Seattle Mariners

Before the 2010 season, many baseball experts picked the Seattle Mariners to be one of the best teams in the American League. After all was said and done, the Mariners finished with a 61-101 record, which was the worst record in the American League. The 2010 Mariners were offensively challenged. Ichiro Suzuki hit .315, but nobody else contributed. The Mariners ranked last in every offensive category that mattered in the American League in 2010. If the Mariners are going to make some noise in the AL West this season, they simply have to hit better. Chone Figgins looks to rebound after having an awful first season in Seattle. Justin Smoak will try to live up to all the hype he received in Texas before being traded to the Mariners in the Cliff Lee deal. Jack Cust looks to bring some power to the lineup.

The Mariners pitching staff is led by 2010 Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez. Hernandez was dominant in 2010 but only went 13-12, which was due to the team's offensive struggles. New manager Eric Wedge inherits a pitching staff that ranked 4th in 2010 with a 3.95 ERA. If Doug Fister and Jason Vargas pitch as well as they did in 2010, they should put up more wins in 2011. The Mariners also have a young pitching prospect named Michael Pineda. Pineda has pitched well this spring and could very easily turn into the Mariner's second best starter.

Look for the Mariners to rebound in 2011 and be competitive in what should be a very good AL West race. With even a slight increase in offensive productivity, the Mariners could easily win 80-85 games this season.

Projected starters:
C Miguel Olivo
1B Justin Smoak
2B Brendan Ryan
3B Chone Figgins
SS Jack Wilson
LF Michael Saunders
CF Franklin Gutierrez
RF Ichiro Suzuki
DH Jack Cust

P Felix Hernandez
P Jason Vargas
P Doug Fister
P Erik Bedard
P Michael Pineda