How Good is the Mariners Rotation?

It has been 14 years since the Mariners last made the playoffs. The main reason is their lack of offense. Seattle has seen a few all-star caliber hitters on the Mariner’s roster the last 14 years, besides Ken Griffey and Ichiro, like Adrian Beltre or Raul Ibanez, but their lineup has been dull for years. Pitching, on the other hand, has been terrific since 2008, including having the lowest ERA in the AL in 2014 (3.17). Sure pitching wins championships, but enough run support is still needed, and the Mariner have not given much of that. This is due to lack of aggressiveness in the front office to acquire big bats, but as of the last two off seasons, that is no longer a problem, so the Mariners should be set to keep the 2014 winning poseur, with a revamped lineup and solid starting rotation.

When the Mariner™s finished the 2014 season with a team ERA of 3.17, there were still question marks around the rotation. Not so much about the talent, but more so who is a definite lock as a starter. Felix Hernandez has been one of the top aces for years now and has a long term deal with the Mariners, so he is the obvious for sure number one guy, but who exactly follows him? That is the question that has been asked frequently, but now with the age of the rotation getting older, and more mature, the answer is more accurate.

The number 2 pitcher behind King Felix has been Hisashi Iwakuma the last 2 years, but that became a concern, however, this offseason, as the Mariners were not sure of him taking the team option for 2015; but he eventually did. Iwakuma, the last 2 seasons, put up a record of 29-15 with a 3.09 ERA; so in essence he is a great number 2. The three guys backing Iwakuma up though, have been rapidly changing the last couple seasons. The big case has been the readiness of top pitching prospects James Paxton and Taijuan Walker. Both have only had a preview of what the big leagues are like, but now with both right-handers having plenty of time down in the minors, Seattle has decided to push them out of the nest and put them into the 2015 rotation. Walker has been a top 20 prospect in the MLB for a couple years now and is a big power picher (he is 22). James Paxton attended college for 4 years, so he is a little older at 26 years of age, and has not been as highly ranked as Taijuan, nor a like-wise power thrower, but his control and breaking ball have been heavily discussed/praised. Assuming Paxton’s readability and Taijuan’™s health will be no problem in 2015 for Seattle, the Mariner™s should put together another pitching gem type of campaign.

In total that is only 4 pitchers, but how many teams really have a definite number 5? Hardly any team does. The other thing is that this rotation of 4 has no lefties. No problem; the Mariners also have 7-year lefty veteran J.A. Happ and young Cuban lefty, Roenis Elias. Both of these guys will most likely be vying for the last rotation spot during Spring Training, but they could both be in the rotation at the same time too, if Taijuan or Paxton don’™t work out. Elias posted an ERA under 4 in his 29 starts as a rookie in 2014 with great potential shown, and J.A. Happ has been a solid back of the rotation starter for a few different teams throughout his 7 major league seasons.

Should the Mariner™s starting staff stay healthy and poise for 2015, Seattle should make a lot of noise in the race to capture a playoff berth or even the NL West crown. With the potential of Walker and Paxton being future aces, and the steadiness of Iwakuma and Hernandez at the top, the Mariners could very well compete with any stacked NL rotation in 2015 and beyond. The combination of a revamped batting order and the pitching, the M’s are looking at a potentially great franchise turn around.