The Mariners are off to a 21-16 start and currently sit a half game back in the AL West, and Bob Nightengale of USA Today spoke to a number of players on the roster as well as general manager Jerry Dipoto about the club’s early surge. As Dipoto explained to to Nightengale, his focus during his first offseason as the Seattle GM was to restructure the roster without compromising the impressive core he inherited. “I learned there really is no such thing as rebuilding in the major leagues,” said Dipoto. “You can rebuild organizations, but you’re here to win at the big-league level. We wanted to rebuild and replenish our player development, but when you have Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez, and Kyle Seager and Nelson Cruz, why would you ever rebuild?” Dipoto praised ownership for allowing him to pursue creative opportunities to turn the roster over and also stressed the importance of building a winning culture, not merely accumulating talent. Acquired in the offseason, left-hander Wade Miley explained to Nightengale that said vision has paid off. “This is the most fun I’ve ever had,” said Miley, who came over in the Carson Smith trade with the Red Sox. “Well, since I was 12.” Miley is just one of many new faces, though, as Nightengale points out that there are only eight holdovers from last year’s disappointing roster — a testament to Dipoto’s aggressive winter maneuverings.
More from the division…
- The Astros’ acquisition of Carlos Gomez hasn’t paid off as the club had hoped last summer, as he’s batted just .215/.266/.322 with Houston and dealt with multiple injuries. Despite the high-profile nature of the acquisition, GM Jeff Luhnow suggested today that Gomez’s leash is growing shorter. Via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart (on Twitter): “I think he’s going to have to turn it around at some point, otherwise we’re not going to be able to continue to play him,” said Luhnow of his struggling center fielder. The timing of Gomez’s struggles is particularly problematic for him as an individual, as he’s slated to hit free agency at season’s end. Gomez entered the season second on MLBTR’s Free Agent Power Rankings but dropped to fifth on May 2 and is hitting just .122/.234/.195 since that writing.
- Athletics ace Sonny Gray has been shelled in his past three starts, yielding a total of 18 runs in 12 2/3 innings, but he tells MLB.com’s Jane Lee that he made a mechanical adjustment late in Sunday’s rough outing that he feels will halt the struggles. “I’ve constantly been leaving the ball up, and you can tell,” said Gray. “It was literally just a visual thing to get the ball back down, and you could tell there, when it’s back down, it’s got great life on it, and you start to see the swing and misses.” Catcher Stephen Vogt echoed that Gray’s movement and location were much better following an Evan Longoria home run, as Gray set down five of the final six he faced. Whether Gray has indeed righted the ship remains to be seen, though it’s worth noting that his velocity isn’t demonstrably worse than it at this time last season. Getting Gray back on track is paramount for an A’s club that currently sits at 16-22 — six games out of the division lead.
- Lee also writes that A’s manager Bob Melvin confirmed yesterday that Ryan Madson is indeed his closer — an arrangement that has appeared obvious for quite some time but hadn’t been explicitly stated by anyone with the club. Former closer Sean Doolittle had some struggles early in the season, but he’s bounced back with a 1.93 ERA and an 11-to-3 K/BB ratio in 9 1/3 innings since mid-April. That success notwithstanding, it seems the closer’s role is Madson’s job to lose at this point. “I think at this point in time, Madson is probably the guy we’re looking to,” said Melvin. Madson, who inked a three-year, $22MM deal with Oakland this offseason that caught many in the industry by surprise, has a 1.08 ERA through 16 2/3 innings, though he’s seen his strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates all trend in the wrong direction this season. (A reminder that those monitoring closer situations for fantasy baseball purposes can follow @closernews on Twitter, where we at MLBTR will keep you up to date on the latest ninth-inning news and trends.)
This would be precisely why I was glad the Brewers traded Gomez when they did. At least for once they didn’t hold onto a player too long. I do have to say I didn’t expect him to fall off THIS badly though.
How good does Sandy Alderson look now?
…and his medical staff…and his scouts. IIRC there was a drop in his SB and power, which both could be traced back to his hip. Unfortunately for Gomez, his production has REALLY fallen off. I hope he can rebound, though it doesn’t look good thus far.
What were the Astros thinking they were getting when they got Gomez, because his career stats are good but not great.
Wrong, he would have won MVP in 2013 had he put up the same production on an east coast team.
You don’t win mvp with 73 rbis, I’m sorry.
Maury Wills, 1962, 48 RBI, Dick Groat, 1960, 50 RBI, Nellie Fox, 1959, 70 RBI, Pete Rose, 1973, 64 RBI. I could go on.
24 homeruns and 40 steals make up for that.. Most of the game he played in the 2013 season was towards the bottom of the order.. Braun and Ramirez are a huge reason he didn’t have better RBI numbers.
Just so you know the winners of the 2013 MVP awards played for the Pirates and the Tigers. Neither are considered East Coast teams.
Sorry, but McCutchen’s narrative was far better than That of Gomez. Besides, Cutch was easily worth 10 wins for the 2013 Pirates.
You would think you’re getting an elite defender I center field with a power bat. Gomez has never had a particularly high batting average, however, even with a projected drop off, he should be playing at a far higher level than he currently is. I’m quite surprised at his struggles to this level this year. Hope he turns it around for the Astros
Just by looking at his stats and the way he plays Houston should of known what they were getting into
Houston probably thought they were getting a top 5 CF because that is what he was over his last 3.5 seasons with the Brewers. His average season was a 120 wRC+ with 20 HR, .199 ISO and 34 SB. All of those numbers would have been top 5 among CF last year. Add in good defense and it’s hard to see how they “should have known” he would be anywhere close to this bad.
An AL West notes update that doesn’t include anything about the Rangers’ closing situation with Dyson getting the last two saves? What’s the news??!
Sabermetrics is a great tool in regards to players performance, but there is still the human element involved that makes projecting a player’s future contributions to a team seem like a puzzle. We often see players struggle during arbitration / free agent years simply because of the added pressure they put on themselves to perform. The game is hard enough to play even when you feel you feel your best. Gomez is a gifted player who is putting too much pressure on himself to perform rather than letting his natural abilities come forth.
I hope the Mariners aren’t back to losing after being swept at home.
Careful Sonny – every pitcher thinks they have found it when they pitch against the Rays.