Off day for Mariners
While the team travels to Toronto, fans continue to discuss the state of the team. A series win was nice over the O's, but I think most would agree it was a fairly ugly series against a bad team. Many of us have focused on calling up Jones, but I have a feeling Sexson is going to be the number one topic very soon.
Casual fans who listen to the games on TV or radio have a hard time understanding why you should swap Vidro for Jones and move Ibanez to DH. They see Vidro with a near .300 average and are told repeatedly on-air how he is one of the most patient hitters on the team. Trust me, very few casual fans ever bother to fact check the Mariner broadcast booth. If Dave or Mike says Vidro is a patient hitter, most walk away with the impression he is. They don't bother to find out Vidro is actually well below average at taking pitches, both on the Mariners and compared to other hitters in the AL.
But Sexson is a different story. Even a casual fan can point to a .199 batting average and think out loud "this guy sucks." How many times this season have we seen Richie fail at critical times, and look terrible doing it! Both the numbers and casual viewing point to serious problems for the team when it comes to their first basemen. We've been told all season he will post up huge numbers, but even the most ardent casual fan gets tired at hearing it.
The logical answer for some time has been to move Sexson down in the order and give more time to Broussard. The team has recognized the need to get Ben in the lineup, but mistakenly thinks putting him in the outfield is helping. The only time Broussard should play the outfield is when Ichiro, Guillen and Bloomquist all collide and require a stretcher. Otherwise he should stick to DH or first.
But soon, Richie will be in the spotlight.
While the team travels to Toronto, fans continue to discuss the state of the team. A series win was nice over the O's, but I think most would agree it was a fairly ugly series against a bad team. Many of us have focused on calling up Jones, but I have a feeling Sexson is going to be the number one topic very soon.
Casual fans who listen to the games on TV or radio have a hard time understanding why you should swap Vidro for Jones and move Ibanez to DH. They see Vidro with a near .300 average and are told repeatedly on-air how he is one of the most patient hitters on the team. Trust me, very few casual fans ever bother to fact check the Mariner broadcast booth. If Dave or Mike says Vidro is a patient hitter, most walk away with the impression he is. They don't bother to find out Vidro is actually well below average at taking pitches, both on the Mariners and compared to other hitters in the AL.
But Sexson is a different story. Even a casual fan can point to a .199 batting average and think out loud "this guy sucks." How many times this season have we seen Richie fail at critical times, and look terrible doing it! Both the numbers and casual viewing point to serious problems for the team when it comes to their first basemen. We've been told all season he will post up huge numbers, but even the most ardent casual fan gets tired at hearing it.
The logical answer for some time has been to move Sexson down in the order and give more time to Broussard. The team has recognized the need to get Ben in the lineup, but mistakenly thinks putting him in the outfield is helping. The only time Broussard should play the outfield is when Ichiro, Guillen and Bloomquist all collide and require a stretcher. Otherwise he should stick to DH or first.
But soon, Richie will be in the spotlight.
posted by Tom at
3:36 PM
