Mariners Future Outlook

What is there for a Mariners fan to look forward to? This year has been another season marked by disappointments. Ichiro has finally fallen from his lofty perch, and he now looks like nothing more than a league average player. Justin Smoak has yet to take the step forward that so many prospect mavens expected, slowed all year by lingering injuries. Felix Hernandez has been dominant, but not quite at the other-worldly pace of last season. So what is to come? Here are a few names on the prospect front to give Mariners fans a slight bit of hope:

Danny Hultzen – Taken with the #2 pick in the draft, the Mariners desperately need him to deliver on his promise. ESPN prospect guru Keith Law called Hultzen “one of the most polished players in this year’s draft”, and that polish could be on display as early as opening day 2012. Jack Zduriencik has already said Hultzen will get a real shot at making the team next year. What is his upside? A solid left-handed 3-pitcher behind Felix and Pineda. That has all the makings of one of baseball’s best rotations.

Justin Smoak – If healthy, Smoak should be a dominant hitter. On a Mariners team that can’t hit, his improved health should pay immediate dividends. In March and April, he hit .284 with a .393 OBP and a .527 slugging percentage. Then he hurt his thumb, rolled an ankle, and he has tailed off for the rest of the season. An inability to get over nagging injuries could be a red flag, but I would hope that health will bring a return of dominant production.

Dustin Ackley – Given how good he has been, it is tough to think of how short a time Ackley has been in Seattle. However Ackley is only 23 and has played a mere 51 major league games. In that time, he has shown no adjustment lag, and the fielding horrors that we heard about have not materialized. Instead, he looks to be the long-term second base solution, and a full year of his production is exactly what the offense needs.

Everyone else – Next year we will see a full season of Casper Wells (13 games in Seattle), Mike Carp (41 games), a healthy Franklin Gutierrez (75 games), Trayvon Robinson (10 games), and Kyle Seager (17 games). Some of these players will fail, but there is enough young talent on this list to be hopeful for the Mariners future. At least some of them will develop into above average big league regulars. Given the 2011 Seattle Mariners, that is a big step in the right direction.