How the Mariners will mesh

When Jack Zdurenciek was hired I had my doubts. But his scouting background did impress me. And now that I've seen how he goes about his business and the way he presents himself, it shows me this guy has it more right than Bill Bavasi ever did. This guy is smart. Yeah the moves made this year don't instill much confidence -- at first at least. I mean, it looks like some decent young talent and some spare pieces glancing.

But let's examine it a little bit. Really break down what the M's have.

Franklin Gutierrez: Just go here, and type in his name. The kid is an amazing fielder. Sabermetrics indicate he's the one of the best fielders in the game. I'll take that. And he's also shown promise with the bat. He's only 26 and has never played a full season. I like this Gutierrez and his potential and I think he could be a great piece for this team.

Endy Chavez: Yeah, will never be great with the bat, and he's 31 so what you've seen is what you get. But he's great defensively and adequate with the bat. He gives this team depth.

Ronny Cedeno. Has talent, has skill, is young, and could become something.

I could go on, but the theme of this team is depth and competition. There are just guys strewn throughout this training camp that could be solid leaders, and solid contributors. Along with the fact there are so many fresh faces, everyone seems to be healthy, and that right there makes this team better than the 2008 product the M's threw out there. I can just feel that this could be the start of something good.

Now I'm not saying they'll contend, I made that mistake last year. But I feel like this team could be fun to watch, and be competitive. They won't light the world on fire, but if you put an average offense (which I believe they are now with Griffey) out there with a good defense and good pitching, that's a recipe for success. And in turn, the Mariners will quickly approach .500 and respectability.

I just cannot emphasize how much this team underachieved last year with the exceptions of Ichiro, Ibanez, Beltre, and Lopez. The coaching staff mishandled things, the FO was extremely unpopular, and the expectations were too much. There was resentment among teammates, and a losing mentality which, coupled with the injuries, just killed this team before it could even get going.

If (and there are always ifs) this team stays healthy for the most part, and learns to get along, learns to communicate, has fun with each other, then yeah, there will be some good things happening out there. I believe Griffey will bring some fun, some energy, some leadership. And Mike Sweeney is another guy I really hope makes the team because he has a great presence to go along with a great game when healthy.

Clement I think will be ready to challenge Johjima and I think there are so many pitching options in the bullpen, at least a decent-to-good bullpen should emerge. Zdurenciek has brought so much depth to this team, I just feel like someone is going to emerge and people are going to understand their roles. Wakamatsu, the newly appointed manager, seems like a guy who knows baseball, knows people, and will be a solid guy to lead a team turning a new leaf. It matters extremely little that he has never managed. If you have what it takes to manage, then it doesn't matter if it's the first year or 20th year. I have confidence in Wak' from everything I've seen and read.

I have confidence in our FO, in our scouting, and where this team is going in a long while. I do. And until I'm proven wrong, I'll stick to it. I'm ready to watch this team just go and out and have fun and be competitive. That's a huge step towards being a successful franchise and it has to happen in Spring Training.