How 'bout that Spring Training?!

Spring Training means very little, we all know this. It's like the preseason. Remember when the Detroit Lions went 0-16? They were 4-0 in the preseason. Now, I'm not comparing the 2013 Mariners to those dreadful Lions, but it is an interesting thought. 9-1, riding a 9 game winning streak is cool no matter what you're playing. The coolest thing about it, and probably the only reason I'm so excited for the next couple of months, is how the hitters are hitting the baseball. We have seen a power surge in Arizona that hasn't been seen since 1997, a pretty good Seattle team I might add.

"Now Blake," you might ask, "how are you going to prove that this isn't the same ole Mariner team. How impressive is this output?" Ahhh, so glad you asked. First and foremost, I can't prove that this isn't the same disappointing team, they tend to prove that themselves. It's a long season, roller coaster is to be expected. Most importantly, I can provide a few numbers that indicate that there is something in the water in Arizona, and they should probably bring some back up to Seattle.
Not too shabby for Seattle. While I like to see the production, it would be realllllly nice to see Smoak, Montero, and Morales start hitting more. This is a pretty important year for Smoak especially, as another subpar year could result in termination. The man is 1-9 this spring, with his only hit being his homerun mentioned earlier. Montero isn't faring much better, only going 1-7 so far. This is why I appreciate the comments and feedback! Being in Colorado, I'm not able to see the games or hear many news, and I have to rely on outside sources. I couldn't have been more wrong about Smoak or Montero, as they are hitting 8-15 and 7-14, respectively. I would love to see these guys continue their hot hitting, as they are the future of this ball club.Morales will be given more slack from me, but he was an Angel, and we all know Angels tend to be in Seattle. (Chone Figgins, anyone?)

I am pleasantly surprised by Bay and Gutierrez, and if they can continue producing, I see good things happening for the M's! Bay is guaranteed $1 million from the M's, with $2 million if he becomes a regular starter. For the money, it seems like a low-risk high-reward type situation. While I would like to see Casper Wells take the LF position, if Bay is out playing him, I see no problem with it. Win-win! Guti just needs to stay healthy. He has always proven he can play the position with the best in the MLB, brother just needs to hit the ball better and put his speed to use. I see this being a very productive year for him.

That's it for tonight, I was trying to see how well I could insert a spreadsheet, as I plan on using more statistics as this blog continues to grow. I'm debating on talking about the Seahawks contract issues, especially with Flacco signing his new deal, but I will probably wait until the draft to do so. The Mariners contract issues are much crazier, as baseball tends to be. I will, however, try to talk about the bigger and more important ones soon.

Speaking of Flacco, I read a very, very interesting fact. Out of all the $100 million contracts given out in the NFL, Brett Favre made the most at the end. He only ended up with $56 million. Ridiculous number, but it shows that the NFL is shifting towards less guaranteed money and more incentive based contracts. Should be interesting to see how it turns out.

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