spots will be veterans E. Chavez, C. Gillespie as well as former prospects Nick Franklin and Jesus Montero

Deuce

"It's pretty obvious that if we want to stay in the playoff race, we need to improve our OF, but before I start dealing our farm for high price vet's I need to know we don't have the answer already within the system"

D. Ackley will make the move back to CF with N. Franklin taking over as the everyday LF. Chavez (LHP) and Gillespie (RHP) will platoon in RF and Montero will DH against LHP, with Corey Hart moving to 1B to give J. Smoak some days off.

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

M'S TAKE ALEX JACKSON WITH #6 OVERALL PICK

With the 6th pick of the 2014 MLB Draft, the Mariners selected 18 yr old C/OF Alex Jackson (62 OVR/90 POT/A).

Projected as a future RF, Jackson has 25-30 homerun potential, but his money hit is his ability to find the gaps and hit doubles, which will likely fit well at Safeco. He is projected to make his MLB debut in 2017.


Short on Right-handed power hitting OF's, the M's took a 2nd one with their next pick selecting OF Gareth Morgan (65 OVR/84 POT/B) one of the top high school prospects out of Canada. Morgan is more of a true power hitter and his bat projects well in LF or RF.

Jackson turned down a scholarship from Oregon, well Morgan turned down the opportunity to play at North Carolina State.

In the 3rd Round the M's took LHP Ryan Yarbough (53 OVR/84 POT/B) who pitched for Old Dominion.

(I realize that Yarbough was actually the M's 4th round pick, but a run on OF's didn't leave me the ability to draft a 3rd OF in Austin Cousino)

With the M's 4th Round pick they RHP Dan Altavilla (65 OVR/88 POT/B), a pure power thrower whose fastball is in the mid 90's. Only 5'11 he is projected to move to the bullpen at the professional level.

In the 5th Round, the M's took another LHP in Lane Ratliff (44 OVR/88 POT/B), who pitched for Jones County JC, posting a 8-3 record with a 3.08 ERA.

In the 6th Round the M's continued to stock pile arms selecting a 3rd LHP Taylor Byrd (42 OVR/88 POT/B) who posted a 5-6 record and 3.18 ERA well pitching at Nicholas State

In the 7th Round the M's selected RP, RHP Kody Kerski (59 OVR/66 POT/D) who was 7-3 with a 2.42 ERA in 13 games well pitching for Sacred Heart


The Deuce

"Overall I am pretty happy with our draft. I feel like we have a potential star in Alex Jackson and Morgan has the ability to be a big time power bat. With so many teams asking for our young pitchers in trade talks, I felt like it was important to load up on arms to restock. I thought Jack Z and I were on the same page with every pick.. Only time will tell how well we did"

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

Reports out of Seattle are the M's are have targeted CF, LF/RF and 1B as positions they would like to upgrade as well a potentially add a SP that could push them over the top in their quest to win the AL West.

Names linked to the SP spot include Tampa's David Price and Chicago Cubs Jeff Smaradzija and Jason Hammel

Well pairing Price with King Felix would be a dominate #1A/#1B option for the next 2 years, the issue surround Price has been his outspoken claims he will not sign a long term deal with the M's, making parting with top prospects like T. Walker a very costly thing to do.

Hammel a Washington native who played college ball at Treasure Valley Community College which happens to be in the same town as where new GM "The Deuce" grew up in, seems like a more likely option as he not cost the M's Walker but more likely one of the V. Sanchez,T. Pike, E. Diaz type SP's in return.

In their quest for a CF names like KC's L. Cain or K. Dyson, Houston's D. Fowler, and Phillies M. Byrd are top's on the list.

However one person very close to "The Deuce" reports, that his #1 target would be Dodgers CF Matt Kemp. With Y. Puig, C. Crawford, and A. Either all having solid seasons it would seem that the Dodgers will need to deal one of their OF's with Either and Kemp's names being mentioned most. Like the SP situation, some believe Either would be the cheaper option putting him in LF or RF, but Kemp's right handed bat and speed is what Seattle covets the most.

Like Price, Kemp's asking price would likely start with Walker or a maybe J. Paxton along with 2 out of 3 of the Sanchez,Diaz,Pike combo, leaving Either as the more logical player to acquire.

At 1B rumors are Deuce covets KC's Billy Butler, but with the Royals in the hunt for the AL Central it's unlikely he is going anywhere.

A more likely option could be a deal with the Twins who have Josh Willingham and Trevor Plouffee both hitting double digits in HR's so far this season but are in last place and unlikely to make any ground.

[Deuce2223]

Re: The King and his Diamond Table-A Seattle M's Franchise (MLB14-PS3)

SEATTLE ADDS SP JEFF NIEMANN

The Mariners made a Free Agent move today by signing SP Jeff Niemann (77/C) to a 3 year deal worth 1.1 mil per season.

Niemann missed all of 2013 after having his leg fractured in a game in 2012. However before that he had double digit wins from 2009-2011 (13,12,11) for the Tampa Bay Ray's.

Niemann will start his comeback bid in AAA Tacoma, and will provide depth to the rotation that has been hit with injuries in the past.