Time for accountability in M's front office
Start the plank walking with Howard Lincoln, who has led the good ship Mariner in all these seasons of plundering the patient (or gullible) fans
Chuck Taylor
For much — much too much — of the past decade Major League Baseball's All-Star Game has been an occasion for many Seattle Mariners fans to admire the remarkable record of Ichiro Suzuki, 10-for-10 in bids to the midsummer classic. Possibly just as many fans wish M's execs would get rid of their one genuine star-quality position player, trading for the elusive "prospects."
This year's Some-Star Game finally gave the National League a win (3-to-1), its first since many of the participants started shaving. It also became a predictably maudlin occasion to deify George Steinbrenner simply because the obnoxious long-time Yankees owner had died.
Otherwise it was a benign spectacle, interesting locally only in that Ich was zip for two, out of the game quickly, and, inevitably, seen by some as expendable to the M's.
Often lost in the discussion about swapping Ichiro for "prospects" is the reality that prospectors who make up M's management have been about as successful as Yosemite Sam. While extolling the virtues of "great gets" such as Jeff Clement (since traded to Pittsburgh and .189 this year), local baseball brains also have bartered away seven who appeared on this year's all-star rolls.
All-star roster score: Former M's 7, Ich 1.
Since the end of the 116-win 2001 season the M's rosters typically have boasted a few journeyman-caliber position players and a pitcher or two capable of playing with the midsummer stars. Fans, meanwhile, seem to keep believing that, if management could just hustle up that one big deal, greatness would come this way. Prospects would pan out the way others haven't.
It just doesn't happen. Draftees are picked and hailed, then lost in the minor-league shuffle or shuttled off to other clubs when they fail. It's one reason why the roster chronically carries has-beens and never-wills to go along with a few organization-grown or trade-bait regulars.
Consider the current Mariners position by position, admittedly a depressing exercise and tricky given that there's a new "who" on first seemingly every week.
The four who have played catcher, judging from their production, could be called: Eenie, meeny, miney and Moore. The latter, Adam Moore, plays in Tacoma, which is where the others also belong.
Of the six who have played first base, Mike Sweeney can hit but not field, Casey Kotchman can field but not hit, and Russell Branyan, reacquired, can do both. So what does General Manager Jack Zduriencik get for Cliff Lee? Yet another first-baseman.
Second base belongs to Chone Figgins, who's having by far the worst offensive year since he became a full-time big-leaguer.
Shortstop has been "Wilson"-ville. Jack slacked and Josh took over; then Josh sloshed and it's back to Jack.
Jose Lopez has just about owned the third-base job and plays better defense at the hot corner than many imagined. But his offensive numbers are disappointing, as are those of all the outfielders besides Ichiro.
Going into the nominal second half of the season (it's actually seven shy of 81 games left, but with these guys who's complaining?), Seattle has one great pitcher in Felix Hernandez, one great position player in Ich and a maybe-someday great in Franklin Gutierrez, the center-fielder. Is there any wonder, then, that the club is mirror image at 35-53 and 15 games back?
The better question: Is there anyone on the board of directors willing and capable enough to get rid of the M's executive corps top to bottom? Surely it wouldn't be board chair Howard Lincoln, who also functions as chief executive officer and, hence, is the obvious plank-walker on the good ship Mariner after all these seasons of plundering the patient (or gullible) fans.
Beyond that, many have never quite understood what it is Chuck Armstrong (president and chief operating officer) does for his money besides his requisite glad-handing before home games, same as he did during the '80s when he was then-owner George Argyros's sycophant in chief.
For many members of the species, a human sense of shame alone would be enough to prompt the aging Lincoln and Armstrong to do the right thing and resign. Since they won't, shove both of them out and hire somebody who knows about the game of baseball and not just the staging of a "fan-friendly" environment.
Safeco Field has become something of a theme-park charade of major-league baseball. It's the baseball environment one might've expected to see in "The Truman Show," and, as in that cinematic fantasy, the result always seems to be the same: The Mariners annually show they can't even compete in a meager, four-team division, smallest in the big leagues.
Zduriencik has been quick to give up on the prospects he once praised. Treat him in kind and can him: Sorry, Jack, two strikes and you're out.
None of the above will happen, of course. Team execs will continue to work the mendacious M's message about success coming with the next "can't miss" shipment of prospects. There's a time-honored term for it: "smoke and mirrors," fitting given that the latest to be hailed as the next M's messiah is in fact named Justin Smoak. The first-base prospect acquired last weekend from Texas fits in perfectly with this team, given that he's hitting in the vicinity of the area code at .206.
Yes, fans, as every M's exec and flack (or "announcer," as the job title is known here) has assured you, Smoak's destined for greatness. But don't get too used to him. This time next year he'll probably be playing someplace else so that M's management can make room for yet more prospects. Maybe they'll package Smoak with Ichiro and ship them to Pittsburgh — for Jeff Clement.
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Comments:
Posted Wed, Jul 14, 5:50 p.m. Inappropriate
wow! This is a very well written piece - I'm glad to know that the author teaches news writing. I only trust that his students take a class from a different instructor about acutal news reporting. Here's a hint: find out a bit about what you're talking about first.
What an uninformed, reactionary fluff piece. Howard Lincoln is one of the OWNERS. He's not walking any plank, he owns the boat! At best, he might retire to the Galley and have one of the other owners take the helm (I'm looking at you, Chris Larson). Chuck Armstrong is the PRESIDENT, his job is to see that the team makes MONEY for Howard. You know MONEY as in keeping the team profitable so they don't start demanding a new Stadium - or moving. Armstong is not the GM - That would be Jack Z. Dr. Z inherited a team and minor league system decimated by Pat Gillick (Pat and Lou loved veterans and conequently gave up lots of draft picks and prospects to win "now") and then horribly mismanaged and destroyed by Bill Bavasi. How this article doesn't mention Bavasi's tenure makes about as much sense as blaming the the US involment in Afghanistan on Barack Obama. Only an idiot would do that! Seriously, Getting Smoak for Aumont (look it up) was flat out genius. Jack is at least 2 to 3 years from being truly accountable. Organizations that make knee jerk reactions are the ones that never progress. This article is pure, uninformed dreck. The kind of thing written by someone who still misses Joey Cora - you know, the cute one who cried. In all seriousness, Mr. Brewster, if this is the kind of thing you think passes for Sports Journalism, then please just don't even try.
Posted Thu, Jul 15, 8:10 a.m. Inappropriate
I agree with you Mike, but don't think it will happen anytime soon. The M's are owned by a corporation, not a big personality, so they are more cautious in terms of managing their asset and less ego-driven as a single billionaire owner would be to win a World Series. Howard Lincoln is the perfect cautious, middling manager. Japan has its Lost Decades, we have our Lost Team.
I hope the M's do the right thing and let Ichiro out of his contract so that he can get on board with a contender and win a World Series before he retires, like Tino Martinez, Randy Johnson, Jamie Moyer and other former M's were able to do.
Why shouldn't they? They've let go of every other great player they've ever had. And it would be the right thing to do for such a humble yet great athlete like Ichiro who has given his best years to this city.
Posted Thu, Jul 15, 10:27 a.m. Inappropriate
This is an excellent article, except for the author's nonsense about Ichiro being a great player. I find it amusing that the first post here was written by an idiot, criticizing the author, who mostly got it right.
About Ichiro: he is an imminently ordinary player this season. If he truly were a "great" player, he could be traded for one or more good young MLB players -- not just minor league prospects. However, I doubt Ichiro has much trade value, since he is so hugely overpaid. Just getting his salary off the books so the M's could sign one or more actually good young players as free agents would be a big plus for the M's.
Just look at a few of the most-important stats for ichiro this season:
Runs scored: 35, not even in the top 50 in the AL (#1 has 70; #50 has 40)
RBI: 24, not even in the top 50 in the AL (#1 has 77; #50 has 37)
HR: 3, not even in the top 50 in the AL (#1 has 24; #50 has 9)
On Base %: .377, tied for 20th in the AL
Slugging percentage: .409, 48th in the AL
OPS: .785, 36th in the AL
Ichiro had no business in the All-Star game this season. Ichiro is doing the M's no good whatsoever this season. They could just as easily be in last place in the AL West without Ichiro as with him. What is the point of hanging on to Ichiro? He's not very good right now. You expect him to improve as he gets older? He'll be 37 this October. Many of his hits are infield singles. You think he'll be running faster as he approaches 40 years of age?
Posted Thu, Jul 15, 1:57 p.m. Inappropriate
Lincoln, if Ichiro could run back to home and then hit again, you might have something. Yeah, I do wish he'd walk a bit more, but come on. Is he being wasted on this team? yeah. And it's a shame too. But seriously, You cite Slugging pct. for a leadoff hitter? Home Runs? RBI? He's the leadoff hitter, not the 3 or 4 hole guy. Yeah, I'm concerned about him losing a step and I think he might very well ask to be traded. That said, I think your analysis is sorely lacking. Just as I think the real guts of this article are absurd and show a very surface knowledge of the game.
Posted Thu, Jul 15, 8:21 p.m. Inappropriate
Runs scored is most important for a leadoff hitter. As I wrote, Ichiro has scored 35 runs before the All-Star break, which is not even in the top 50 in the AL! That is just pathetic for a leadoff hitter. How does that make Ichiro an All-Star, or a great player?
There is no rule that leadoff hitters can not hit home runs, or drive in runs. Great leadoff hitters do those things, as well as scoring a lot more than 35 runs in the first 87 games of the season.
Ichiro is merely a mediocre outfielder, at best. Wouldn't you rather have a 30-homer, 100-rbi guy in right field, instead of Ichiro?
Posted Fri, Jul 16, 9:07 p.m. Inappropriate
"Wouldn't you rather have a 30-homer, 100-rbi guy in right field, instead of Ichiro?"
Honestly, Ichiro aside, I would appreciate having anyone on the Mariners who would keep their eye on the ball; watch it hit the barrel of the bat and not pull their head and look to the baseline when attempting to hit. Please. Anyone.
Posted Tue, Jul 20, 10:04 p.m. Inappropriate
Here's something you might find interesting...yesterday, I glanced over the rosters of the AL and NL teams in search for ex-Mariners. Now, granted, I've lost interest in the Ms for a few years, but especially this year, but ex-Ms, not including pitchers, are collectively batting .270 (.363 OBP, .441 slugging %), 148 HR, 1838 total bases, 599 RBI (21 players). Compare this to the current Ms, not including pitchers: .238 (.333 OBP, .347 slugging), 60 HR, 1060 total bases, 296 RBI. Six former Ms have more HRs than anybody on the current Ms, eight have more RBIs that current Ms RBI leader Jose Lopez. On the pitching side, I found 20 ex-Ms; they have 997 innings pitched, racking up a 4.00 ERA, 7 strikeouts per 9 IP, 1.27 walks+hits per 9 IP, 68-53 with 48 saves. The current staff has 812 IP, 3.92 ERA, 6 K/9IP, 1.32 WHIP, but is only 36-56 with 19 saves.
Posted Thu, Jul 22, 9:34 a.m. Inappropriate
Lincoln,
Runs and RBI are team functions. No one player can excel in those statistics without help. Ichiro's lack of runs scored is downright appalling. But, as I said, he can't go back and hit again once he's on base. I would like to have a 30 homerun, 100 rbi guy playing First or Left and batting 3rd or 4th. I'm sure THAT guy would greatly appreciate having Ichiro lead off. I also suspect that Ichiro would like to have such a player hitting behind him. While he has made a couple of baserunning errors lately, I just don't see how you can criticize Ichiro, or ANY player for that matter, for getting stuck on base or for not having anyone on base when they bat.
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