The first rule? "There's no crying in Baseball." With apologies to Tom Hanks and his Bears, in the pro circles it's said that good pitching stops good hitting. A World Series will verify that, Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgardner shut down Texas' fearsome bats. Other examples abound, the D-Back's duo of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling stopped the Yankees in 2001, who despite wins by Pettit and Clemens, could score only 5 runs in four games facing Arizona's best.
So what if the two great pitchers face each other? Who wins? It happens every opening Day and a couple dozen other times each season. This forces us into Rule #2. You have to score at least One run to win.
This brings us to the topic of offensive statistics that has been the Mariner's problem. One run is about it. It's usually all you need when Felix is on his game, but with anybody else, one run isn't going to cut it.
It's generally agreed that to remain in the big leagues even a light hitting middle infielder needs to hit better than .220. For the power positions: outfield, at third and first base and catcher, the number is even higher, a minimum of .240 and preferably .275 and up to that preferred majic number of .300.
When the big boys fall below .200, known as the Mendoza line (Mario's lifetime average was actually .215) it's time to start worrying. Slumps are one thing, but a consistent one for five performance starts the trade rumors going. Batting averages aren't everything. For example, productive longball hitters can get away with a poor average because dingers run up the total base and RBI totals. By the same token one of the worst lifetime .300 hitters in baseball was Willie McGee. His 1-3 seemed to come in the late innings when the team was down four or five runs runs and it didn't count. His RBI totals were low for a .300 hitter averaging less than 50 rbi's in a 17 season career. MxGee scored over 100 runs only once in his career. Ichiro for example is also a career .300 hitter but has scored over 100 runs in eight out of ten seasons with over 56 rbis.
The point is average isn't everything, but its someting There are productive hitters and non-productive hitters. Four out of Seattle's nine starters are unproductive, hitting not only below the Mendoza line but below their weight: Figgins, Cust, Langerhans and the Mariners .160 hitting catching duo, Olivo and Moore. Only five hitters are at or near major league respectability: Ichiro, Smoak, Kennedy followed by Bradley and Wilson. To make mattes worse, no more than three of them have been in the same line-up at any one time.
Despite some fine pitching, this adds up to 15 losses in 23 games, now the worst record in the Major Leagues.
The one hitter on the WS Champ San Francisco Gians who approached the Mendoza lline, found himself back in AAA.
So what gives with the Mariners organization? Does the management give up too soon on new aquisitions and veterans alike. What's with the schoolyard baseball trading card strategy? Beltre died in Seattle, now leads the majors in HRs. Is Seattle a graveyard for hitters? Is it too cold here, or what? You tell me.
