Seattle Mariners 2003 Finish: 93-69, 2nd AL West	Select Team Angels Astros Athletics Blue Jays Braves Brewers Cardinals Cubs Devil Rays Diamondbacks Dodgers Expos Giants Indians Mariners Marlins Mets Orioles Padres Phillies Pirates Rangers Red Sox Reds Rockies Royals Tigers Twins White Sox Yankees

Ichiro Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Batting Order
RF	Ichiro Suzuki Still as dangerous a leadoff hitter as there is in the game.
CF	Randy Winn Entering his contract year, he's moving to CF this season.
2B	Bret Boone He's averaged 122 RBIs past three seasons.
DH	Edgar Martinez Entering his final season, he has 1,198 career RBIs.
LF	Raul Ibanez A left-handed power hitter is just what the M's needed last year.
1B	John Olerud Needs to rebound strongly after off year.
SS	Rich Aurilia His first time in the AL; he adds punch to the lineup.
3B	Scott Spiezio Back playing third base for the first time since 1999.
C	Dan Wilson Could lose playing time to Ben Davis unless he hits more.
Rotation
RHP	Freddy Garcia Needs comeback year entering his first free agency try.
LHP	Jamie Moyer He has won 20 games two of the past three seasons.
RHP	Joel Pineiro Was 11-5, 3.28 at the break last season but 5-6, 4.57 after.
RHP	Ryan Franklin Despite losing record, finished ninth in AL with 3.57 ERA.
RHP	Gil Meche Threw 186 1/3 innings, more than he'd thrown total in three years.
Bullpen
LHP	Eddie Guardado Slides into closer's role vacated by Sasaki's defection.
RHP	Shigetoshi Hasegawa He can close, set up or pitch in middle relief.
RHP	Rafael Soriano Up-and-coming setup man could be closer down the line.
RHP	Julio Mateo Last year's surprise is now a staple in the bullpen.
RHP	Aaron Taylor Tacoma closer pitched in 10 games for Seattle in 2003.
Prospects
LHP	Travis Blackley Could be in rotation midseason after 17-3 year at Double-A.
SS	Jose Lopez The Mariners' shortstop of the future.
3B	Justin Leone He came out of nowhere to be Texas League Player of the Year.

The Mariners once again have the look of a contender. But will Seattle fans enjoy the kind of start the Mariners gave them in 2003? If so, does that mean the fans must endure the same mediocrity over the last two months? Last summer Seattle entered August with a 66-42 record and a four-game lead over Oakland. Two months later, the M's were stuck at 24 games above .500 but three games behind the A's. And that was following a three-game sweep of their division rivals after the division title had been decided. With a diminished defense and very little power added during the offseason, Seattle may well have to make an in-season adjustment or two or risk coming up short in the race to the playoffs once again.

All five starters are back from last year and that alone should keep the club in contention. Freddy Garcia, who won just 12 games in 2003, was plagued by punctured eardrums during the season. He had two surgeries to correct the problem, and the Mariners are confident that he will be back among the elite pitches in the American League. Jamie Moyer, the soft-tosser, remains as durable as any pitcher in the league. He has won at least 13 games in each of the past seven seasons. The Mariners are waiting for a breakthrough year from Joel Pineiro, who has top-end-of-the-rotation stuff but has yet to demonstrate the kind of command needed to win consistently. Still, he has managed 30 wins over the past two seasons -- more than acceptable production from a third starter. The questions revolve around Ryan Franklin and Gil Meche. Is Franklin as good as his Top 10 ERA would indicate? And did Meche, just back from surgery, pitch too many innings in 2003?

Kazuhiro Sasaki, the Mariners' career saves leader, announced in late January that he will not return to the team in 2004. Sasaki is walking away from his $9.5 million dollar salary to return to Japan to be with his family. His departure opens the closer's role for free-agent pickup Eddie Guardado, who comes to Seattle after recording back-to-back 40-save seasons for Minnesota. Shigetoshi Hasegawa and Rafael Soriano return as the set-up men. Hasegawa can pitch anywhere from the sixth to the ninth inning, throwing short or long. He blew just one save in 17 opportunities after taking over the closer's role last June. Soriano exploded onto the scene last year with his fastball and slider, and he could be a closer in the future. Julio Mateo is a Hasegawa in the making, giving the Mariners outstanding depth in the bullpen.

Gold Glove second baseman Bret Boone is paired with a new shortstop, former Giants' All-Star Rich Aurilia. Boone is the complete package -- a Gold Glover who hits for average and power. Aurilia was one of the game's top shortstops back in 2001 when he hit 37 homers for the Giants. He's trying to regain form after appendicitis and dry eyes slowed him last season. Boone has range and a soft glove, but it remains to be seen if Aurilia, brought in to add power to the lineup, has enough range to make the team forget about Carlos Guillen, who was dealt to Detroit in the offseason.

First baseman John Olerud, coming off a down season, is starting what could be his final big league season. If he is to retire at the end of the year, he says he doesn't want to go out the way he did last year, with minimal power and run production. The new addition at third is Scott Spiezio, who is back at his original position after playing primarily first base with the Angels. He brings some power and a better average than the since-departed Jeff Cirillo. Defensively, Spiezio should be at least as capable as Cirillo.

The departure of center fielder Mike Cameron means that the Mariners no longer can lay claim to having the best defensive outfield around. They have one great defender in Ichiro Suzuki and three productive hitters in Ichiro, Randy Winn and Raul Ibanez. Ichiro banged out 200-plus hits for the third time in his three years in Seattle. His average has dropped from .350 in 2001, to .321 in '02, to .312 last year, but he is still one of the most feared hitters in the league. He led the majors with 66 multi-hit games and led all AL left-handed hitters with a .359 average against lefties. Winn doesn't have a strong arm in center, but he can cover lots of ground and was the team's best hitter during the second half of 2003. Ibanez, a former Mariner who made good in Kansas City, brings much-needed left-handed power. He has averaged 21 home runs and 97 RBIs over the past two seasons.

This could be the year Ben Davis moves past Dan Wilson and takes over as the Mariners' starting catcher. This figures to be Wilson's final season, and the Mariners have been grooming Davis to take over. However, Davis must prove that he has recovered from a horrid second-half slump before Wilson will yield his turf. The late addition of Wiki Gonzalez doesn't figure to impact the big league roster unless Gonzalez shows more desire than he did his last two years in San Diego.

Designated hitter Edgar Martinez put off retirement in one last effort to make it to the World Series. Although he's 41, he remains one of the most productive hitters in the league. Utility man Willie Bloomquist has been groomed to take over as Mr. Versatility for Mark McLemore. Outfielder Chris Snelling is fully recovered from 2002's ACL tear and could provide a big lift. The Mariners also added veteran Quinton McCracken to the outfield mix, but he provides little power and hit just .227 in Arizona last year. Infielder Ramon Santiago and outfielder Jamal Strong both have a decent opportunity to make the big club out of spring training.

Last year, manager Bob Melvin was stepping into Lou Piniella's shoes, and he treaded softly with a veteran team. Now that he has a year under his belt, look for Melvin to be more at ease. New general manager Bill Bavasi came to the job late and scrambled to put together a roster. He took some heat in Seattle for the club's failure to add a true power hitter. Expect Bavasi to be more aggressive making the necessary moves at the trade deadline to keep the Mariners in contention.

The Mariners, who boast one the game's top starting rotations, will be in the hunt. They've been there the last two years, too, only to fade down the stretch. Much blame has fallen on management's refusal to spend money at the trade deadline. Stung by criticism, the Mariners vow that this year will be different come July 31. And given that power is the only thing this team lacks, the club may well be forced to go after a slugger.

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