With strong start, Mariners looking to make 2019 more than a rebuild year

A funny thing happened on the way to 2021.

The Mariners’ franchise record 7-1 start is probably not what fans expected, certainly not after an offseason where a well-laid-out plan that pushed expectations to further years took center stage. Gone are the stars, their places taken by a myriad of players that we are still getting to know. To be blunt, some are placeholders.

How serious can we take the Mariners’ exciting start to the season?

Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto has been candid about wanting to continue to go younger with the team, but that is no matter to those who currently reside in the big league clubhouse. There are games to be played, and opportunity within each game, and this clearly is a driving factor in what we are seeing in the early success of the Mariners.

“Our guys have something to prove,” manager Scott Servais said after the Mariners’ Opening Day 12-4 shellacking of the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox. “When we take the field it’s about winning the ballgame. We aren’t concerned about the future, the direction, the re-imagination and all that other stuff. It’s about winning today’s game.”

No matter how the deck is stacked, athletes aren’t wired to step aside. They don’t for a minute gear up to lose 100 games, or even 81. If there is a game to play, they’re going to compete. If they are the underdog there’s a very good chance they don’t see themselves that way.

“This is a group of guys that have a track record,” three-time All-Star Jay Bruce pointed out before the season started. “There’s a lot of guys with a lot of success. There’s guys who have been different places and guys who have had to make changes to continue to be successful. I like what I see. I really do. I don’t really for one second take and swallow the notion that we are just here kind of playing out the games, waiting for 2021 or whatever. That’s not why I am here, that’s not why anyone in the clubhouse is here. That kind of thinking definitely speaks to the talent we have in the minor leagues, but right now we have a lot of Major Leaguers in the clubhouse who can be very, very good and we can win a lot of games.”

Jay Bruce makes it 3 Home Runs in 3 Days. @Mariners lead on @ROOTSPORTS_NW #RefreshingPlays pic.twitter.com/WQJV2JuIaG

— ROOT SPORTS™ | NW (@ROOTSPORTS_NW) April 2, 2019

No. 1 starting pitcher Marco Gonzales takes it step further, laying out the whys. This isn’t quite movie baseball where bulletin board material is enough on its own to spur a team on to an improbable run. It appears to be playing a part in what we are seeing, but there are individual goals that come into play as well.

“We were not really listening to expectations,” said Gonzales. “We’re not really seeing who is across the way in the other dugout. We are going to come out and give them our best. We are kind of a ‘chip on our shoulder’ team. We have guys with a lot to prove. Either guys coming back from an injury year or they have a new organization, a new shot, a clean slate, and I think a lot of guys are ready to take advantage of that.”

What was the key for Marco Gonzales in the Mariners’ first gem of 2019?

Servais has much to work with when it comes to motivation with this team. Multiple times in his post-game comments following the home opener, he referenced all that has been written or said about the team. It’s fun for the players to have the opportunity to prove wrong the outside expectations that they would take as an insult, but the bigger motivation is different for every player.

There are far fewer comfortable veterans – almost none, in fact. This team is made up mostly of guys who have something to prove. Guys that want to prove they can stick in the big leagues. Guys who want to prove they are everyday players. Guys looking to rebound from an injury-plagued season, guys looking for a career breakout. Guys looking to improve their next contract, be it in arbitration or as a free agent. Put them all together and you have a hungry team.

Putting them all together is key. It’s far too early to say what percentage of what we are seeing right now is what this club will ultimately be, but at this moment it is what we said it would be. Strong on offense, scary on defense, an ‘interesting’ bullpen (I am still allowing for surprises here), and decent starting pitching. We do perhaps know more about the personality of this team as a whole. This group is together and focused, and that is a check mark in the good column for Servais coming out of spring training.

So what comes next? We sit back and we watch. They won’t continue to win at the same rate we have seen out of the gates. Teams around them will get better. But the Mariners will have opportunity to get better, as well. They may not score eight runs a game, but with continued work can the defense step it up a notch? There are some good arms on the way back from injury for the bullpen; can they piece it together without a closer? Have you noticed the running game? It’s been much better than what we have seen in recent years. Can they build on that?

One thing is apparent: The good start has given the Mariners the opportunity to prove that 2019 can be about more than just waiting for the kids to come. If you know how to watch it, perhaps you can appreciate it. They have already provided us with a week and a half of fun baseball.

Is it good news M’s have had 4 pitchers record saves in 4 nights?

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