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Monday, June 17th, 2013

Will Tom Wilhelmsen be the Mariners closer by the time the 2013 All-Star break rolls around?

While they might not be a very successful baseball team, the Mariners are definitely a very attention-grabbing baseball team. From top prospects aligning in the Majors, to a nasty closer dilemma, the 2013 Mariners have numerous storylines swirling around.

This year’s Mariners ballclub will be intriguing over the next month or so, even though they might not be a winning baseball team. Here are the top five things to watch for on the Mariners before the All-Star Break.

Mike Zunino, C Seattle Mariners Professional Debut

Is 2B Nick Franklin really this good?

5) The Closer Dilemna

Tom Wilhelmsen has been downright awful over the last couple weeks, temporarily losing his job as the Mariners closer. Manager Eric Wedge will try to use Wilhelmsen in a few low-pressure situations before he feels comfortable to reinstate him as the closer.

With Stephen Pryor injured, Carter Capps struggling against lefties, and Carson Smith not ready, the Mariners are stuck with Oliver Perez as their top closing option.

The Mariners need Wilhelmsen to get back to the pitcher that they are confident he can be, sooner rather than later. Seeing how Tom Wilhelmsen rebounds from his last couple blown saves will be one of the more notable things to keep track of over the next month.

4) Is Zunino ready to handle catching in the Majors?

Mike Zunino, the Mariners first-round selection in the 2012 MLB Amateur draft, had a pretty quick track to the Majors. After just 398 plate appearances in the Minors, Zunino was promoted to the bigs just in this last week. Zunino will take over as the Mariners starting catcher, with veteran Henry Blanco backing him up. Personally, I can’t wait to see how Zunino handles the job, both behind the plate and hitting.

3) Can Nick Franklin continue his success?

Nick Franklin has been a pleasant surprise during his first few weeks in Seattle. Replacing Dustin Ackley at second, Franklin has hit .300/.382/.500 in 68 at bat’s. Now, as pitcher’s start to discover his flaws and he starts seeing better pitches, it will be interesting to see if Franklin will be able to continue his success.

He will need to make adjustments to his swing and remain confident in his abilities even when things aren’t going as planned. Nick Franklin has been a great sign for the future of this young Mariners ballclub, and it will be fascinating to see if he can prove to the Mariners that he is in Seattle to stay. 

2) Is Hisashi Iwakuma really this good?

Though he has somehow flown under the radar of most of the general baseball kingdom, Hisashi Iwakuma has the second lowest ERA (1.79) of any starter in the Majors. In just his second year in the U.S., Iwakuma looks much more comfortable on the mound.

With no earned runs in his last three starts, Iwakuma doesn’t look like he’s ready to regress to the kind of pitcher most expected him to be this season. Look for Hisashi Iwakuma to continue being a dominate presence on the mound through the All-Star break. 

1) What will happen with Dustin Ackley?

There was a time when the Mariners, and the rest of the baseball world, saw Dustin Ackley as the future face of the Mariners franchise. However, after he hit .205/.266/.250 in 171 plate appearances to start 2013, he was demoted to Triple-A Tacoma.

Since being demoted, Ackley has hit .411/.517/.562 in 91 PA’s, playing outfield. With Nick Franklin performing the way he has been, Ackley could be called up very soon as an outfielder. It’s going to be fascinating to see how the Mariners treat their former top prospect, and how he reacts.

Does Dustin Ackley have the arm to play outfield?

*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com and their partners***

A big thank-you goes out to our ‘Marlins and Mariners Correspondent’ Sam Evans for preparing today’s featured article. Sam is a high school student from the greater Seattle area.  He is a longtime Mariners fan, and has been an off-and-on season ticket holder for the last five years.

Sam enjoys interacting with readers and using statistical analysis to dig beneath the surface to find the truth in baseball.  Sam was our 2nd Intern who has graduated to the position of  Baseball Writer. For all of Sam’s archived articles – click here. You can follow Sam on Twitter: Sam Also writes for the Marlins website Fish Stripes.Follow @RJA206

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