Monday, March 29, 2010

MARINERS: Bradley will bat cleanup for Mariners




The Mariners officially announced this weekend that Left-Fielder Milton Bradley will bat clean-up in the batting lineup for the upcoming season. The news comes out a week after Bradley proclaimed himself as “baseball’s Kanye West,” thus ensuring plenty of speculated drama and controversy at Safeco Field this summer.

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Though he struggled in the 4-spot for the Cubs last season, Bradley has had recent success there primarily with the Rangers in 2008 when he made the AL all-star team. He had a .321 batting average with a career-high 22 home runs, not to mention putting up a .563 slugging percentage.

In order to enhance an already offensively-challenged lineup, the Mariners need Bradley to be focused and satisfied with his position not only in the field but in the clubhouse as well. Milton is anticipated to start most games in left field, but will play the occasional DH against left-handed starters to give Ken Griffey Jr. a day off, says manager Don Wakamatsu, “I’ve talked to Milton about being the DH against some lefties … we can massage [the lineup].”

The M’s lineup could use all the massaging it could get at this point, putting up only one run in their last two spring training games against the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, losing 1-0 and 2-1 respectively.

Wak also reiterated that the no. 3 hitter for the M’s will be newly-acquired first baseman Casey Kotchman, who has had a remarkable spring both offensively and defensively. With this in mind, the projected Opening Day lineup looks as such:

1. Ichiro RF
2. Figgins 2B
3. Kotchman 1B
4. Bradley LF
5. Lopez 3B
6. Griffey Jr. DH
7. Gutierrez CF
8. Moore C
9. Wilson SS

The number 5 slot could easily be either Griffey or Lopez, depending on what kind of rhythm Wak is looking for, or who they’re facing on the mound.

Many perceive promoting Kotchman simply as reward for his production this spring, but could also be seen as a fundamental shift in an otherwise traditional lineup. Since the acquisition of Chone Figgins over the winter, the Mariners have been presented with a dual-leadoff threat in coalition with Ichiro. Therefore, the top of the lineup could easily be perceived as 1A, 1B (rather than 1,2) with Ichiro and Figgins respectively. As a result, Kotchman is perceived more as a number 2 hitter in the third place of the lineup, Bradley as a 3-hitter in the fourth, and so forth.

Given the rate of performance in the opening weeks, naturally, the lineup is certainly likely to fluctuate, with players either being moved around or replaced.

Reach Jacob Kehle at nextseasonsports@gmail.com