Arrested Development, Thoughts On The Season

I don't know why, but I love "Arrested Development". It's just consistently stupid-funny, which is the best kind of funny. I totally forgot about the show, since I typically can't watch television on a regular schedule, but I caught it last night, and I think I'm going to have to do that thing where I buy the DVDs and watch the whole season in one day.

Now, the Mariners. They ended the season 69-93, which is pretty damned terrible. Only the Devil Rays and Royals were worse. The offense was terrible. Ichiro had an off-year (if .304 and 200 hits could be considered an off year), the offense got even worse once they traded Winn, Beltre fell short of expectations, and they got next to nothing up the middle (take a look at the stats for anyone that played catcher, center, second, or short). Add to that the general incompetence that has surrounded the franchise since 2001, and things look bleak.

And yet, I am optimistic.

Next year the Mariners will have a clear #1 starter in Hernandez. If all goes well, he could become the next Johan Santana. And you have to figure that some of the injured guys will come back healthy... there were so many guys hurt, the law of averages says someone will make it back all the way. Maybe Foppert gets involved, too. If the pitching holds even the team will be competitive.

Now, the offense. Beltre, it is safe to say, has been a bust thus far... and what's odd is... that's exactly what I expected, because aside from last year's breakout performance, his stats this year have matched what he's done for his career. Add Safeco to that, and it's fair to expect the same from him next year as well. Maybe he'll be a little bit better after taking a season to adjust, and maybe Sexson will as well. But that's your 3-4 punch right there. Ichiro is your leadoff man. Ibanez is #5. But the rest of the team is still pretty bad. No pop. So you fashion the lineup like a National League team. Put Betancourt in the #2 hole... a contact hitter who can bunt and run. He and Ichiro get on base... and it means fastballs for the heart of the order. Of course, there needs to be upgrade from 6 through 9. Morse, Reed, Torrealba, Bloomquist, Dobbs, Lopez... these are all guys who are role players, and it's great to have one or two of them on the bench. But these guys got way too many at bats. Signings need to happen.

Hideki Matsui? Why not? The team clearly has a history with Japanese players. Maybe he's too expensive, but you know the guy's not going to get hurt. Brian Giles? Preston Wilson? I don't know. I guess I shouldn't worry about it until the playoffs are over and the hot stove starts to heat up. I just don't feel to bad about this team for next year. Probably not a playoff team, that's too much to ask, but a team that can compete such that watching them on a daily basis doesn't cause physical pain.