Kuzul

The Seattle Mariners appear to be confident that Mike Zunino is ready to be their everyday catcher. Whether or not the youngster is up to the challenge is yet to be seen.

Look at what has unfolded over the last few weeks. Jesus Montero gets demoted. Jesus Sucre gets hurt. Brandon Bantz arrives, but is soon designated for assignment.

And then…welcome to the show, Mike Zunino!

Some of these circumstances just happened, while others were obviously orchestrated. But wait, the youngster is going to share time with Kelly Shoppach, right? The rookie is going to back up the veteran, correct?

Nope.

Kelly Shoppach has been designated for assignment, according to ESPN, and the Mariners have signed Henry Blanco. Now, the Mariners have essentially traded one poor-hitting veteran catcher for another.

That may be the point.

The path has clearly been for Mike Zunino to become the man, the myth and the legend. Now is the time for the Mariners to see whether Zunino is really ready for the big leagues.

Obviously, Zunino does not have to turn into an immediate All-Star from the very first day. If that did happen, fans wouldn’t exactly complain. Zunino may struggle, have setbacks or ultimately need to be sent back down to Tacoma for some extra seasoning.

Perhaps Jesus Montero may eventually return.

However, the decisions of late suggest that management believes that Zunino is ready. Or, it may be that Seattle is desperate for anyone to come in and give this offense an extra boost.

Is Zunino actually ready? He didn’t exactly hit for a high average at Tacoma, as Zunino compiled a .238 average in 47 games. Zunino did hit 11 home runs and drive in 43 RBI in 185 at-bats.

Zunino is going to be scrutinized heavily over the next couple of weeks. In fact, every at-bat and play may be critiqued until Zunino establishes himself or proves to be ineffective. As noted by Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times during a game against the A’s on June 14:

Of course, with every 0-for-4 game there will be fans who suggest that Zunino is not ready and that Seattle rushed one of their top prospects. We shall see.

The path has been cleared. It is time for the Mike Zunino era to begin. At least, fans hope that there will actually be an era.

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The Los Angeles Angels are a mess. Their 29-38 record is the second-worst mark in the American League, and the Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s are miles ahead of them in the AL West.

But the Angels aren’t just any mess. They’re the kind of mess that invites rubbernecking. It’s impossible not to see them, slow down and say, “Man, how did that happen?”

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The last couple years have seen the Angels spend roughly $450 million on big-name free agents with the sole purpose in mind to do great things. And after nearly making the playoffs in 2012, they were supposed to get in and go to the World Series this year. The 2013 season was supposed to see them do anything but fall apart at the seams like they have.

How it’s all gone downhill is probably already a book-length subject. But since all I’ve got here is an article, the best I can do is focus on the miscalculations and misfortunes that waylaid the Angels.

The story goes a little something like this…

Misstep: The Extension and Subsequent Marginalization of Mike Scioscia

Let’s step into the TARDIS and travel back to January 2009.

At the time, the Angels were fresh off their fourth postseason appearance in five years and had won 194 regular-season games in 2007 and 2008. All under the watchful gaze of Mike Scioscia.

You can’t blame Angels owner Arte Moreno for wanting to lock a guy like that up for the long haul. Moreno did that and then some, signing Scioscia to a 10-year contract extension that had the potential to keep him in Anaheim through 2018.

Ten years is a long time to commit to any manager, but the Angels committing that many years to Scioscia felt right. He first came aboard in 2000 and proceeded to make the Angels into a powerhouse by crafting them in his image. The Angels played a unique brand of baseball under him, one characterized by aggressiveness on offense, strong defense and quality relief pitching.

After committing 10 years to Scioscia, you’d think that the Angels would have made it a directive right then and there that the club would continue to be operate in his image. Evidently, that never happened.

Since he replaced Tony Reagins in October 2011, general manager Jerry Dipoto has further and further cemented himself as the man in charge in Anaheim, even going so far as to fire hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, one of Scioscia’s longtime generals, last May.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Scioscia actually considered stepping down after Hatcher was given the boot. Even now, Rosenthal says that Dipoto and Scioscia have a strained relationship, which is easy to believe.

It’s not just that Dipoto has knocked Scioscia from his throne. There’s also the reality that the Angels have moved away from Scioscia-ball and more toward the “Moneyball model.” They’re less about being aggressive and more about powering up.

This is especially true now in 2013. Per FanGraphs, the Angels are ninth in home runs and 21st in stolen bases. Not exactly what you’d expect from a Mike Scioscia team.

Marginalizing Scioscia and doing away with Scioscia-ball could have worked, mind you. Other teams have won with the Moneyball model. The Angels could have, too.

Part of the reason why they’re not has to do with bad investments, and you know which one of those stands out the most.

Bad Investment: Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols suffered through the worst season of his career in 2011. He hit 37 homers, but his .906 OPS was well below the career mark of 1.050 that he bore at the start of the season.

The Angels wanted Pujols anyway, so much so that they signed him to a 10-year, $254 million contract that had the baseball world buzzing.

“Albert’s career performance clearly speaks for itself,” said Dipoto in a statement, via ESPNLosAngeles.com. “He has proven to be the best player of his generation.”

That was the sentiment of the hour when Pujols signed. Sure, he was coming off a down year, but he was Albert freakin’ Pujols. He’d figure it out.

Looking back now, however, the warning signs were there.

The big injury Pujols dealt with in 2011 was a fractured wrist that put him on the disabled list, but his Baseball Prospectus injury database also shows a hamstring strain, a wrist contusion, a hand contusion, shoulder soreness and an ankle sprain. These were precisely the kind of nagging injuries that age tends to invite. And at 31, Pujols was no spring chicken in 2011.

There was also Pujols’ plate discipline in 2011, which wasn’t very Pujols-esque. Per FanGraphs, he saw his BB% tumble below 10 percent for the first time in his career, and he also hacked at more pitches outside the strike zone than ever before.

Consider those last two paragraphs together. They should read like a prophesy for what Pujols would become.

Indeed. Once baseball’s brightest star, Pujols has only traveled further down the path he began treading in 2011. Good health has continued to elude him, and his plate discipline is still far from what it once was. This year, he’s swinging at more pitches outside the strike zone than infamous bad-ball chasers like Ichiro Suzuki and Adrian Beltre (see FanGraphs).

Pujols’ deal isn’t the only contract the Angels have handed out that’s living up to the warning signs. The other big one the Angels handed out during the 2011-2012 offseason is, too.

Bad Investment: C.J. Wilson

Contrary to Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson was coming off his best season when the Angels signed him to a five-year, $77.5 million deal.

Wilson had just gone 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA for a Texas Rangers team that made it to within one strike of winning the World Series. On the surface, he looked like just the kind of guy you want at the top of your rotation: talented and a winner.

One thing that didn’t make sense about Wilson’s 2011 season was his walk rate. After posting a 4.10 BB/9 in 2010, his BB/9 fell to 2.98.

Quite the improvement, but it didn’t add up.

Here’s a look at Wilson’s Zone%’s (that being the percentage of pitches he’s thrown in the strike zone) in 2011 as compared to 2010, according to both Baseball Info Solutions and PITCHf/x by way of FanGraphs:

These numbers show a very slight improvement in Wilson’s ability to throw strikes. One much more slight than his walk rate would lead one to believe, anyway. 

And there’s the problem. Wilson’s 2011 walk rate looked like a guarantee that he had sharpened up his command when the subject was, in fact, still up for debate.

A couple years later, Wilson’s 2.98 BB/9 from 2011 looks like an obvious outlier. His BB/9 went back up to 4.05 in 2012, and it’s at 3.90 this year. Not so coincidentally, he’s gone from being a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher to a guy with a 3.88 ERA in an Angels uniform. 

Now, to be fair, it takes a lot more than two bad investments and a disconnect between a GM and a manager to kill a baseball team. These things help, but they can’t kill a team quite like Murphy’s Law.

The Angels can tell you all about that just from their experiences in 2012.

Murphy’s Law: The Angels’ 2012 Season

It’s hard to give the Angels too much guff about what happened in 2012. They won 89 games, after all, and were one of baseball’s best teams after Mike Trout came aboard in late April.

That’s one thing that went right for the Angels. Everything else, though…

The Angels were expecting huge production out of Pujols. They eventually got it, but not before he slumped to the tune of a .536 OPS through his first 36 games.

The Angels were expecting a big season out of Wilson, too. They only got half of one, as he went from having a 2.43 ERA in the first half to having a 5.54 ERA in the second half.

Elsewhere in the starting rotation, the Angels were expecting big seasons out of Dan Haren and Ervin Santana, who both posted ERAs in the low 3.00s and combined for 27 wins in 2011. The 2012 season saw their ERAs skyrocket, and they both ended up with losing records.

In the bullpen, the Angels were expecting Jordan Walden to follow his All-Star rookie season with an even better sophomore season as the club’s closer. He was demoted from the closer’s role before April was even over, and the bullpen was thrown into a state of flux for the rest of the season.

Ernesto Frieri eventually stabilized the closer’s role, but even he struggled in August when the Angels bullpen lost a staggering seven games (see FanGraphs).

Considering all this, it’s actually amazing that the Angels managed to win 89 games. Things could have been a lot worse.

At the same time, it was obvious that things needed to get a lot better. That’s where things went wrong the ensuing winter.

The Wrong Idea: The Angels’ 2012-13 Offseason

It wasn’t hard to spot the weaknesses that Dipoto needed to address last winter.

Jered Weaver pitched well all season, and Zack Greinke added some stability after he came over from the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline, but the Angels’ starting pitching was a weakness in 2012. Combined, their starters posted a mediocre 4.04 ERA. 

The bullpen was worse. Despite Frieri’s best efforts, Angels relievers still only managed a 3.97 ERA that ranked 22nd in baseball. Only the Brewers and Colorado Rockies blew more saves.

The Angels’ shopping list for the winter should have consisted of the following: pitching, pitching and more pitching—and not just any pitching…the good stuff.

Moreno had other ideas. According to Ken Rosenthal, it was Moreno who spearheaded the club’s pursuit of Josh Hamilton, and his signing left little financial wiggle room for Dipoto to rebuild the pitching staff. He was going to have to do what he could.

Gone went Haren, Santana and Greinke, who signed a then-record contract for a right-hander with those blasted Los Angeles Dodgers.

In their place, Dipoto put Jason Vargas, Tommy Hanson and Joe Blanton. It only cost Kendrys Morales to get Vargas, Walden to get Hanson, and $15 million over two years to get Blanton. Like that, the club’s mediocre rotation was replaced by a thrifty one that promised to be equally mediocre.

Dipoto spent a little more freely on the bullpen, issuing $8 million to Sean Burnett and $3.5 million (guaranteed) to Ryan Madson. The latter was a calculated risk, as Madson was still recovering from Tommy John surgery and would only be able to help the Angels once/if he got healthy.

The pitching staff was retooled, but it was clear all along that much was going to have to go right in order for the retooling effort to pay off. 

It all went down seemingly for the sake of bringing aboard Hamilton, who would surely be able to shore up…

Well, an area that didn’t really need to be shored up. After finishing fourth in MLB in runs scored in 2012, the Angels were hardly in dire need of another hitter.

These being the Angels, it’s only natural that the hitter they didn’t need to spend on has turned out to be another bad investment.

Bad Investment: Josh Hamilton

With Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, the warning signs were subtle. There, but subtle.

The same can’t be said of the warning signs with Hamilton. It was obvious the moment he inked his five-year, $125 million contract that the Angels were going out on a limb.

Hamilton was as hot as Kate Upton at the center of the sun through the first six weeks of the 2012 season, but he hit only .251 with a .325 OBP over his final 116 games. His prolonged slump was characterized by an abundance of strikeouts, and those were no accident.

Hamilton swung at pretty much everything thrown in his general direction in 2012. Per FanGraphs, only Delmon Young hacked at more pitches, and nobody swung at more pitches outside the strike zone. Worse, nobody swung and missed at more pitches than Hamilton did.

The Angels had no choice but to hope that things would change in 2013. Instead, it’s been par for the course.

Hamilton is still among the game’s most prolific hackers, right up there next to Yuniesky Betancourt and Carlos Gomez (see FanGraphs). He’s also still chasing more bad pitches than he should be, and he’s is whiffing more often than all but two other players.

For Hamilton’s $15 million salary, what the Angels are getting is a .217/.274/.390 slash line. Rather than bolster what was already a strong offense, he’s made it weaker.

That’s just one of many things that has gone wrong for the Angels in 2013. Murphy’s Law is attacking them again.

Murphy’s Law Again: The Angels’ 2013 Season

The Angels got off on the right foot this season, winning on Opening Day in Cincinnati in extras by the final of 3-1.

The mess started to materialize soon after.

The three big signings have all been disappointments. We know about Hamilton, and Pujols has been only marginally better with a .757 OPS. Rather than key components of an elite offense, they’re just “meh” components of an offense that ranks eighth in the American League in runs scored.

Wilson, meanwhile, has a 4.02 ERA and has had only two starts in which he hasn’t walked multiple hitters. He hasn’t been horrible, but he’s certainly pitched much more like a back-end starter than a front-end starter.

Elsewhere in the starting rotation, only Vargas has turned out to be a reliable producer. Weaver had to go on the DL after his second start of the season and has been hit-or-miss in the starts he has made. Hanson has been limited to seven starts, in which he has an ERA over 4.00. Blanton has an ERA near 6.00 and has already lost 10 games.

The bullpen has been worse off. Madson still hasn’t pitched yet, and it’s up in the air whether he’ll be able to pitch at all in 2013 after suffering a setback in his recovery. Burnett has since joined Madson on the DL with an elbow problem. The relievers who are and have been active have posted a 4.11 ERA that ranks 23rd in MLB.

Put numbers like these together, and there’s no way you’re ending up with anything other than a rotten team.

The best thing this particular rotten team can do now is serve as a cautionary tale with a number of key lessons:

Lesson 1: Don’t make a long-term commitment to a manager only to marginalize him later.

Lesson 2: Don’t say “yes” when the warning signs say “no.”

Lesson 3: Help your team where it actually needs help.

Lesson 4: Hope like hell that the baseball gods are on your side.

No, there’s not a lot teams can do about that last one. But if the Angels are any indication, the baseball gods are going to be a lot nicer if you don’t screw up the first three.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Salary and contract info courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts. 

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Peter Bourjos just made Tuesday’s game between the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels all about him.

In just the bottom of the first inning, Bourjos saw J.J. Hardy blast a 1-1 pitch to deep center and climbed the wall to take back what would have been a two-run home run. Even teammate Mike Trout must be jealous.

You can bet that Bourjos will be all over SportsCenter on Wednesday thanks to this gem of a catch, and I’d even venture so far as to say that this could be the catch of the year.

For those of you questioning whether moving Mike Trout to left field in place of Bourjos was a mistake defensively, I think we just got our answer.

Peter Bourjos Just made one the greatest catches you will ever See!!!!#greatcatches #angels #epic twitter.com/RogerLodge7/st…

— Roger Lodge (@RogerLodge7) June 11, 2013

This isn’t Bourjos’ first time robbing hitters, however. He has had five home-run-saving catches since 2010, which leads MLB.

Peter Bourjos just made his 5th career HR robbery, tied with Cameron Maybin for the most since 2010.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 11, 2013

Bourjos clearly has the speed, timing and athleticism to be an elite fielder, and he shows it off at regular intervals. We’ve seen him rob Daniel Murphy, make diving catches and simply become a hitter’s nightmare in 2011.

This must feel like deja vu for Hardy, as just last year he was robbed by an Angels center fielder, but that time it happened to be Trout.

A year and a day after Mike Trout’s superhuman catch against the Orioles, Peter Bourjos makes the… instagram.com/p/acAofKL2Cg/

— Mike Furrh (@Mike_Furrh) June 11, 2013

Bourjos is back from the DL, and the fans love it.

I’m already looking forward to the Peter Bourjos poster giveaway Angels stadium will be giving away soon of that catch…

— ℓкяgιяℓ (@LKRGIRL) June 11, 2013

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As June continues to roll on, the call-ups are continuing as Mike Zunino was called up by the Seattle Mariners from Triple-A Tacoma.

Got it confirmed from someone who would know: Mike Zunino has gotten the callup, catching a plane from Vegas to Seattle this afternoon

— Larry Stone (@StoneLarry) June 11, 2013

Zunino is the first position player from the 2012 draft class to be called up. He follows pitchers Kevin Gausman (Baltimore Orioles), Alex Wood (Atlanta Braves) and Michael Wacha (St. Louis Cardinals).

However, one has to wonder if his early call-up is going to hurt his development?

Will Zunino be able to contribute at a decent level for the Mariners?

Questionable Promotion

According to Aaron Gleeman of NBCSports.com, it’s a questionable promotion:

As a college star Zunino was always expected to move quickly through the minors and indeed he’s the first position player from the 2012 draft class to reach the majors, but his performance has hardly screamed out for the promotion.

At Tacoma, Zunino had some decent power numbers with 11 home runs, 43 RBI and 12 doubles.

However, his batting average sits at .238 and he’s struck out 59 times.

Mariners calling up Mike Zunino.Hello desperation ploy to save some jobs.

— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) June 11, 2013

Some have seen Zunino first-hand and aren’t sure he’s ready for the big leagues.

Over these last couple weeks, I’ve seen Zunino get overmatched on 90 MPH fastballs and chase a lot of pitches out of the zone.

— Michael Schwartze (@Mike_Schwartze) June 11, 2013

That could be one of the reasons he’s struck out 59 times. In fact, over his last five games, he’s struck out three times twice.

He’s only played in 47 games, which means he’s averaging more than a strikeout per game.

My guess is the Mariners are hoping to get the Mark Reynolds-effect from Zunino—someone who may strike out a lot, but will also hit a lot of home runs.

Development of Young Players…Or Lack Thereof

When it comes to the Mariners, they have a questionable history at developing young players.

Just look at Jesus Montero, Justin Smoak and Dustin Ackley.

All were expected to be the next big thing in Seattle, but have largely faltered.

Montero can barely stay above the Mendoza line, while Smoak has never provided the power most thought he would. Then there’s Ackley, who is back in Triple-A after struggling the in majors in 2012 and 2013.

It’s not a question of the player’s talent because all were very talented at some point.

However, you have to question the player development in the minors.

In a blog by Jux Berg for the Seattle Times, the Mariners haven’t had the ability to overcome player development failures.

In addition to misidentifying the types of hitters needed for a pitcher-friendly ballpark, a lack of organizational focus on scouting, drafting and player development in the past has crippled the Seattle Mariners offensively.

There may be a new regime in the front office in Seattle, but the fact remains that they’re failing to develop talent.

Players aren’t coming up to the majors ready to go as they’re still having to learn on the fly.

All of the “next big thing” players have experienced hardships and continue to struggle.

Will the same be said for Zunino?

Verdict

You can go one of two ways when judging this move.

The Mariners currently rank 25th in baseball in attendance, averaging 21,286 per game.

So if it’s a move to put more butts in the seats, then it will only last through the all-star break as it will become old for fans.

If it’s a move because the brass feel Zunino is ready, then only time will tell if they were right.

I think it should go without saying that if Zunino struggles in the big leagues this year and into next, the Mariners need to seriously take another look at their player development. Currently, it’s not up to snuff.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Player: Kacy Clemens

Drafted by: Houston Astros (No. 1037 overall)

Position: RHP 

DOB: 7/27/1994 (Age: 18)

Height/Weight: 6’2″/200 lbs

Bats/Throws: L/R

School: Memorial HS (TX)

College Commitment: Texas

Background

Being the son of a seven-time Cy Young winner can have its advantages, as it all but guarantees Kacy Clemens that he will be drafted at some point, and he had a great tutor growing up. Unfortunately, there is only so much the elder Clemens can do for his son’s performance on the field. 

There is nothing wrong with Clemens per se, just that he doesn’t have the kind of stuff or projection you want from a high school pitcher. He has some ability as a first baseman, but his best route to pro ball will be on the mound. 

Full Scouting Report

Note: Numerical scores are on the conventional 80-point scouting scale, with the current score first and projected score second.

Body/Mechanics:

Already filled out at age 18; sturdy, durable frame at 6’2″, 200 pounds; lacks physical projection, but could find a little velocity with some strength and conditioning drills; clean and easy delivery, strikingly similar to his father; great kick off the mound and use of lower half; arm speed is solid and repeats mechanics. 

Fastball: 45/50

Fringe-average fastball right now; velocity varies from high 80s to low 90s from start to start; very straight out of his hand and easy for hitters to turn on; never going to overpower hitters, so must rely on off-speed stuff and control to get outs. 

Curveball: 40/50

Polished breaking ball already; good feel and confidence in the pitch; tight rotation and late snap give it the potential to miss a few bats or at least generate weak contact; will be best weapon in professional baseball. 

Changeup: 40/45

Some feel for changeup at present; pitch comes out of his hand a little too hard without enough separation from fastball to fool hitters; some downward movement to generate soft contact; projects as fringe-average. 

Control: 45/55

Very good ability to throw strikes; moves the ball in and out, up and down; aggressive, attacking style even though caliber of stuff is modest; polished on the mound and very good poise in every situation; stuff could play up because of ability to control the zone. 

Command: 40/50

Can get in trouble throwing too many strikes thanks to lack of swing-and-miss stuff; moves the ball around with tremendous ease; will have to be a feel pitcher to succeed in the big leagues; advanced feel could help him move quickly for a high schooler. 

MLB Player Comparison: Mike Leake

Projection: Back-end starter (No. 4) on first-division team. 

MLB ETA: 2017

Chances of Signing: 25%

Considering where Clemens is at right now, the fact that his family is able to provide for him and the opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps at the University of Texas, it is hard to see Kacy going to professional baseball right now. 

If Clemens’ ceiling was higher or he showed better present stuff, which would push him way up draft boards compared to where he is right now, there would be a better chance that he would sign. Instead, look for him to go to school and reenter the draft in three years. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The past few seasons, the Houston Astros have been the laughing stock of Major League Baseball, but that may not last for long. Things are looking up in Houston, as the Astros continue to grow and learn in their rebuilding process.

Players like Jose Altuve and Jason Castro are beginning to show glimpses of their tremendous potential. New ownership and management are in place to get this organization on the right track.

The farm system for the Astros is on the rise, as more and more talented prospects join the organization via trades and draft picks.

Expectations for the Astros this year were very low, which gives this team the opportunity to improve in a comfortable, positive environment without any pressure or distractions.

Here are the 10 biggest reasons to be optimistic about this young team’s future.

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The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were recently swept by the Houston Astros, a team with a minuscule payroll widely believed to be one of the worst in the modern era.  

This drops the Halos’ record to 25-33, 11 games out of first place in the AL West and seven games out of the wild-card picture.

With a seven-game win streak now decidedly in the rearview mirror, here are five things wrong with the Angels this season.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com and current as of 8 p.m. ET, June 4.

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On July 30, 2011, it was announced that the Seattle Mariners were going to trade young starting pitcher Doug Fister and scrappy reliever David Pauley to the Detroit Tigers for a pile of prospects.  Those prospects ended up being outfielder Casper Wells, pitcher Charlie Furbush, third baseman Francisco Martinez and a player to be named who ended up being closer Chance Ruffin.

At the time of the trade, Fister had a 3-12 record with a 3.33 earned run average for the Mariners.  Pauley had a 2.22 ERA in 39 games through 54.1 innings pitched.  The offense-heavy Tigers needed some bullpen depth and at least one more quality starter.  It seemed to them that they would be getting both from the Mariners. 

The Mariners, already heavy in prospects, were getting what looked like a heavy sum for an up-and-coming starter and a good reliever.  Wells was slugging .451 in Triple-A Toledo, Furbush owned a 1-3 record and 3.62 ERA as a reliever for the Tigers, Martinez (then only 20 years old) was hitting .282 with seven homers and 46 RBI in Double-A Erie and Ruffin was 3-3 with a 2.03 ERA between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo.

The prospect package of Wells, Furbush, Martinez and Ruffin turned out to be entirely a bust, and Fister has continued to excel with the Tigers.  Pauley, on the other hand, struggled in 14 games with the Tigers, going 0-2 with a 5.95 ERA.  He spent 2012 mostly in the minors, but went 0-1 with a 6.48 record with the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays.

Wells struggled with the Mariners, batting .216 with seven homers in 2011 and .228 with 10 homers in 2012 before being waived in 2013.  He was claimed by the Blue Jays, purchased by the Oakland A’s (where he went 0-for-5) and then purchased again by the Chicago White Sox, where he is currently hitting .136.

Furbush struggled as a starter with the Mariners in 2011, going 3-7 with a 6.62 ERA.  In 48 games in 2012, he went 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA.  He is one of the main figures in Seattle’s bullpen today, currently 0-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 23 appearances.

Ruffin, then a closer prospect, went 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 13 relief appearances for the Mariners in 2011.  Since then, he hasn’t played in the big leagues and is being converted to a starter in Double-A Jackson.

What really makes the Doug Fister trade a bust is Francisco Martinez.  The prospect struggled with Double-A Jackson and Triple-A Tacoma and was converted to an outfielder.  The Mariners traded Martinez on Sunday back to the Tigers for a player to be named.  Detroit plans on salvaging his career and moving him back to third base.

Fister, who the Mariners practically gave up for free, went 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA with the Tigers in 2011.  Last year, he went 10-10 with a 3.45 ERA (after some health issues), and this year he’s 5-2 with a 3.28 ERA.  He is the Tigers’ dominant No. 2 starter behind Justin Verlander.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Texas Rangers had a hectic schedule in May, and it ended at home versus the Kansas City Royals. 

The month has been filled with high and lows. High: taking three of four from the Detroit Tigers. Low: losing three straight games.

Throughout the month, the one thing that remained the same was the competition and consistency from the AL West leaders. They went 17-11 in May with a 34-20 overall record, second in MLB.

From Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus to Justin Grimm, take a look back at the competitive, fun and most memorable moments from the month of May.

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The month of May wasn’t the easiest for the Seattle Mariners. The highest highs were all but negated by the lowest lows, and multiple significant personnel changes occurred, drastically changing the look of the Mariners for the time being.

If this team is going to fully turn things around and at least make a push at a winning record, improvements need to be made quickly. June will be friendlier, schedule-wise, as the Mariners play 18 of their 27 games at Safeco Field where they’ve played much better this season. The Mariners also play five teams that currently own losing records, so an improvement in the win column can be expected.

If the M’s continue their slumping ways, skipper Eric Wedge may find himself out of a job midseason.

With a new month ready to begin, let’s take a look at letter grades for every player for the month of May.

All statistics current as of May 30.

*All statistics via ESPN.com, baseball-reference.com and MLB.com unless noted otherwise.*

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