Mariners Trying to Develop Young Players

The Seattle Mariners, my favorite baseball team, have a lineup consisting mostly of young players this year. Sometimes teams have to go through rebuilding years (though I would say the Mariners have been rebuilding since 2004), and I understand that there will be lots of growing pains. Apparently local sports radio hosts don't get that, or they just desperately need something to talk about. One thing I hear a lot is that the Mariners should send some of the young players who are struggling down to Triple A to help get their rhythm back. The problem is that there is no one to replace them.

What if the manager just went to the young guys and said, "It's fine that you are struggling, many players do when they first come up to the big leagues. This organization sees you as a part of its future, and we want to give you time to develop into the highly talented players we know you can be. Don't worry if you aren't hitting as well as you would like to be. You still have a spot in our lineup, and we want to work with you to make sure you succeed. Don't lose confidence, we believe in you." I feel like that sort of speech would really help the young guys.

There's one more important part of that speech: back it up. Stop messing around with the lineup, let the young guys play, get their reps, and improve. Miguel Olivo should not be playing if Jesus Montero isn't playing. We know that Olivo is a 33-year old catcher who has a career OBP of .276, and never met a pitch in the dirt he didn't like. Montero, on the other hand, has a lot of potential, and is hitting better than Olivo this year anyway. Veteran leadership doesn't mean anything when you have an OPS of .575, so why keep him in the lineup. Put John Jaso in, he's 5 years younger and arguably the best hitter on the team.

I know that rebuilding years are tough for fans. It kills me to see the Mariners struggle so much offensively. The first step in rebuilding a team is recognizing that you need to do so. The Mariners are not good, but there are young players with great potential on the team and in the farm system. Coasting along with worthless veterans just prolongs the rebuilding process. Let Seager, Smoak, Ackley, Saunders, and Montero know that they are the future of the team. Get ready for the arrival of Nick Franklin. Accept the tough times now, knowing that if we don't do that, the future won't be as good.