Kuzul

One of the more interesting headlines of the Mariners offseason was the switch of Ichiro from the leadoff role to the No. 3 spot in the lineup.  It was a decision that broke 10 years of tradition.

With that move, Chone Figgins became the new leadoff man, and Dustin Ackley remained in the No. 2 spot.

But with all the experimenting going on in the Mariners lineup, would it make sense to try Ackley hitting third and Ichiro second?

In the long run, Ackley is going to be the No. 3 three hitter anyway. When Ichiro retires, somebody is going to have to fill that role.

On paper, it makes sense for Ichiro to bat third.  He has the ability to put the ball in play, something that is crucial when there are runners on base.  He doesn’t strike out a lot, he’s patient.

But dig deeper, and you’ll find a decent number of Ichiro’s hits are infield singles.  And infield singles will do your team no good with runners on base.

Ichiro does have the ability to hit for power, but through 15 games, he’s only popped one home run.

I’m not saying Ackley is going to hit a lot of home runs, but he is much more of a natural No. 3 hitter than Ichiro.

Ackley’s smooth, compact stroke naturally generates line drives all over the ballpark.  It seems like 90 percent of his hits are frozen ropes in the gaps.

This will come in handy with runners on base, especially when the two hitters ahead of him are the speedy Figgins and Ichiro. 

Figgins is doing much better in the leadoff role and Ichiro will give you good production pretty much anywhere in the lineup, so it wouldn’t hurt to try Ackley in a different role.

The run production still isn’t where we want it to be, and at this point Eric Wedge is willing to try anything to push a few more runs across. 

Especially after that heartbreaking loss to the Indians last Thursday, a 2-1 defeat despite Felix Hernandez’s gem of an outing.

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Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge recently made a groundbreaking decision to move Ichiro to the No. 3 hole and have Chone Figgins and Dustin Ackley hit 1-2 at the top of the order.

I have no problem with Ichiro hitting No. 3; I believe the time has come for Ichiro to start utilizing his power more than his speed and finesse.

What I’m still trying to wrap my head around is Figgins leading off after two embarrassingly bad seasons.

Who could’ve possibly thought this was a good idea?

His OBP (on-base-percentage) last year was .241. That wasn’t his batting average, that was his OBP!  His batting average was a mind-boggling bad .188 in 81 games last year.

It is possible that he went through some miracle transformation over the offseason, but then again he is 34 years old and hasn’t been relevant at the plate since 2009.  According to his WAR (Wins Above Replacement), he’s actually been one of the worst players in the majors since he came to Seattle.

Considering the money they Mariners are paying him, I wouldn’t say anything if they put Figgins at the bottom of the lineup just so they could get some bang for their buck.

There is no reason for him to leadoff; a leadoff hitter needs to have a extremely high OBP. His job is to get on base; that’s what Ichiro has been doing for the last decade.

I have no problem with Ackley batting No. 2. He is one of the best pure hitting prospects in the game.  He sprays line drives all over the ballpark, a perfect No. 2 lefty.

There are other candidates to lead off for the Mariners.

Franklin Guiterrez is an intriguing option.  Guti enters hot and cold streaks, but overall I think he is a much butter leadoff option than Figgy.

I’m all for second chances, but let Figgins prove himself at the bottom of the lineup, and if he can prove he can handle the responsibilities, then give him a chance.

With Ichiro hitting No. 3, I think the Mariners expect him to get more RBIs than home runs.  Which is OK.

With runners on base, Ichiro can be dangerous with his ability to simply put the ball in play and put the game in motion.

Unfortunately, with Figgins leading off, I’m not sure how many runners on base there will be for Ichiro.

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You hate to see a young stud pitcher like Michael Pineda go, but even with this loss, the Mariners’ 2012 rotation isn’t exactly in shambles.

Anytime Felix Hernandez is your ace pitcher, your rotation is going to be better than 40% of the teams in the league. Even if your other four pitchers are just average, you’re still going to have an above-average rotation with King Felix at the top.

Several new pitchers have arrived, including Japanese sensation Hisashi Iwakuma. 

With the departure of pitchers like Doug Fister, Erik Bedard, and Michael Pineda this 2012 rotation will look completely revamped.

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Every team wants one, he’s more important than a power hitter, a shut down closer, or a super utility man.  Every team wants a young No.1 starter at or under the age of 26; a young superstar pitcher you can build your team around, one less spot in the rotation that you have to worry about.

You hold on to these pitchers like your life depends on it, and you overprotect that arm like you overprotect your child.  Because your entire franchise is on that throwing arm, and everybody knows that throwing arms are made out of glass.

For this list, I am looking for several things: past performance, injuries, contribution to the team, pure stuff, and whether or not their future is looking bright. 

Every pitcher under or at 26 or under in the majors is eligible, injured or not. 

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