18th Best Team in FCM History: Light the Lamp

The Team: Seattle Mariners

The Year:  2046

W/L Record:  102-60

Run Differential:  828 RS vs. 596  RA  +232 Runs

Awards:  AL ERA Leader: Dusty Avery, AL Rookie of the Year:  Bradley Lamp, AL Gold Glove: SS Peter Gieryk and CF Bradley Lamp

All Stars:  SP Dusty Avery, SP Chris Dugger, SP Kyle Arrington

League Leading Stat Categories:  3.18 Bullpen ERA

                  Lineup/Bench                                                           Rotation/Bullpen

               RF Bradley Lamp                                                         Dusty Avery
               SS Peter Gieryk                                                            Kyle Arrington
               DH Joe Connor                                                             Jason Greene
               LF Justin Vail                                                               Jorge Vender
               3B Toby Ellis                                                               Luis Barraras
               1B Dan Waller                                                              CL Chris Dugger
               CF Guillermo Meza                                                      SU Travis Winfrey
               2B Albert Permenter                                                     SR Jason Tamblyn
               C Alex Frederick                                                           SR Joel Dearaujo
                                                                                                    MR Travis Carter
                                                                                                    LR Ryan Costello
              C Scott Glass
              OF Kimo Uteake
              OF Allen McClary
              IF Michael Lander
              IF Kyle Kerr
                              

The Key Players: This Mariner team was about average offensively but arguably the second best pitching staff in baseball in 2046.  The staff was lead by AL ERA leader Dusty Avery.  Avery was in his first full season with the Mariners and was a huge boost for the team.  He pitched 206 innings and posted a 2.70 ERA with a 17-8 record.  He lost out on the AL Cy Young to Sam Harwell, but he was certainly deserving of consideration.  Third year player Kyle Arrington took one more step towards his future dominance with a solid campaign - pitching 174 innings with 134 Ks, a 3.15 ERA, and an 11-5 record.  The rest of the rotation was made up of second year player Jason Greene who posted a 3.17 ERA in 190 innings and a 15-10 record and veteran Jorge Vendor who pitched 150 innings with a 3.96 ERA and a 12-8 record.  In the fifth starter, middle relief, and long relief spots were lefty Travis Carter (4.05 ERA in 115 innings), Luis Barrarras (2.88 ERA in 175 innings), and Ryan Costello (3.20 ERA).  

The bullpen was lead by closer Chris Dugger who pitched 110 innings and posted 96 Ks, an 8-4 record, 21 saves, and a 2.45 ERA.  The bullpen was flexed around a lot in 2046 with several players taking different roles on the team, including Travis Winfrey who filled in at closer to the tune of 14 saves along with a 3-5 record and a 3.12 ERA.  Also filling in various roles were youngster Charles Drake (.75 ERA in 12 innings), Joel Dearaujo (5.12 ERA 9-1 record in 84 innings), Jason Tamblyn (3.96 ERA in 84 innings and 8 saves), and Roberto Vaquedano (4.62 ERA in 37 innings).  

Offensively the team had one very key contributor that inspired the tease for this team: Bradley Lamp.  Lamp debuted in 2046 after being drafted by the Chicago White Sox and traded four years earlier in exchange for Guillermo Meza and Alex Moore.  Lamp lived up to his first round hype and hit the league running his rookie year.  He put up a slash line of .251/.322/.443 on the way to a .765 OPS.  He hit 27 doubles, 28 homeruns, drove in 105 runners, stole 11 bases, and scored 96 runs.  In addition to that played gold glove caliber CF defense and earned the league's ROY award.  To come in as a rookie and hit third in a World Series caliber lineup was an amazing achievement.

Lamp's main help in the lineup came from Joe Connor, another player acquired from the White Sox, who DH'd for the team.  His 2045 season had earned him an MVP award, but 2046 wasn't as kind.  Still, he hit .273, launched 30 HRs, scored 103 times, and drove in 88 runs to go with a solid .850 OPS.  The other two major power contributors were a fluke season from Albert Permenter and 3B Toby Ellis.  Permenter, a career 700ish hitter, came out of nowhere with an .850 OPS by posting a .308 average, hitting 22 homeruns, scored 83 times, and driving in 86.  Ellis hit .291 with 25 homeruns, 69 runs, and 87 RBI.

The rest of the lineup was far less impressive.  Guillermo Meza hit 24 homeruns but also managed just a .218 average with 75 runs and 86 RBI.  Uetake and Gieryk were the setup guys in the lineup and both had solid seasons when healthy.  (Uetake was hurt and Gieryk put up a .252  avg with 20 steals, 77 runs, and 42 RBI)  Alex Frederick was a good catcher and contributed a .257 average, 16 home runs, 65 runs, and 49 RBI.  

What Sets Them Apart:  Seattle had a very long stretch without a title in FCM and it took until 2046 for the first one to happen.  There is something to be said for the team that finally breaks through and punches that ticket.  The Mariners didn't put up a lot of flashy numbers as a team relative to many on this list but one thing they did do was beat another top 25 all time team (one ranked higher than them) to win it all.  Their 7 game series was a back and forth battle with ultimately this team came out on top and giving something for their fans to appreciate on one of those many rainy days in Seattle.

Interview with the Owner: Matty's Thoughts

Coming Next:  17th Best Team in FCM History: Roll Out the Barrels