Kuzul

Bobbleheads, t-shirts and refrigerator magnets.

Oh, my!

One of the pleasures a fan of a lousy team has to look forward to every season are the cool promotions that sucker you in to handing over a hundred bucks you may not have otherwise.

I’ve become an expert at this in recent years rooting on the Mariners, unfortunately. I have more dolls than any 31 year old man should, thanks to the annual Ichiro bobbles. Though, they’re sucking me in again this season.

This year’s edition includes a hit counter so we can follow him on his quest to 200 a season and 3000 overall.

I got to thinking, naturally, because that’s what this stuff does to me: what promotions would us fans who like a good old chuckle line up for, even though our favorite team would never do it?

This list is the byproduct of that thinking. I apologize in advance.

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Ask people who was selected right after Stephen Strasburg went first overall in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, and there’s a good chance you’re left with blank faces.

Dustin Ackley, the second overall selection, or rather, the player picked after Strasburg, was a highly touted selection from the University of North Carolina.

As a freshman, Ackley was named by Baseball America and Rivals.com as the Consensus National Freshman of the Year where he set a school record for most hits in a season with 119. Ackley hit .402 with 10 home runs, 73 RBI and was named the ACC Freshman of the Year.

As a sophomore, Ackley set a school record for runs scored with 82 and became the first player in school history to bat over .400 twice in a career.

His junior season, Ackley put the icing on the cake of an otherwise brilliant career as he was named by Rivals.com as the National Player of the Year. Ackley also ended his Carolina career as the leader in hits, runs and total bases.

His brilliant career was capped when he was selected No. 2 overall by the Seattle Mariners in the 2009 draft.

In his first season in the minors, Ackley spent time in both Double and Triple-A ball and was named League MVP of the Arizona Fall League.

MLB.com recently ranked Ackley No. 5 overall on their annual list of the Top 50 Prospects in Baseball.

Now, two years after being drafted, Ackley has a chance to make the jump to the big leagues.

A natural first baseman, Ackley is making the move to second since the Mariners are locked down at first base after acquiring Justin Smoak from the Texas Rangers in the Cliff Lee deal.

Only time will tell how soon Dustin Ackley will officially become a MLB player, but one thing is certain—barring any unforeseeable circumstances, Ackley will be the starting second baseman for the Seattle Mariners before the 2011 season is over.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

One key to winning a fantasy baseball league is finding value in the latter stages of the draft, especially starting pitchers who can provide help with wins and strikeouts without hurting a team’s overall ERA. Late-round value picks who pan out can also be excellent trade bait to help bolster other weak areas of a fantasy roster.  

After spending all of 2010 on the disabled list, Erik Bedard returns to the Mariners rotation this spring after making only 30 starts for the club since being acquired in 2007. Bedard joins a rotation of young arms led by defending AL Cy Young winner Felix Hernadez, who will again be the team’s ace and opening day starter. 

A Franco-Ontarian, Bedard’s journey to the major leagues can be described as anything but typical. He began his college baseball career by haphazardly accompanying a friend to tryout for the Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, Connecticut. After making the team as a walk-on, he quickly made a name for himself and became a junior college All-American. 

One of the things that makes Bedard so valuable from a fantasy perspective is his ability to strike batters out. In his seven-year major league career, he amassed an excellent strikeout-per-nine ratio of 9.0, including an impressive 10.9 k/9 average in his best season in the big leagues.  

It goes without saying that Bedard is a huge risk and should not be counted on when building a fantasy roster. However if he can somehow stay healthy this season, he could be a viable low-end starter.  His 3.72 career ERA will not hurt an owner too much and he will help out with strikeouts and wins.  

In two starts this spring, Bedard has pitched three scoreless innings while striking out six batters. His once-famous curveball appears to have regained some of its bite and for the first time in a while he appears to be pain-free. The question is: will he be able to deliver his first full season in a Mariner uniform?

Check out our other sleepers for 2011:

Craig Kimbrel

Jeremy Hellickson

Rick Porcello

This article was originally published on www.kramericasports.com. The home of free fantasy baseball news, rankings and advice.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It’s fair to say that on the diamond Milton Bradley has been given his fair share of chances. Bradley has worn out his welcome with the Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs already. Anyone with knowledge of Bradley’s career would safely assume that he is a ticking time bomb, waiting to destroy the Seattle Mariners and their clubhouse.

Entering Spring Training, Bradley was expected to compete for the starting job in left field for the Seattle Mariners. Bradley has been a productive hitter throughout his career when he is healthy, and he appears healthy so far in spring games this year.

The negative attention that follows Bradley, and the huge distraction that will hang over his head for the duration of the 2011 season as he deals with legal proceedings and his pending divorce are too much to justify keeping Bradley on the 25-man roster for the Mariners however.

Too many red flags have popped up to reasonably think that Bradley will make it through the entire season without any incidents that would be a detriment to a Seattle clubhouse that could post multiple young impressionable prospects by mid-season.

New manager Eric Wedge and Bradley have a history of conflict dating back to their time together in Cleveland. The situation became so bad between the two that Cleveland was forced to make a decision between the two, eventually sending Bradley to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bradley claims the feud is behind him and he is ready to move on.

On January 18, Bradley was arrested in Los Angeles on charges that he made felony threats to his wife Monique. The Marines responded at the time with the standard team response that they were still learning all the facts, and take the matter very seriously. Although he was served with a restraining order on January 24, it did not appear that Bradley would wind up facing criminal charges in the matter, and would remain with the Mariners for the 2011 season to play out his contract.

Radaronline.com reported earlier this morning more details of the events that transpired leading up to the January 18 arrest. While in New York for New Year’s Eve, Bradley and his wife apparently began an argument that quickly escalated into a case of spousal abuse.

Regarding the event, Monique Bradley says, “Milton cursed and yelled at me for approximately five minutes and then he grabbed a glass from off the coffee table and threw it directly at my head from across the room.”

“The glass shattered on my head and I started to bleed. As soon as Milton saw me bleeding, he started crying and begging me to forgive him. He stated that he lost it and that he would kill himself if I left him. I did not know what to do.”

According to the documents, Monique was in the bathroom attempting to stop the bleeding when hotel security reported to the room. Milton opened the door and informed them that everything was alright, and Monique never went to a hospital.

Monique Bradley filed for divorce from Milton on February 16 citing irreconcilable differences.

Bradley has a meeting with the Los Angeles city attorney on March 9. The Los Angeles city attorney will have no jurisdiction over the incidents in New York, however the meeting is a result of the domestic case between Bradley and his wife. No reports of pending charges in the New Year’s eve have come forward, with the exception of his wife’s divorce filing.

This is just the most recent in a string of run-ins with the law though.

In 2004 Bradley was arrested for allegedly confronting a police officer in Ohio. Bradley pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was sentenced to three days in jail for the incident. Later that same year he was charged with failure to comply after driving away from police after failing to sign a speeding ticket.

While with the Dodgers in 2005 Bradley threw a plastic water bottle at a fan, and also confronted a Los Angeles Times reporter in the clubhouse.

Bradley had run-ins with his managers in Cleveland, Oakland and Chicago, wearing out his welcome each time. His frequent clashes with Chicago manager Lou Piniella led to him being traded to Seattle before the beginning of the 2010 season.

Bradley has never been able to control his emotions on the field and has found himself to be a distraction at every stop. Presumably his personal life never factored into his emotional outbursts.

Any baseball implications aside, this is a terrible situation for Milton Bradley’s family. It would be hard to argue in Bradley’s defense were his wife seeking sole custody without visitation, however this is not the case. In her filing she is asking for spousal support, as well as legal and physical custody of the children, however she is granting Milton visitation rights.

How will Bradley deal with the mental strain that will result from losing his marriage and everyday interaction with his children?

With an existing history of problems between himself and new manager Eric Wedge and his history of past incidents in every city where he has played; the situation appears to be a ticking time bomb with his ex-wife now pouring lighter fluid around the perimeter.

$12 million is a large check to write to tell a player to go home, or in this case go find another home, but it is a small price to pay to avoid the damage that Bradley can cause when he finally does explode.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Let’s face it, the Mariners 2010 season was forgettable, just down right awful. At 61-101, only the Pittsburgh Pirates were worse in 2010 at 57-105.

The Mariners will likely struggle to compete in the AL West again this season. The Texas Rangers are the reigning American League Champions, the Oakland Athletics spent the offseason improving every part of their roster, and the Los Angeles Angels are poised to improve on their 80-82 season if health cooperates this season.

The Mariners have some very promising prospects that figure to contribute in 2011 and could help them to compete in the near future.

The Cliff Lee trade in 2010 landed the Mariners prospects Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke and Justin Smoak. Current organizational top-prospects Michael Pineda and Dustin Ackley figure to be in the mix with Seattle this season as well.

The Mariners, under new manager Eric Wedge, will look to build on their strengths and work to address their weaknesses. With an abundance of young talent and 23 non-roster invitees in attendance, the Mariners will have options to address each of these concerns.

While not much news has come out of Spring Training yet, let’s take a look at 10 things we have already learned about the Seattle Mariners in the early stages of Spring.

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2011 is finally here, which means we can forget about the disaster that was 2010.

We know that the Mariners won’t be very good this season. We could focus on that, but I think our time could be better spent looking at where the team is headed.

Prospects Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda should make their debuts this season. Justin Smoak will try to take a step forward in his age 24 season. Michael Saunders and Adam Moore hope to improve and remind us of why they were interesting prospects. King Felix will hold court and Ichiro will be Ichiro.

There are plenty of things to look forward to in this 2011 campaign, and payroll relief will arrive next season.

Below you’ll find a table of contents with links for your convenience.

Slide 02: Player Profiles

Slide 27: Prospects to Watch

Slide 30: Coaching Staff

Slide 38: Bold Predictions

Slide 43: Division Rivals

Slide 46: Team Projection

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In 20 years, will we look back and ask “Who will be the next King Felix?”

We may. Or, we may think about how some injury stopped him from turning a promising youth into a hall of fame career that put him alongside the game’s greats.

It’s a fun exercise, comparing players of today and yesterday. Was Bonds better than Ruth? Was Pudge as good as Fisk?

We’ll be looking at extreme upsides in most cases. Remember, these guys are young. They could blossom or stall just as fast. Don’t take these too seriously. Just join me in dreaming about the stories we might be telling our grandkids about them.

In no particular order, other than alphabetical by city and grouped in divisions, here’s a look at players currently 25 years old or younger, and who they might compare with someday if all goes well.

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There’s no place to go but up. That’s the good news for the Seattle Mariners. Things can’t get any worse than they were in 2010, a season in which the Mariners bottomed out completely. Aside from Felix Hernandez winning the Cy Young Award and Ichiro Suzuki setting a new standard with his 10th straight 200-hit season, this team was a disaster. The Mariners were beyond inept offensively, and there’s every chance they’ll be just as miserable in 2011.

Felix Hernandez was amazing for the M’s, and may well have been the best 13-12 pitcher I’ve ever seen. The fact that he won the American League Cy Young Award with such an ordinary record speaks volumes about how dominating he was. King Felix pitched well enough to win 20 games, but the lack of run support was simply ridiculous. Hernandez was saddled with a league-low 3.1 runs per game of offense.

So despite leading the league in innings, ERA, opponent batting average, opponent OPS and quality starts, Hernandez had trouble registering wins. Note he was also second in strikeouts and third in complete games, narrowly missing winning those categories as well. All in all, an absolutely superb season for King Felix, and kudos to the Cy Young voters for looking past the ordinary W/L record.

Ichiro Suzuki is now 37 years old, but nothing seems to have changed for the future Hall of Fame outfielder. Ichiro posted his usual outstanding numbers, and he quelled any thoughts that he might be slowing down by stealing 42 bases. There’s nothing to indicate this season will be anything other than more of the same for Ichiro.

The Mariners are hoping a couple of other players can produce dividends this season to somehow spark an offense that was almost too feeble for words. Chone Figgins suffered through a terrible 2010 season, and I’m not at all sure he’ll be much better in 2011. Figgins was an ideal leadoff hitter with the Angels. But that spot isn’t open in Seattle with Ichiro on hand, and I don’t see him as a good fit batting second.

Seattle will likely feature Frankie Gutierrez, Jack Cust and Justin Smoak as their middle of order. That’s about as weak as it gets at the big league level. Gutierrez is an excellent defender and an okay hitter, but he’s totally ill-suited to hit third.

Cust is still useful thanks to his ability to get on base in spite of a low BA, but his power appears to be declining. As a platoon DH hitting lower in the order, Cust might be acceptable at best. Hitting cleanup on a nearly everyday basis, Cust is a major liability.

Smoak struggled mightily in his initial tour of big league duty with the Rangers. He did even worse after arriving via trade in Seattle and eventually got sent to Tacoma. But Smoak did show his potential after a late-season recall, and hit very well over the last ten games of the season. No question Smoak has a chance to be a very productive big league hitter, but lots of questions remain as to whether he’s ready to produce this soon as an everyday player in the middle of the lineup.

Miguel Olivo is the new backstop for the Mariners, and he’s coming off his best offensive season with career highs in several categories. But those stats were accrued playing for the Rockies. The only thing Coors Field and Safeco have in common is that they’re both baseball stadiums. I don’t see any chance Olivo comes close to duplicating last year’s numbers. He slumped badly after the All-Star break last season, and Olivo’s career OBP is a brutal .283.

The early-season middle infield duties figure to be shared by Jack Wilson, Brendan Ryan, Josh Wilson and Adam Kennedy. Jack Wilson has the great glove, but he can’t hit and he also can’t stay healthy. Ryan will likely open the season at 2B, and he’s also a superb defender who offers little offense. Josh Wilson is another weak bat with an okay glove and he’s strictly utility filler.

Kennedy enjoyed a rebirth in an outstanding 2009 campaign with the A’s, but went back into decline with the Nationals last season. He shouldn’t be more than a spare part at this point, but could end up getting regular AB with the Mariners.

The pitching is pedestrian at best once we’re done extolling the virtues of Hernandez. Jason Vargas won nine games in his best big league season, and that was with the benefit of a great deal of luck. Vargas gives up way too many fly balls, and even at spacious Safeco his home runs allowed were absurdly low in 2010. Doug Fister was an early season surprise for the Mariners, but he eventually regressed to his norm, which is strictly back of the rotation level.

Luke French doesn’t profile as a pitcher who should be in a big league rotation, but he is in Seattle. Erik Bedard has never been able to stay healthy, so despite his talent, he can’t be relied upon to give the Mariners regular turns.

The bullpen is dicey at best. David Aardsma is the established closer, but he could start the season on the DL as he recovers from hip surgery. Brandon League had okay base stats last season, but his peripheral numbers were not good. He’s adequate at best as the setup man, and I don’t like him as the closer if Aardsma remains out for any extended period. The rest of the bullpen is comprised of castoffs who are either unproven or in decline, so this is yet another area of concern for the Mariners.

Seattle does have a few prospects worth talking about. Dustin Ackley needs a little more minor league seasoning, and he has yet to produce much from a power standpoint. But Ackley is a legit bat and I’d be stunned if he’s not this team’s starting 2B by mid-season. Power pitching Michael Pineda could probably use another dozen or so starts at AAA, but don’t be shocked if he’s with the big club from the outset due to the lack of quality arms on the current big league roster. Nick Franklin is progressing nicely and profiles as the future shortstop for the Mariners, but he’s still a year or two away.

The Mariners were a winning team in 2009, but this was correctly regarded as a major fluke by most statistical analysts, as their run differential suggested they were just plain lucky. What we saw in 2010 from the Mariners was a more accurate reflection of their overall lack of talent. There’s more of the same in store this season. Seattle has little hope of escaping the AL West cellar, and they’re likely to endure another campaign with 100 or more losses.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Ichiro’s value has declined in recent seasons thanks to the lack of a true run-producer in the Mariners lineup. After averaging 111 runs per season from 2001 to 2008, Ichiro has scored just 88 and 74 runs in each of the last two seasons.

The acquisitions of Jack Cust, Miguel Olivio, and the potential that Justin Smoak and Dustin Ackley bring, however, could help Ichiro reach 100 runs in 2011. This would go a long way in solidifying his spot among fantasy’s top 50 players.

Ichiro’s run-scoring totals, however, aren’t were his value lies. There’s something to be said about a player who can steal 40 bases and compete for a batting title each season.

Despite entering his age-37 season, Ichiro has maintained a stolen base percentage above 80 in recent years. Given that he’s averaged 39 steals over the last five seasons, there’s no reason to think he can’t push for 40 again in 2011.

Ichiro has remained among the league-leaders in contact rate (89.1 percent in 2010, MLB average 80.7 percent), and has hit .350 twice in the last four years.

Given an improved lineup, Ichiro remains capable of leading the league in at-bats and plate appearances, posting 100 runs, 40 steals and single-handedly winning the batting average category for you each week. Not many players can say that. Ichiro is our 14th-ranked outfielder, No. 45 overall.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: FANTASY BASEBALL INSIDERS

Fantasy Baseball Insiders’ 2011 Big Board:

• Nos. 1-10: Is Pujols Still The Top Pick?
• Nos. 11-20: Where Do Votto, A-Rod and Halladay Fit In?
• Nos. 21-30: Hernandez, Lincecum or Wainwright?
• Nos. 31-40: Heyward, Upton or McCutchen?
• No. 41: Clayton Kershaw
• No. 42: Alex Rios
• No. 43: Brian McCann
• No. 44: Drew Stubbs

MLB Trades: Fantasy Impact:

• Frank Francisco Traded to the Blue Jays, Who Will Be The Team’s Closer?
• Mike Napoli Traded to the Texas Rangers: Fantasy Impact
• Vernon Wells Traded to the Los Angeles Angels: Fantasy Impact
• Adrian Beltre Traded to the Texas Rangers: Fantasy Impact

Previous articles from Fantasy Baseball Insiders:

• Guerrero to Baltimore: Why He’s Better Off in Camden Yards than Rangers Ballpark
• The Sub-2.50 ERA Curse: Why Five Elite Starting Pitchers May Regress in 2011
• 2010 Batting Average on Balls in Play Leaders: What to Expect in 2011?
• 2011 Closer’s Corner: Papelbon, Cordero & Rivera Are the Only Reliable Options

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Outside of the Seattle Mariners farm system, both of these players are virtually unknown.

Also, both have taken different routes prior to being put on the Mariners’ active roster list.

Ackley went the college route and played three years for the University of North Carolina.

Not to mention he finished runner-up to Stephen Strasburg for the 2009 Golden Spikes Award (nation’s top amateur baseball player).

As for Pineda, he bounced around through six different minor leagues from 2006 through 2010.

However, currently he ranks as the Mariners’ second best prospect.

The Seattle Mariners look to be on the rise, and 2011 has higher expectations.

Both players have a great amount of potential, but who will be the better Mariner?

There’s only one way to to stir up a discussion.

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