| By Jason A. Churchill |  | By 08-30-2011 |
In the big leagues, managers like to see clean victories. Good pitching, sound defense and baserunning and some early offense to support the starter. For the Seattle Mariners, they received all of the above versus the Los Angeles Angels Monday night, a result that serves as the kind of game the club needs more of next season if they wish to have a shot at contending.
In baseball, good clubs find consistencies that make a positive impact on victories. It's the Pitching Machine of results-based analysis.
Mariners Payroll
Last week, ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden wrote a piece on the payroll situations of each club in baseball. The Seattle Mariners, Bowden notes, have $7.65 million coming off the books due to the expiring contracts of infielders Adam Kennedy and Jack Wilson.
What Bowden does not mention, however, is that the payroll obligations from 2011 for both Carlos Silva and Milton Bradley also fall off the books, and including reasonable arbitration numbers for Brandon League, David Aardsma and Shawn Kelley, and the estimated near-minimums for the zero-to-three players, the club should have just under $80 million in commitments heading into the winter.
They began the season with a payroll of about $95 million, if you include monies that went to other clubs for players no longer with Seattle. If the ownership group mandates the same payroll, the M's will have about $15 million to play with over the winter.
It seems there's a great chance, however, that the payroll could grow beyond $100 million, perhaps well beyond, if it's for the right player or players.
The team has shown a willingness to spend money when the time is right, which could allow the club to be players on the market this winter, for both free agents and higher-salaried trade targets.
2012 Draft
The M's are likely to select in the top 6 in next year's draft -- Seattle has a three-game "lead" on San Diego and are one percentage point "ahead" of the Chicago Cubs for the No. 5 overall pick, and sit just a half game off the pace for the No. 4 pick set by the Minnesota Twins.
A couple of names to remember heading into the offseason include right-handers Luc Giolito of Harvard Westlake High School (Calif.) and Stanford's Mark Appel. Freddy Avis, however, may be the more intriguing story. He's a Stanford commit from nearby Menlo High School (Calif.) and the money in the top 10 may or may not entice him.
Stanford has a track record of their pitchers ending up injured, however, which could be enough to convince Avis to take skip college and start his pro career.
Giolito is considered the top prep arm in the class and along with Appel the best shot to go No. 1, at least as we sit here in the final days of August.
One kid I liked a lot at the Area Code Games, possibly for the Top 10, is Max Fried, a projectable left-hander from Van Nuys, California who will be attending a new high school this fall.
I also like what I hear about Florida Gators catcher Michael Zunino.
Washington State is not as deep as in year's past but they aren't without players that will go in the top five rounds, barring issues with signability or injury.
Right-hander Michael Rucker from Auburn-Riverside High School was the best arm on the Royals Area Code roster, sitting 89-91, touching 92 and spinning a promising curveball. Lake Stevens High School's Dylan Lavelle, who can pitch, too, is a solid athlete who profiles at third base. Catcher Clint Coulter impressed scouts at the Area Codes, though there are major issues with his chance to stay behind the plate.
Shortstop Cabe Reiten from Olympia High School and left-hander Alex Hatch also deserve mention. Class of 2013 prospect, catcher Reese McGuire, is one to watch for the future, but he showed a smooth left-handed swing this summer to go with the best pop times at the tryout.
the-perfect-example
Comments
The following 9 comment(s) for this article are shown below:
| 1. By: acqb1424 on 08-30-2011 08:34:29 Jason, Right now, where does Lance McCullers Jr. fit into the draft? What about Albert Almora? Great article like always. |
| 2. By: safecochatter on 08-30-2011 08:53:21 With David Aardsma being injured and probably not of much use till late in the 2012,if at all. And then a fa in 2013,wouldn't it be better to dfa him? |
| 3. By: dawgncarolina on 08-30-2011 09:59:10 Yay, more pitching in the 2012 draft... I love our pitching depth, but I really, REALLY hope there's a position player who makes sense with our 2012 pick. |
| 4. By: maqman on 08-30-2011 13:42:46 I'm of Z's persuasion, you can never have enough good pitching and they are the gold standard for trade bait. I also think Aardsma should be non-tendered. He's not going to make a significant contribution next season and not worth seven figures for sure. |
| 5. By: rjfrik on 08-30-2011 14:42:50 I'm with Dawg, I really hope a position player is there that the M's are enamored with. The Williams kids would do just fine and I do like Zunino as well. We are stacked with pitching and it's great to use for trades and have all that depth but it would be nice to draft a position player with a high pick that we can all be excited about and watch that player come through the system like Ackley did. But that player also has to justify us picking him in our spot so I know it's a conundrum. Just my two cents. |
| 6. By: Edman on 08-30-2011 15:28:35 Jack has already stated that their policy is to select the best player available, regardless of position. That being said, if it gets down to a select few players that they see as essentially equivalent, they would likely choose the player that best fits the organzation. I don't think anyone wants a repeat of the Bavasi era. |
| 7. By: dawgncarolina on 08-30-2011 15:59:26 I'm not advocating against BPA. I'm just saying I hope that the BPA swings a bat. |
| 8. By: rocketdawg31 on 08-30-2011 16:09:52 I'm not advocating against BPA. I'm just saying I hope that the BPA swings a bat. Amen to that, fellow Dawg. A Michael Zunino would be just fine with me if he warrants picking that high. Something tells me, however, we're going to get Trey Williams. |
| 9. By: pwhit44 on 08-30-2011 16:20:19 I want Jeff Clement. |
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