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2008 MLB
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2008 Seattle Mariners Predictions & Season
Preview
Manager
John McLaren feels his
Mariners are ready to
compete for the division
after an 88 win season, but
the loss of Jose Guillen
could be enough in itself to
set them back. Find out if
Jimmy Boyd is as confident
as McLaren in the Mariners’
ability to compete in the
west in this 2008 Seattle
Mariners predictions
article.
Starting Rotation/Bullpen
This staff starts with the
talented Felix Hernandez. He
has won 26 games the past
two seasons and could be
ready to join the elite
group of pitchers in the AL
with a breakout season. Keep
in mind that Hernandez turns
22 in April and couple be a
staple in the Mariners’
rotation for a long time.
Lefthander Jarrod is still
the M’s number two, but he
has been a disappointment
the past couple years with
just 18 wins against 29
losses. The Mariners still
have faith in him, but will
they after another losing
season? Miguel Batista won a
career high 16 games last
season and let’s hope that
wasn’t a fluke for the sake
of the Mariners. Carlos
Silva could end up pitching
second or third in the
rotation if he has a good
spring. He was never
exceptional at Minnesota,
but Seattle sees potential.
Brandon Morrow or Ryan
Rowland-Smith will battle
for the last spot.
There’s no doubt that J.J.
Putz is no putts. He has had
76 saves and a sub-2.00 ERA
the past two seasons. Last
season he was truly dominant
with 40 saves and a 1.38
ERA. Sean Green picked up
five wins last season as he
developed into the go-to guy
in the seventh and eighth.
With Mark Lowe healthy, the
M’s should have solid pen
with a nice mix of
situational and long relief
guys.
Batting Order
Ichiro Suzuki has been the
staple at the top of the
Mariners’ order for years
now. We’ve come to expect
him to compete for the AL
batting title every year,
steal around 40 bases, score
over 100 runs, and play a
strong centerfield. Jose
Vidro will hit behind Ichiro
in the DH spot. He isn’t
your typical AL DH, but has
shown the ability to get on
base at a near .400 clip in
the AL. It must be the rain
because Adrian Beltre has
seen all of his numbers go
up in Seattle. He slugged 26
homeruns and added 99 RBIs
and gives me no reason to
believe he won’t eclipse
both in 2008. Leftfielder
Raul Ibanez hit 21 homeruns
and tallied 105 RBIs in the
clean up spot. Richie Sexson
is the wild card in the
middle of this order. If he
can return to form, the M’s
just might be back in the
playoffs. Right fielder Adam
Jones, catcher Kenji Johjima,
shortstop Yuniesky
Betancourt, and second
baseman Jose Lopez complete
the order.
The Mariners are clearly the
second-best team in the AL
West. They should finish
more than 10 games better
than both Oakland and Texas.
While Seattle is solid and
may have a better bullpen
that the Angels, its
starting rotation won’t be
nearly as good and it won’t
be able to stack up in terms
of power numbers. I think
this Seattle team is going
to enjoy its time in the sun
as the Angels age, but it
likely won’t be this year.
The AL Wild Card is not
completely out of the
question, though.
Nobody in the business
understands baseball
handicapping like Jimmy Boyd
and that’s why all other
handicappers pail in
comparison. Why buy picks
from a handicapping service
that does not specialize in
baseball betting and puts
out less than acceptable
picks during the summer?
Play with world champion
handicapper Jimmy Boyd, and
we promise it will be worth
your while.
Odds to win AL West:
5/2
Odds to win 2008 AL Pennant:
12/1
Odds to win 2008 World
Series:
25/1
Other Predictions for the 2008 Season:
Updated February 16th, 2008
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