Last time we spoke, we wanted to hear from you, the reader, about spring training. As we all know, the roster gets crunched in the spring, crushing dreams, occasionally ending careers, and dashing the hopes of young prospects everywhere. We all know how it goes. One of the items we discussed was who stands to gain the most from spring training. See the results below:
Of course, this is more of a moot point now because Williamson has since been traded, but what can you do, right? For those of you who voted for Williamson, I respect your commitment and hope to see him break out; maybe he can do that for the Rays, ideally not against the Mariners.
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Of course, that still leaves us with our second-place winner, Cole Young. The opportunity is certainly there for Young, and the overwhelming thing I hear from people here at LL and out on the streets (conversations with my brother) is that the spot is his if he’s willing to reach out and take it. While I think this downplays the presence of Ryan Bliss, I agree that Young is the best positioned to be the starting second baseman on Opening Day.
We also wanted to hear from you on which players needed to make a big step forward this year, and the results were more contentious:
In particular, the conversation in the comments centered on Canzone. Seems people are disagreeing on how much time Canzone should get to really show he’s ready to be a roster mainstay. While Canzone has shown flashes at times, how many at-bats are you willing to cede to maybe see him do something great with the ball? I know where I stand. I’m willing to see how it plays out in spring, but I’m more than ready to see the end of the Canzone experience.
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This week, we have the WBC around the corner and spring training, but I’m more interested in talking about the WBC, especially with so many Mariners participating this year. The question comes to mind, what Mariners will do best at the World Baseball Classic?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Mariners fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Unfortunately, the polls are limited on space, but feel free to shout out your favs in the comments. Personally, I think Julio is going to tear it up; plus, I’m hopeful that a hot WBC could lead to a hot April. Historically, Julio has been a bit of a slow starter, so seeing him get the early-season jitters out with the Dominican Republic and then tear it up for the Mariners would be incredible. But let us know your thoughts in the poll and the comments below!