[Vidya]

Earlier roster news in case anyone missed it:
1. Moore was taken off the DL and optioned to Tacoma.
2. Sherrill is on the DL, and Furbush was promoted from Tacoma.
3. Everyone knows the Mariners have two outfielders on the DL, but the Rainiers also have three outfielders on the DL. Fortunately the Mariners came into the year with excess outfielders, but that excess is now gone. Carlos Peguero, MIke Wilson, and the Rainiers bench outfielder, Darren Ford is also on the DL. Chic-Hsien Chiang has been promoted from AA and is doing very well since his promotion.
4. Last, but far from least is the news that Carp is now DH'ing for the Rainiers. He joined the team yesterday in Fresno, but hasn't played in the field yet.
5. The big surprise for the Rainiers is Scott Savastano. Originally the bench infielder, he is now playing regularly and has an OPS of .794 going into tonight's game.
6. PS, from what I heard in the pregame show today it looks like Gutierrez will probably go to Peoria before he begins his rehab in the minor leagues. He only has 20 days on the rehab list and the Mariners don't want to promote him to the MLB team before he is ready. Option B would be to keep with with the Mariners and workout during BP.

This post has been edited by Vidya: 14 April 2012 - 07:30 PM

[MtGrizzly]

Nice intel, man.

[6-pak-abs]

Get well soon Carp. We need you up in Seattle to play first so Smoak can go to Tacoma and learn to hit.

[AlMoStLeGeNdArY]

6-pak-abs, on 15 April 2012 - 03:44 AM, said:

Get well soon Carp. We need you up in Seattle to play first so Smoak can go to Tacoma and learn to hit.

smoak will just rake in triple A. It's rather meaningless to send him back down. He needs to step it up at the big league level.

[DaddyO]

Thanks, Vid.

[glmuskie]

What's the story with Scott Savastano? First I've heard his name.

[Vidya]

glmuskie, on 15 April 2012 - 09:22 AM, said:

What's the story with Scott Savastano? First I've heard his name.

Glad you asked!

He went to high school in Massachusetts and college in New Hampshire. He was drafted by the Mariners at age 22 in 2008. During his minor league career he's played every position except CF, but his primary positions are 1B and 2B, with 3B the next most common position. After his rookie season he progressed steadily from Clinton to High Desert to Jackson, but just barely made the Tacoma roster this year. The Rainiers have Catricala at 3B, Triunfel at SS, so L-Rod began the season at 2B. 1B was shared by Limonta and "Big Jim" Jimenez, with Moore and Quiroz sharing the starts at catcher. The DH position was also shared by them, so there wasn't much room in the line-up for him until the outfielders started falling like flies.

Because three of the four outfielders that began the season with the Rainiers are now on the DL, L-Rod and Savastano have shared 2B and 1B, while Limonta is getting more starts in the OF. Chiang was promoted to fill the third outfield starting position, Savastano started in LF today, and Carp has taken over the DH spot. Savastano has a career minor league OPS of .801, matching that almost exactly at Jackson in 2011 with a .808 OPS.

Catricala and Triunfel are currently under performing at their new level, but Savastano and Chiang have been making the best of their promotion to AAA. With Peguero now on the DL, Quiroz and Jimenez are currently leading the team in OPS. Triunfel has been picking his numbers up lately, but I doubt that any of the infielders on the team except L-Rod are ready for promotion to the Mariners.

In the outfielder we have Robinson and Carp, and at the catcher position we have Moore and Quiroz, so there is plenty of depth at the OF, DH and catcher positions. Of the position players that don't have MLB experience I would label Jimenez as the most ready to make his MLB debut this year. I doubt the Mariners would use him as more than a DH though, his defensive abilities limit him to a below average first baseman for the Mariners. Savastano fits the team as a utility player, and should make the team in 2013 if Figgins is traded.

Savastano at the Baseball Cube.

This post has been edited by Vidya: 15 April 2012 - 09:05 PM

[Vidya]

That being written, I see absolutely no problem with Olivo's numbers so far. With Jaso, Montero, Moore and Quiroz the Mariners have adequate replacements. Montero and Smoak have gotten their first HR's this season, so the Mariner offense is looking to be much improved over 2011 and 2010.