SEATTLE MARINERS


      I like Olerud at first and Sele in the rotation and Tomko and Cameron can help and Stan Javier has got to be better than Brian Hunter. Freddy Garcia is a great young pitcher, and Alex Rodriguez could win the MVP Award. But gee, losing Ken Griffey Jr sure is tough, especially when Jose Mesa is still your closer. The chances of A-Rod being traded during the season are probably greater than those of the Mariners making the playoffs.

 
PAUL ABBOTT (33, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1998     SEA   3   1   4  4  0  0  0  25  24  10  22 401

 1999     SEA   6   2  25  7  0  0  0  73  50  32  68 310


 
      Abbott made his debut for Minnesota in 1990; his six wins last year doubled his career total to 12. He has pitched very well since resurrecting his career, and should be good again in 2000.

 
DAVID BELL (2B, 28, R)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     STL  66 142  30  7  2  1   9  12  10  28  211 261 310   1   0

 1998  3TEAMS 132 429 117 30  2 10  48  49  27  65  273 315 422   0   4

 1999     SEA 157 597 160 31  2 21  92  78  58  90  268 331 432   7   4


 
      Bell had almost the same season that he had in 1998, so I guess he has proven that he can hit. He also led all major league second basemen in double plays turned, so he wasn't suffering defensively, either. Bell has probably had his best season, but if he stays healthy he should be a solid regular for another 3-4 years.

 
JAY BUHNER (OF, 36, R)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     SEA 157 540 131 18  2 40 104 109 119 175  243 383 506   0   0

 1998     SEA  72 244  59  7  1 15  33  45  38  71  242 344 463   0   0

 1999     SEA  87 266  59 11  0 14  37  38  69 100  222 388 421   0   0


 
      No longer a regular, Buhner is trying to become a right-handed Ken Phelps, but has got some work to do. Phelps was a part-time player in the 1980's who combined a low batting average with lots of home runs, and prodigious numbers of walks and strikeouts. Buhner is much the same way, but didn't hit enough home runs in 1999 to be valuable. He will have to do better next year.

 
MIKE CAMERON (CF, 27, R)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     CHW 116 379  98 18  3 14  63  55  55 105  259 356 433  23   2

 1998     CHW 141 396  83 16  5  8  53  43  37 101  210 285 336  27  11

 1999     CIN 146 542 139 34  9 21  93  66  80 145  256 357 469  38  12


 
      Cameron rescued his career with a solid season in Cincinnati, and now has the thankless job of replacing Ken Griffey Jr in the Seattle outfield. Cameron has power and speed, and can draw some walks, but he doesn't hit for average. A middle-of-the-pack outfielder, though 2000 will probably be his best season.

 
KEN CLOUDE (25, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997     SEA   4   2  10  9  0  0  0  51  41  26  46 512

 1998     SEA   8  10  30 30  0  0  0 155 187  80 114 637

 1999     SEA   4   4  31  6  0  0  1  72 106  46  35 796


 
      Once Seattle's best pitching prospect, Cloude has yet to get anyone out in the majors. The problem is, there doesn't seem to be anything left for him to learn in the minors; he just has to keep trying to work things out. I think the Mariners will be patient for one more year, and Cloude has maybe a 20% chance of having a good season.

 
TOM DAVEY (27, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997      AA   6   7  20 16  0  0  0  93 108  50  72 583

 1998      AA   5   3  48  9  0  0 16  77  70  52  78 387


1999 TOR-SEA 2 1 45 0 0 0 1 65 62 40 59 471

 
      Davey is a big, hard-throwing pitcher (he is listed at 6'7"). He skipped Triple-A last year, and started the year in Toronto's bullpen. This perhaps wasn't a good idea, as he hasn't learned to throw strikes yet. But he survived, and is now a Mariner. And Heaven Knows, the Mariners need good relievers. Davey should get plenty of chances, and should have a solid year.

 
FREDDY GARCIA (23, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997       A  10   8  27 27  5  2  0 179 165  49 131 256

 1998  AA-AAA  10   8  26 26  2  0  0 166 138  72 158 335


1999 SEA 17 8 33 33 2 1 0 201 205 90 170 407

 
      The Mariners got Garcia as part of the Randy Johnson trade, and it appears that they got a very good deal. Garcia had a great rookie season, at age 22. He has pitched well at every level of ball, and appears to do everything well. If he stays healthy, he should become one of the best pitchers in baseball.
     What he will do in 2000 is anyone's guess. Often a young pitcher will struggle after a great debut, and take a couple of years to find himself (Jose Rosado). Others just start great and keep on going (Mike Mussina). The Mariners are hoping they have the Mussina model.

 
CHARLES GIPSON (OF, 27, R)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997      AA  88 320  79  9  4  1  56  28  34  71  247 342 309  31   6


1998 SEA 44 51 12 1 0 0 11 2 5 9 235 316 255 2 1 1999 SEA 55 80 18 5 2 0 16 9 6 13 225 287 338 3 4

 
      Gipson is one of about 200 or so left fielders that the Mariners have used alongside Griffey. He can run, but he can't hit, and has no future.

 
CARLOS GUILLEN (SS, 25, S)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997      AA 115 390  99 16  1 10  47  39  38  78  254 322 377   6   5

 1998     AAA 100 374 109 18  4 12  67  51  31  61  291 350 457   3   4


1998 SEA 10 39 13 1 1 0 9 5 3 9 333 381 410 2 0

 
      Guillen was a hot prospect when the Mariners acquired him from Houston, and started talking about putting him at short and moving A-Rod to third. Instead, Guillen tore up his knee in a collision, and missed the whole season. My guess is that Guillen will start the year at third, because the Mariners will want to keep Rodriguez happy. Or, they will start him at second and move Bell to third. Either way, I wouldn't expect great things from Guillen this year; he's a decent young player, probably isn't going to be star.

 
JOHN HALAMA (28, L)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997     AAA  13   3  26 24  1  0  0 171 150  32 126 258

 1998     AAA  12   3  17 17  4  1  0 121 118  16  86 302


1998 HOU 1 1 6 6 0 0 9 32 37 13 21 585 1999 SEA 11 10 38 24 1 1 0 179 193 56 105 422

 
      The Mariners acquired Halama in the Randy Johnson deal, and he pitched very well for them. His minor league record is generally outstanding, but the Astros apparently weren't interested in him. Now that he has established himself, I would expect Halama to have some more good years, and maybe be an All-Star.

 
BRIAN HUNTER (CF, 29, R)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     DET 162 658 177 29  7  4 112  45  66 121  269 334 353  74  18

 1998     DET 142 595 151 29  3  4  67  36  36  94  254 298 333  42  12

 1999 DET-SEA 139 539 125 13  6  4  79  34  37  91  232 280 301  44   8


 
      After an awful 1998, Hunter was even worse last year. He was about as bad a hitter as you can find. He is a good base stealer, and covers a lot of ground in the outfield, so he could probably help a team as a pinch runner/defensive replacement. I can't think of any reason to give him more than 100 at bats.

 
RAUL IBANEZ (OF, 28, L)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1998     SEA  37  98  25  7  1  2  12  12   5  22  255 291 408   0   0

 1999     SEA  87 209  54  7  0  9  23  27  17  32  258 313 421   5   1


 
      Someday, Ibanez can tell his grandchildren that he played left field beside Ken Griffey Jr. He is an O.K. spare outfielder, and even caught a few innings. He should be back in a limited role.

 
STAN JAVIER (OF, 36, S)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997      SF 142 440 126 16  4  8  69  50  56  70  286 368 395  25   3

 1998      SF 135 417 121 13  5  4  63  49  65  63  290 385 374  21   5

 1999  SF-HOU 132 397 113 19  2  3  61  34  38  63  285 347 365  16   7


 
      Javier is a super-sub who has been getting regular playing time late in his career. He's a good player who can hit for average, draw walks and run the basepaths. His at bats will probably be cut considerably over the next few seasons, but Javier can fill a valuable role batting 100-200 times a year.

 
TOM LAMPKIN (CA, 36, L)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     STL 108 229  56  8  1  7  28  22  28  30  245 335 380   2   1

 1998     STL  93 216  50 12  1  6  25  28  24  32  231 328 380   3   2

 1999     SEA  76 206  60 11  2  9  29  34  13  32  291 345 495   1   3


 
      Lampkin has been around for ten years now, and is playing more than he ever has. He is also hitting better than he ever has. Lampkin's batting average will probably drop to around .240, his lifetime average. In view of his age, I doubt he has much time left.

 
JOHN MABRY (OF/3B, 29, L)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     STL 116 388 110 19  0  5  40  36  39  77  284 352 371   0   1

 1998     STL 142 377  94 22  0  9  41  46  30  76  249 305 379   0   2

 1999     SEA  87 262  64 14  0  9  34  33  20  60  244 297 401   2   1


 
      Mabry has played badly now for two straight years, and you have to wonder why anyone would want him. He wasn't great to begin with; he has no speed and limited power, can't hit for average and can't get on base. His K/BB ratio is degenerating quickly. He has to concentrate on doing something well to save his career.

 
EDGAR MARTINEZ (DH, 37, R)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     SEA 155 542 179 35  1 28 104 108 119  86  330 456 554   2   4

 1998     SEA 154 556 179 46  1 29  86 102 106  96  322 429 565   1   1

 1999     SEA 142 502 169 35  1 24  86  86  97  99  337 447 554   7   2


 
      The new Harry Heilmann, he continued to play astonishingly well at age 36. Heilmann was an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers in the 1920's who won four batting titles, and is now in the Hall Of Fame. Early in his career, Heilmann was just another outfielder; but in 1921, at age 27, the lively ball arrived, and his career took off.
      Martinez didn't have a full season until 1990, at age 27. The Mariners at this time were so used to putting bad players on the field that when they saw Martinez, they didn't know what to do with him, so they kept him in the minors. When Griffey and Johnson arrived, Seattle management reluctantly decided that if they were going to win some games, they may as well try to win as many as possible, and so Martinez was promoted.
      Because of his late start, Edgar has a long way to go before he is a strong Hall Of Fame candidate. He's also hurt by his lack of a defensive position (Heilmann was a terrible outfielder, for what it's worth). But there's no sign that Martinez is going to slow down any time soon.

 
MARK MCLEMORE (2B, 35, S)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     TEX  89 349  91 17  2  1  47  25  40  54  261 338 330   7   5

 1998     TEX 126 461 114 15  1  5  79  53  89  64  247 369 317  12   4

 1999     TEX 144 566 155 20  7  6 105  45  83  79  274 363 366  16   8


 
      McLemore's career began with the Angels in 1986, but he didn't have his breakthrough season until 1993. Since then, he has been a terrific second baseman; he keeps his average up, draws walks, and steals bases. He has had some problems with his knees, but is still a good defensive player. I'm worried about his age and his injuries, but otherwise he is still a fine player.

 
GIL MECHE (22, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1998       A   8   7  26 26  0  0  0 149 136  63 168 344

 1999  AA-AAA   5   6  16 16  0  0  0  90  82  39  80 324


1999 SEA 8 4 16 15 0 0 0 86 73 57 47 473

 
      Meche is a fine young pitcher whom the Mariners rushed to the majors last season. He survived, and had a winning record, despite having poor control. He looks great, but I don't like pitchers who have been rushed; expect him to struggle for a couple of seasons before he starts to pitch well.

 
JOSE MESA (34, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997     CLE   4   4  66  0  0  0 16  82  83  28  69 240

 1998  CLE-SF   3   4  69  0  0  0  1  84  91  38  63 461

 1999     SEA   3   6  68  0  0  0 33  69  84  40  42 498


 
      He didn't pitch very well, but he wasn't awful, either, and survived the year as the Mariners' closer. I would never want to depend on a pitcher with a K/BB ratio as ugly as Mesa's, but he's been a survivor his whole career, and might pitch well again. The Mariners should be looking for another closer, as if we haven't been saying that for the past five years.

 
SHANE MONAHAN (OF, 26, L)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997      AA 107 401 121 24  6 12  52  76  30 100  302 352 481  14   7

 1999     AAA 108 399 102 21  2  7  51  32  19  81  256 293 371   9   3


1998 SEA 62 211 51 8 1 4 17 28 8 53 242 269 346 1 2

 
      Monahan was back in Tacoma last season after failing to impress the Mariners in 1998. Monahan has a little power and speed, but also has very poor plate discipline, and will never be a good regular. Is it just me, or are all of Ken Griffey's left fielders a very depressing bunch?

 
JAMIE MOYER (37, L)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997     SEA  17   5  30 30  2  0  0 189 187  43 113 386

 1998     SEA  15   9  34 34  4  3  0 234 234  42 158 353

 1999     SEA  14   8  32 32  4  0  0 228 235  48 137 387


 
      Who'd a guessed it? Jamie Moyer is the best lefty in the American League; it's taken him a while to get there, and at 37 his time is limited, but for now he is a terrific pitcher.

 
JOHN OLERUD (1B, 32, L)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     NYM 154 524 154 34  1 22  90 102  85  67  294 400 489   0   0

 1998     NYM 160 557 197 36  4 22  91  93  96  73  354 447 551   2   2

 1999     NYM 162 581 173 39  0 19 107  96 125  66  298 427 463   3   0


 
      His average was down a bit, but it was another fine year for Big John. File this one under lopsided trades: the Blue Jays traded Olerud and five million dollars in cash to the Mets for Robert Person. Olerud was slumping at the time, apparently because he didn't get along too well with Cito Gaston and Willie Upshaw; the Blue Jays decided to pay the Mets to take John off their hands.
      He has since resurrected his career, and his team as well. Not single-handedly, of course, but everything that has happened to the Mets the past couple of years -Piazza, Ventura, Henderson, Cedeno, Leiter, Benitez- all started with the acquisition of Olerud. That, my friends, is a great trade. More of the same in 2000.

 
JOSE PANIAGUA (27, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997     MON   1   2   9  3  0  0  0  18  29  16   8 1200

 1998     SEA   2   0  18  0  0  0  1  22  15   5  16 205

 1999     SEA   6  11  59  0  0  0  3  78  75  52  74 406


 
      Paniagua's season was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he threw lots of innings, had a good ERA, had lots of strikeouts. On the other hand, his control was poor, he lost 11 games, and blew 9 save opportunities. I still like him, and I think he is a good middle reliever who might improve his control. At the moment he is very out of place as a closer.

 
ARTHUR RHODES (30, L)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997     BAL  10   3  53  0  0  0  1  95  75  26 102 302

 1998     BAL   4   4  45  0  0  0  4  77  65  34  83 351

 1999     BAL   3   4  43  0  0  0  3  53  43  45  59 543


 
      One of the best middle relievers in baseball, he completely lost the strike zone and had a poor year. He had almost the same season that Rob Dibble had in 1993; Dibble had surgery soon after, and never came back. Rhodes, on the other hand, has signed a huge contract with the Mariners. Rhodes is still young, and might come back, but my gut feeling is that something bad is wrong.

 
ALEX RODRIGUEZ (SS, 25, R)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     SEA 141 587 176 40  2 23 100  84  41  99  300 350 496  29   6

 1998     SEA 161 686 213 35  5 42 123 124  45 121  310 360 560  46  13

 1999     SEA 129 502 143 25  0 42 110 111  56 109  285 357 586  21   7


 
      There are a number of things that strike you about Rodriguez. One is that he is an amazing player, a devastating power hitter who runs well and plays a good shortstop. He hasn't come close to matching his .356 batting average in 1996, but he's still evolving as a hitter (which is kind of scary) and probably will match it someday.
      Also, Rodriguez's nickname (A-Rod) is probably the worst one a great player has ever had (it ranks up there with "Ducky" Medwick). It's further proof that nicknaming has become a lost art, and that we now settle for mediocrity (can you believe I actually heard Ivan Rodriguez called I-Rod last year? That gives the man two nicknames borrowed from other players. How about we forget the "Pudge" thing, and give him a nickname of his own... "Shotgun" Rodriguez or something).
      Okay, time for a historical thesis. I still hear rumours that the Mariners want to move Rodriguez to third base, and use at short a kid who can't hit. The Yankees are also thinking of moving Jeter to third. I haven't heard anything about Garciaparra, although I'm sure there are people in Boston who want to do the same thing. It's amazing how inbred the hostility towards power-hitting shortstops is, and it probably won't be extinguished for some time.
      It's all Ernie Banks' fault, of course. For those of you who don't know, Banks was a shortstop for the Cubs in the 1950's. Five times Banks had 40+ home runs, including 47 in 1958. Banks was a trailblazer; Hank Aaron came to the majors as a shortstop about the same time as Banks, but was quickly moved to the outfield (the explanation was that Aaron would stay healthier in the outfield, but Banks stayed healthy the rest of the decade, and I didn't notice Cal Ripken having many troubles, either).
      Had Banks' success continued, he would certainly have been followed by other power hitting shortstops. In 1960, his last full year at the position, Banks won his first Gold Glove, a sign that observers were finally willing to acknowledge that he was a good defensive player. But Banks had trouble after that; first he suffered a knee injury, which ended a Ripkenesque 717 consecutive game streak. He might have recovered from that, but then came a freak injury to his left eye that affected his vision.
      The Cubs had to move him to first base in 1962. Banks played a long time there, but his career never recovered. He was an okay hitter, averaging .260 with 25 homers a year. But the days of 45 home run seasons were over. Banks defensive reputation never recovered, either, and those who saw him play, and presumably voted him a Gold Glove, began to remember him as a lumbering slugger with limited range at shortstop.
      About the same time that Banks moved to first base, Maury Wills won an MVP Award. And that's what I think happened to shortstops. Instead of Ernie Banks being the future model for shortstops, Maury Wills was. And Bert Campaneris, and Dave Concepcion and Mark Belanger and Don Kessinger and Garry Templeton and Ozzie Smith and so on. Power hitters who could play short (i.e. Rico Petrocelli) were quickly shuffled to another position. And it stayed that way until Cal Ripken came along.
      As for Alex Rodriguez, he clearly ranks with Banks (I'm a poet...) as the greatest power hitter ever to play short. He is still very young, and is arguably the most valuable property in baseball. He is reportedly a terrific person, too, if that means anything to you. I predict he will win the MVP this year, as I did last year, and the year before; he's got to win one sometime. Last season, he hurt his ankle early in the year, missing five weeks... and still was one of the best players in the league.

 
FRANK RODRIGUEZ (27, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997     MIN   3   6  43 15  0  0  0 142 147  60  65 462

 1998     MIN   4   6  20 11  0  0  0  70  88  30  62 656

 1999     SEA   2   4  28  5  0  0  3  73  94  30  47 565


 
      I think this is the same Frank Rodriguez whom the Twins considered a prospect a few years ago. He doesn't get anyone out, and he is not improving; time is running out on him to forge a good career for himself.

 
AARON SELE (30, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997     BOS  13  12  33 33  1  0  0 177 196  80 122 538

 1998     TEX  19  11  33 33  3  2  0 212 239  84 167 423

 1999     TEX  18   9  33 33  2  2  0 205 244  70 186 479


 
      Sele had his second terrific season for Texas; his ERA was a little high, but it was that kind of year. More importantly, his strikeouts went up while his walks went down. All things considered, I think that Sele is an excellent bet to have a good year in 2000.
     But wait; at this writing, Sele is having a very interesting off-season. He signed with Baltimore, but failed a physical, and signed with the Mariners instead. I'm not sure what to make of this; maybe the Orioles are nuts, or maybe they found a problem in his arm. Anyways, we'll just have to wait and see; I would still like to have him on my team.

 
STEVE SINCLAIR (29, L)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1998     AAA   3   1  43  1  0  0  3  50  37  23  45 217

 1999     AAA   3   2  36  0  0  0 18  41  26  13  32 218


1998 TOR 0 2 24 0 0 0 0 15 13 5 8 360 1999 TOR-SEA 0 1 21 0 0 0 0 19 22 14 18 652

 
      Sinclair moved very slowly through the Blue Jays' system; it took him seven years to get past A ball. But he has gotten everybody out at Triple-A the past two years, and hasn't looked too bad in a major league uniform. The Mariners need good relievers; if Sinclair can get settled in a role, he should be good.

 
SEAN SPENCER (25, L)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997       A   2   3  39  0  0  0 18  60  41  15  72 164

 1998      AA   2   1  37  0  0  0 18  43  33  18  43 295

 1999     AAA   2   1  44  0  0  0  7  49  41  23  53 347


 
      A young left-hander with the Mariners, Spencer had a good year at Tacoma, and looks like he can succeed as the token lefty in the bullpen. The Mariners always need relievers, so Spencer has the opportunity to make some big league money.

 
DENNIS STARK (23, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997       A   7   4  19 18  1  0  0 108  65  43 122 217

 1998       A   1   2   5  5  0  0  0  21  18  17  21 429

 1999      AA   9  11  26 26  2  1  0 147 151  62 103 440


 
      A young pitcher with the Mariners, Stark spent the whole season at New Haven, then made five appearances with the big club. He might be good, but he needs at least a full year in Triple-A.

 
BRETT TOMKO (27, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997     CIN  11   7  22 19  0  0  0 126 106  47  95 343

 1998     CIN  13  12  34 34  1  0  0 210 198  64 162 444

 1999     CIN   5   7  33 26  1  0  0 172 175  60 132 492


 
      Tomko has been a disappointment the past two seasons, and appears to be regressing. He has talent, can get strikeouts and has good control and has a history of success. He has been dealt to the Mariners, where Lou Pinella has had success working with young pitchers. I expect him to have a solid season.

 
TODD WILLIAMS (29, R)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1999     SEA   0   0  13  0  0  0  0  10  11   7   7 466


 
      Williams is a minor league veteran, occasionally gets some innings in the majors. He spent most of last season at Indianapolis, and wasn't very good; not likely to pitch much in 2000.

 
DAN WILSON (CA, 31, R)

 YEAR      TM  GM  AB  HT DB TP HR RUN RBI  BB  SO  AVG OBA SLU  SB  CS

 1997     SEA 146 508 137 31  1 15  66  74  39  72  270 326 423   7   2

 1998     SEA  96 325  82 17  1  9  39  44  24  56  252 308 394   2   1

 1999     SEA 123 414 110 23  2  7  46  38  29  83  266 315 382   5   0


 
      The Mariners acquired Wilson from the Reds in exchange for Bret Boone, and it has turned out to be a good deal. Wilson is a good defensive catcher who keeps his average above .250, and hits the occasion home run. However, he is turning 31; few catchers remain regulars in their 30's, and Wilson's strike zone judgment seems to be getting worse. I will be surprised if he has a good year in 2000.

 
JORDAN ZIMMERMAN (25, L)

 YEAR    TEAM  WN  LS  GP GS CG SH SV  IP HIT  BB  SO ERA

 1997       A   2   4  14 12  0  0  0  56  55  33  76 466

 1998     R/A   0   2   8  6  0  0  0  29  35  15  19 408

 1999      AA   1   4  22  0  0  0  3  33  26  19  33 108


 
      Zimmerman pitched brilliantly at New Haven last year, and made a few appearances with the Mariners. You can be sure that Lou Pinella would love to have him in his bullpen, but Zimmerman has been plagued by shoulder woes the past two seasons. To expect him to stay healthy and have a big year would probably be unrealistic.