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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Mariners overview

The Spokesman-Review

STARTING PITCHING

How badly did the starters struggle last year? The Mariners’ biggest winner, Ron Villone at 8-6, spent half the season in the bullpen. The Mariners believe that improvements made to the offense and defense will help the starters revert to their form of 2003, when they were one of the more successful rotations.

BULLPEN

The success of the bullpen is all about health. If closer Eddie Guardado can come back from the shoulder injury from last year and his strained hamstring last month, it will allow the other relievers to fall into clearly defined roles. If not, J.J. Putz will be the closer and the middle and setup roles will be uncertain.

INFIELD

Besides the offense, no other area on the team underwent such an upgrade. The additions of Adrian Beltre and third base, Richie Sexson at first and Pokey Reese at shortstop, combined with Bret Boone at second, give the Mariners a Gold Glove-caliber defender at each position.

OUTFIELD

Ichiro Suzuki is the only player who returns to his position from last year, but the outfield defense should be an overall upgrade. Randy Winn shifts to left field, and rookie Jeremy Reed has good instincts in center.

CATCHER

The Mariners have one of the top catching prospects in baseball with Miguel Olivo, but if he doesn’t develop this year, veteran Dan Wilson is still around to provide a steadying influence.

BENCH

The Mariners will field a mixture of youth, experience and versatility in their backups with Willie Bloomquist, Scott Spiezio and rookie Greg Dobbs. It remains to be seen how much they will be used.