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Seattle finished in second
place in the AL West in 2007, marking a 10-game improvement
from 78 wins the previous season to 88 wins. Falling just
short of its first playoff berth since 2001, Seattle
recorded its sixth-best season in club history.
A bevy of talented young players made an impact last
season, and they should be even better with a full
season under their belt. Meanwhile,
Seattle’s veterans continue to produce.
Manager John McLaren
begins his first full season at the helm of the
Mariners, after taking over the club midway through
the ’07 season. The seasoned baseball veteran guided
the Mariners to three winning months and has added
an impressive coaching staff of proven winners.
Seven-time All-Star
center fielder Ichiro Suzuki leads a core
group of veteran players after putting together
another phenomenal season in 2007, leading the
Majors in hits (238) and finished second in the AL
batting .351. He became just the third player in
Major League history to record seven consecutive
seasons of 200 or more hits.
All-Star players like
third baseman Adrian Beltre and outfielder Raul
Ibañez bring experience to a lineup that proved to
be one of the most potent in the Majors last season.
Gold Glove caliber shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt,
All-Star second baseman Jose Lopez and catcher
Kenji Johjima form the nucleus of outstanding
position players for the 2008 season and beyond.
Exciting outfielder Adam Jones is coming off a
breakthrough season at Triple-A Tacoma and is ready
to burst onto the Major League scene.
The pitching staff is
anchored by two veterans and one of the best young
pitchers in the game. Right-hander Felix Hernandez
went 14-7 with a 3.92 ERA in 2007 as a 21-year-old
and will only get more dominant. RHP Miguel Batista
led the team with 16 wins, the most by a free agent
pitcher acquired during the off-season, and LHP
Jarrod Washburn was a workhorse leading the team
with 193.2 IP and reached 10 wins for the fifth time
in his career.
J.J. Putz dominated in
the closer role, leading a bullpen that was young in
age, but performed like group of veterans. Putz tied
for second in the AL with 40 saves and led all Major
League relievers with a 1.38 ERA. The supporting
cast of LHP George Sherrill, RHP Sean Green, RHP
Brandon Morrow, LHP Eric O’Flaherty, LHP Ryan
Rowland-Smith and RHP Jon Huber helped form one of
the toughest bullpens in the AL.
You won't want to
miss any of the action this spring as the club works
towards its goal of returning to the postseason.
View the
Mariners Game Schedule
Visit the
Mariners Team Page
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