Updated Mar 21, 2013 - 12:34 pm
Don't count on much from Smoak, Bay
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By Brent Stecker
The Seattle Mariners are counting on some surprises to lead them to a successful 2013 season. Just don't count on those surprises coming from first baseman Justin Smoak or outfielder Jason Bay, ESPN baseball analyst Keith Law said on "Afternoons with the Go 2 Guy" on 710 ESPN Seattle.
Smoak, a former first-round pick who was the centerpiece of the Mariners' haul from the Texas Rangers in their 2010 Cliff Lee trade, has managed just a .223 average in three full Major League seasons. The 26-year-old has had a promising spring training, hitting .390 with three home runs and eight RBI in 13 games, but that isn't enough to sway Law.
"As a long-time supporter of Smoak, I think that ship has unfortunately probably sailed," Law said. "If you'd seen him at (the University of) South Carolina and you see him now, just everything is slower about him. I've seen the data that he just basically can't hit a slider at this point. The agility he had ... seems to be gone. (There has been a) decline in athleticism over the last three or four years."
Bay, a 34-year-old free-agent pickup and three-time All-Star, came to the Mariners looking to revive a career that was on life support after three disappointing seasons with the New York Mets. He also has played well this spring, hitting .323 with two homers and four RBI, while challenging Casper Wells for the team's fourth outfielder spot, but Law doesn't like what he's seen from the veteran.
"Bay stinks. I really think Jason Bay has nothing left to offer a big league team," Law said. "Stats aside, just watching him I don't see any chance that he's a productive big leaguer this year, whereas Casper Wells I think is a very useful fourth outfielder. You need fourth outfielders -- you need guys who can confidently bounce around the outfield and have some ability to come in and pinch-hit. That's to me a much better use of a roster spot than what almost feels like a sentimental play of Jason Bay.
"I saw Bay a week ago and walked out thinking, well he's gonna get released in a week. There seems to be nothing left at the major league level. To me, no way I'm keeping him over Casper Wells."
Law also talked about what to expect from second baseman Dustin Ackley and catcher Mike Zunino this season, the formerly defensive-minded Mariners' switch in philosophy, and the rest of the AL West with Jim Moore, Danny O'Neil and Dave Wyman on "Afternoons with the Go 2 Guy."
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Mike17Will wrote...Oh really?March 21, 2013 11:15 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }- Reply
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The Live Chicken wrote...I love Keith LawMarch 21, 2013 12:48 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }- Reply
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submitch wrote...What?March 21, 2013 8:02 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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The Live Chicken wrote......submitch...March 22, 2013 8:36 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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El Duderino wrote...Jason BayMarch 21, 2013 7:34 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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wacky wakamatsu wrote...Keith Law Doesn't Know EverythingMarch 22, 2013 1:11 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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Rayvensdad wrote...MLB Analysts...March 22, 2013 2:09 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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seaboyd wrote...Mixed Bag!March 22, 2013 7:00 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }- Reply
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RWIII wrote...Two thumbs down for Keith LawMarch 22, 2013 8:05 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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sfk360 wrote...Keith LawMarch 22, 2013 10:19 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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In addition to co-hosting "Wyman, Mike and Moore", Dave Wyman co-hosts the Seahawks pre- and post-game shows on 710 ESPN Seattle. Dave was an All-American and All-Pac-10 linbeacker at Stanford -- where he received a degree in communications and is a member of the university's Athletic Hall of Fame -- before entering the NFL as second-round pick in 1987 and spending nine seasons with the Seahawks and Broncos. Dave lives in Sammamish with his wife and two kids.
Michael, the new co-host of "Wyman, Mike and Moore", comes to 710 ESPN Seattle from 590 ESPN in Omaha, Neb. and previously worked at WBBL in Grand Rapids, Mich. Michael started in radio in 1997 in the rock music world at Grand Rapids stations WGRD and WKLQ.
Jim Moore has co-hosted the show since its inception in 2009. He also co-hosts "The Northwest Golf Show" with Shon Crewe and writes weekly columns for 710Sports.com. Jim spent 26 years as a reporter and columnist at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, where he developed his nickname, "The Go 2 Guy."
Jessamyn McIntyre has produced the show since its inception in 2009 and is the executive producer of 710 ESPN Seattle. Jessamyn previously spent four years at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn. She freelances as a producer for ESPN Radio and TV and is the sideline reporter for WSU football games on 710 ESPN Seattle.
