The SeaTown Sports Brew - Who Deserves the All-Star Nod for the Mariners?
Welcome to the SeaTown Sports Brew. This is a weekly Monday column aimed to provide insight into Seattle’s sports teams, a roundup of last week’s games and top performers, a preview of the coming week’s games, a little bit of Seattle sports history, and my content recommendations from the past week.
The Leadoff - Who Deserves the All-Star Nod for the Seattle Mariners?
I remember going to Mariners games with my dad around this time of year and punching All-Star ballots in our seats before the games started. You needed a pen or a pencil to punch those perforated holes. I loved determining who was the best at each position in each league. This was a fast process since I consumed league leaderboards and Baseball Tonight daily. But it was not as fast as my Dad’s process. He just went all Mariners (much like he would vote All-Democrat every November). It did not matter how bad the Mariner was. If Jeff Cirillo was the starting third baseman for the Mariners, he got that vote from my dad. How did he vote for the National League? Simple, he just voted for the former Mariners. It was not necessarily always a flawed system. His ballot in 2001 would not have been too far off of what was deserved, at least on the American League side.
Things are different now. Instead of physical ballots, you vote on your phone. Instead of the Seattle Times sports section and Baseball Tonight, now you have dozens of baseball writers online telling you who deserves to make the teams.
I digress.
Now I will tell you who deserves to make the All-Star game for the Mariners, close to a month before the actual game. Surprise. I cannot think of one Mariners hitter who deserves to be named an All-Star. I suppose there is a chance Julio Rodriguez’s star power gets him in the running for a starting spot, but to date, he may not even be the best hitter on this team this season. Cal Raleigh leads the team in home runs (12) and RBIs (43) and is slashing a respectable .209/.287/.400.
As for pitchers, there are cases to be made for George Kirby, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, and Andres Munoz. Kirby is a shoe-in. He has 3.30 xFIP (tied for 6th in the AL) and 2.1 WAR (6th in the AL among starting pitchers). Munoz probably also makes the team. He has a 2.34 xFIP (6th in the AL among relief pitchers) and 12 saves (tied for 6th in the AL). According to Jason Churchill, since April 23, Munoz has tallied 21.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 BB, and 30 K.
It will be harder for Castillo has a 9.27 K/9 (11th in the AL) and 1.6 WAR (14th in the AL) and Gilbert has 3.48 xFIP (13th in the AL) and 1.4 WAR (tied for 15th in the AL). Castillo and Gilbert have been incredible but will need to sneak in as reserves to make the AL All-Star team.
Winners and Losers
Winner - Seattle Storm (9-5) (W v. Sparks; W at Wings; L at Mercury) - I count the Storm as winners this week. Splitting on the road is respectable. They looked out of gas offensively in their Sunday match against the Mercury. The Storm are second in the Western Conference behind the Lynx (10-3)
Winner - Seattle Mariners (43-31) - The M’s began their week with a dramatic win over the Chicago White Sox. Cal Raleigh had quite the week. On Monday, Raleigh avoided an eighth-inning ejection after arguing a called strike. He then returned in the ninth inning and hit a walk-off grand slam. A few days later he played guinea pig and had the honor of receiving a Buhner buzz cut. It is safe to say he’s the best Mariners catcher since Dan Wilson. The Mariners took care of business against the lowly White Sox, taking three of four from them, and then swept their division rivals, the Rangers. They now have the largest division lead of any team in the MLB, with 8.5 games between them and the Rangers.
Winner - Seattle Sounders FC (5-7-6) - A perfect 50th-anniversary match result of the Sounders, as they took down the Minnesota Wild, 2-0. Jordan Morris and Paul Rothrock netted goals for Seattle.
Winner - Seattle Reign FC (2-9-2) - The Reign came away with a 0-0 draw against a good Portland Thorns (7-4-2) club. Considering how the season has been going, I count them as winners this week.
On-Deck
The Mariners head on the road for a three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians (44-25) and then a three-game set against the Miami Marlins (23-48). As with all the road trips, you hope to survive with a .500 record.
Sounders FC are at the Houston Dynamo (6-6-5) on Wednesday 6/19, 5:30 p.m. on Apple TV (free). They host FC Dallas (4-8-5) on Saturday 6/22, 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV (MLS Season Pass).
Seattle Reign host Racing Louisville (3-3-6) on Sunday 6/23, 3 p.m. on KONG/NWSL+.
The Storm are on the road against Kelsey Plum and the Las Vegas Aces (6-6) on Wednesday 6/19, 7 p.m. on Fox 13+/Amazon Prime (Seattle)/NBA TV. They then host the Connecticut Sun (12-1) on Sunday 6/23, 12 p.m. on Fox 13+/Amazon Prime (Seattle).
This Week in Seattle Sports History
On June 23, 2008, King Felix hit a grand slam off of Johan Santana. At that time, he was the first pitcher since 1971 to hit a grand slam. It’s still a ridiculous feat all these years later. It’s even better to hear Dave’s voice call it.
Fast Break
Cameron Brink On Defying Tired WNBA Narratives And How She Made Diana Taursi Laugh (Dime)
What is the most tired narrative around women’s sports?
Oh, that’s a great question. The most tired narrative is that the vets are against the rookies — this old-school versus new-school narrative — and the narrative that the rookies need to be perfect. I feel like Caitlin Clark has that the worst right now, but even I get that. She had three points the other night [against New York on June 2]. I had three points the other night [against Indiana on May 28]. We’re expected to be perfect. We were drafted to high-drafting teams coming off of losing seasons, which is fine. It’s a learning process. But people expect us to be perfect, and it’s freaking exhausting. I feel like we learn how to tune it out, but still, it’s unrealistic, and it kind of just shows that people don’t know basketball.
We’re Ruining the Caitlin Clark moment and we might ruin her, too (SF Gate)
In what universe, for example, should ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith take credit for bringing attention to women’s basketball and lecture accomplished Black women who are colleagues on his own network about why they are underpaid? In what universe should members of Congress be asking to enact legislation to protect a player from a hard and unnecessary check on the court? Or former presidential candidate Nikki Haley feel like this is something she needs to weigh in on?
This is why we can’t have nice things.
Gilbert should be in above Kirby. Better WHIP, more K’s and #1 in league in innings pitched. Or put them both in.
Calling Cal’s line respectable is a big stretch.
"This is a weekly Monday column" <----- *What*?! Why is this the first I'm hearing of this? Has this been previously disclosed?! Am I not a detail oriented reader? Wait. Was I supposed to pick that up by noticing on my own??
"You needed a pen or a pencil to punch those perforated holes." <---- Wait. I thought this was "young" and "younger" tag team and I thought you were the "younger"?! Ohmy. I need to rethink my thoughts re: this substack.
"Instead of the Seattle Times sports section and Baseball Tonight, now you have dozens of baseball writers online telling you who deserves to make the teams." <---- Well sure but you also gotta think about who reads what. For example... I read one tag-team duo of young and younger. So that's where I'm getting my stuff. So.
"Now I will tell you who deserves to make the All-Star game for the Mariners, close to a month before the actual game. Surprise. I cannot think of one Mariners hitter who deserves to be named an All-Star." <--- Oof. And so then how are you going to vote today? =)
Well. When Cleveland comes to Seattle is the only time I cheer against Seattle. If we're on the road vs the Guardians I'll continue to root for the Mariners. LatsgoMariners!