2020 Seattle Mariners Preview: Projected rotation, starting lineup, prospects, win total
SportsLine's John Bollman went 14-1 on his MLB win total bets last season. Here he previews the Mariners and tells you whether to go Over or Under 67.5 wins.
Seattle Mariners
2019 record: 68-94
Record in one-run games: 23-26
O/U win total from Willam Hill: 67.5
Key Additions: Taijuan Walker, Kendall Graveman, Manny Banuelos
Key Losses: Tim Beckham, Domingo Santana, Felix Hernandez, Wade LeBlanc, Tommy Milone, Ryon Healy, Omar Narvaez
The Mariners surprised everyone by storming out of the gate in 2019, but after 30 games, reality began to strike. They lost many pieces that were crucial for them last season in Tim Beckham, Wade LeBlanc and Tommy Milone, among others. Seattle added a few journeymen arms in Taijuan Walker and Kendall Graveman to offset the losses.
Projected Rotation
1) Marco Gonzales
2) Yusei Kikuchi
3) Taijuan Walker
4) Justus Sheffield
5) Kendall Graveman
This is a very different looking Mariners rotation with the additions of Walker and Graveman. Both are still question marks coming off injuries, and Justus Sheffield is a top prospect, but it will be his rookie season. They don't have much starting pitching depth at all.
Fantasy-relevant relievers
Matt Magill (projected 19 saves, 4.54 ERA)
Sam Tuivailala (projected 7 saves, 3.23 ERA)
Yoshihisa Hirano (projected 7 saves, 4.40 ERA)
Major League-ready prospects
Evan White (1B), Jake Fraley (OF)
Projected Lineup
1) Mallex Smith
2) Shed Long
3) Kyle Seager
4) Daniel Vogelbach
5) Evan White
6) Tom Murphy
7) JP Crawford
8) Jake Fraley
9) Kyle Lewis
This is about as close to a triple-A lineup as you will see in Major League Baseball this season. The Mariners will have prospects Evan White and Jake Fraley make their debuts this season, but they don't have much else around them. The reason Seattle was competitive in some games last season was because of their offense, but I don't see that being a strength this season.
Key bench players
Dee Gordon, Carlos Gonzalez
Should you go Over or Under Seattle's regular-season win total? And what are the top win total plays you can make for 2020? ... Join SportsLine right now to see John Bollman's MLB win total picks, all from the former Blue Jays front-office employee who went 14-1 last year!