The 2024 season

[rockycola]

I thought they had like tee-shirts printed up with that on them? How did that fail?

Let's reprint T-Shirts for them that simplifies things:

SEE BALL...HIT BALL...or else!

[harmony]

From the Sunday Notes column at FanGraphs:

A fascinating team to follow this season is the Seattle Mariners. The AL West club is coming off a year where they finished 88-74 and fell just short of making the playoffs, and projections have them going 85-77 in the year at hand. By all appearances, they’ll once again be contenders — but will they actually go on to play October baseball? And if so, might they even go deep into October, ultimately giving fans throughout the Pacific Northwest something they’ve long craved: a championship parade in downtown Seattle?

The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier thinks it could happen. Seven of the publication’s sports scribes made 2024 MLB predictions earlier this week, with four them tabbing the Mariners to earn a wildcard berth (none had them winning the division), with Speier’s standing out. Three of the wildcard predictors had Seattle going no further; Speier had them going on to beat the Dodgers in the World Series.

Working out of the Boston market, I know that Speier doesn’t traffic in hot takes, but rather provides insightful commentary on all things baseball. Much for that reason, I reached out to Alex to get his rationale.

“Prediction, especially postseason predictions, are an affront to the epistemological reality that we don’t know squat,” Speier said in an email reply to my request. “When approached with any kind of earnestness, they fly in the face of what I consider one of the foundational joys of sports — randomness and the unknown outcomes of competition. I used to take predictions very seriously, and pretend that I had some insight into what might happen in the future. I have been happily humbled by the inaccuracy of any such prognostications, over and over and over. And so: I say a mighty “Fie!” to the logic of picking what might be seen as the best team, and instead picked the Mariners. Why? First, I *love* that the success of wild card teams in the new format has proven that relative talent is not a meaningful predictor of short series success. Secondly, it’s always a delight to contemplate a season that delivers maximum happiness to the largest population.

“Wouldn’t it be just freaking fantastic to see the entire Pacific Northwest enjoy and celebrate its first-ever championship, with first pitches thrown out by the likes of Griffey and Martinez and RJ, and to think of a team that would be remembered for generations? And finally, sure, there’s a logic to thinking the Mariners have the starting pitching to do something ridiculous like the 2005 White Sox or some such outlier of outlier thing. So: My “prediction” is not a suggestion at all of something that I think *will* happen, but instead something that I happily imagine *could* happen. So: Why the hell not? Someone might as well take the field against the Dodgers and the team from Atlanta.”

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sunday-note ... o-arizona/

[Seattle or Bust]

Not doing a poll, but since most of the trades and season acquisitions are done (minus mid-season stuff which won't be much) where do you see the M's 2024 record being?

I see 80 wins tops IF there aren't any major injuries.

Shocker.

[D-train]

Not doing a poll, but since most of the trades and season acquisitions are done (minus mid-season stuff which won't be much) where do you see the M's 2024 record being?

I see 80 wins tops IF there aren't any major injuries.

Shocker.

[D-train]

From the Sunday Notes column at FanGraphs:

A fascinating team to follow this season is the Seattle Mariners. The AL West club is coming off a year where they finished 88-74 and fell just short of making the playoffs, and projections have them going 85-77 in the year at hand. By all appearances, they’ll once again be contenders — but will they actually go on to play October baseball? And if so, might they even go deep into October, ultimately giving fans throughout the Pacific Northwest something they’ve long craved: a championship parade in downtown Seattle?

The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier thinks it could happen. Seven of the publication’s sports scribes made 2024 MLB predictions earlier this week, with four them tabbing the Mariners to earn a wildcard berth (none had them winning the division), with Speier’s standing out. Three of the wildcard predictors had Seattle going no further; Speier had them going on to beat the Dodgers in the World Series.

Working out of the Boston market, I know that Speier doesn’t traffic in hot takes, but rather provides insightful commentary on all things baseball. Much for that reason, I reached out to Alex to get his rationale.

“Prediction, especially postseason predictions, are an affront to the epistemological reality that we don’t know squat,” Speier said in an email reply to my request. “When approached with any kind of earnestness, they fly in the face of what I consider one of the foundational joys of sports — randomness and the unknown outcomes of competition. I used to take predictions very seriously, and pretend that I had some insight into what might happen in the future. I have been happily humbled by the inaccuracy of any such prognostications, over and over and over. And so: I say a mighty “Fie!” to the logic of picking what might be seen as the best team, and instead picked the Mariners. Why? First, I *love* that the success of wild card teams in the new format has proven that relative talent is not a meaningful predictor of short series success. Secondly, it’s always a delight to contemplate a season that delivers maximum happiness to the largest population.

“Wouldn’t it be just freaking fantastic to see the entire Pacific Northwest enjoy and celebrate its first-ever championship, with first pitches thrown out by the likes of Griffey and Martinez and RJ, and to think of a team that would be remembered for generations? And finally, sure, there’s a logic to thinking the Mariners have the starting pitching to do something ridiculous like the 2005 White Sox or some such outlier of outlier thing. So: My “prediction” is not a suggestion at all of something that I think *will* happen, but instead something that I happily imagine *could* happen. So: Why the hell not? Someone might as well take the field against the Dodgers and the team from Atlanta.”

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sunday-note ... o-arizona/

I wonder if Alex Speier is Gabe Speier's brother. lol

[D-train]

Did Alex forget somebody with his first pitch throwers??? LOL

[mostonmike]

This is a weird thread.....isn't there going to be a yearly win prediction thread that will be exactly this question?

Is it time for

to start the annual threads for the new season?

My prediction is to be right on the extremes with either 76 wins or 101 and nowhere in-between. I don’t want to jinx the top end of my prediction but bookies are offering 8/1 for a 100 win season.

It might be a very un-Mariner like season. Looking forward to it.

[GL_Storm]

My main concern going into the season is the bullpen. The everyday lineup should be pretty good and the defense everywhere should be good, aside from the occasional outfield adventure from Canzone. DH for the first time in years should have an actual hitter in that slot every day. The rotation should be top 5. But the bullpen will give up some games I think in the middle innings.

91 wins.

[OLdvanDawg]

I see them coming up short and having Dipoto make some excuse and ask for patience.

[D-train]

My main concern going into the season is the bullpen. The everyday lineup should be pretty good and the defense everywhere should be good, aside from the occasional outfield adventure from Canzone. DH for the first time in years should have an actual hitter in that slot every day. The rotation should be top 5. But the bullpen will give up some games I think in the middle innings.

91 wins.

Ha that's my number too.