Jerry gathered all the pieces with controlling the zone as his guide, now it’s time for Scott to assemble to puzzle into a complete picture of work ethic, peak performance and leadership.
Only ELEVEN players on the 25-man roster have been M’s before . . .
ROTATION | TWO new guys
FELIXhernandez RHP The King is still The King ~ set to start his NINTH Opening Day
HISASHIiwakuma RHP thank goodness he’s back ~ came t h i s close to being a Dodger
WADEmiley LHP at least he’s an innings eater ~ 190+ in each of 4-full seasons
TAIJUANwalker RHP time for Tai’s breakout season ~ slider a key performance indicator?
NATHANkarns RHP beat out Paxton for the 5-spot ~ if he can match last year, not too shabby
BULL PEN | FOUR new guys
STEVEcishek RHP couple years removed from TWO 34+ save seasons ~ can he do it again?
JOAQUINbenoit RHP an oldie but, hopefully still a goodie!
JOELperalta RHP another oldie but, a necessity with Charlie out for the start of the season
TONYzych RHP has the stuff but, this will be his first time on an Opening Day roster
NICKvincent RHP he switched clubhouses late in ST ~ from the Pads to the M’s
VIDALnuno LHP not a great season last year (but, then, who in the M’s pen had one?!?)
MIKEmontgomery LHP started last season (posted TWO shutouts) ~ long relief this year?
CATCHERS | BOTH new guys
CHRISiannetta C needs a bounce-back season, though was still better than any M’s C
STEVEclevenger C has been better defensively than expected and the 7th lefty bat
INFIELDERS | THREE new guys
ADAMlind 1B veteran solid first baseman with some pop but, only vs. righties
DAE-HOlee 1B welcome to the U.S.! ~ plan to platoon with Lind vs. lefties
ROBINSONcano 2B after double hernia surgery in the offseason, bound to bounce back!
KETELmarte SS tasted the big leagues last season ~ won the starting SS spot out of ST this year!
KYLEseager 3B had a rough year at the hot corner (after his GG) but, looks to continue his upward trajectory at the plate
LUISsardinas U young at utility not always the case ~ hopefully, he can get some consistent time
OUTFIELDERS | THREE new guys
NORIaoki LF consistency seems to be his motto ~ as in consistently on base
LEONYSmartin CF stellar defender at a crucial position (and a new daddy for the second time!)
SETHsmith RF great against righties, will platoon with Guti
FRANKLINgutierrez RF here’s to keeping him healthy, then there’s no stopping him!
NELSONcruz DH key is keeping fresh and focused ~ no doubt Gar can help with that
At-a-glance observations . . .
- lack of lefty pitchers is a bit concerning
- mix of platoons/experience of the position players seems like a great balance
- from all accounts, newbies and veterans alike are “all in” on the vision and philosophy set forth from day one of the new regime and, to a man, they are all focused on C the Z