2009_Seattle_Mariners_season

2009 Seattle Mariners season

2009 Seattle Mariners season

Major League Baseball team season


The 2009 Seattle Mariners season was the 33rd season in franchise history. They improved upon a disappointing 2008 season, where they finished last in the American League West with a 61–101 record. They finished 3rd in the AL West with an 85–77 record, a 24 win improvement. The 2009 Mariners became the 13th team in MLB history to have a winning record following a 100+ loss season. On September 13, 2009, Ichiro Suzuki got his 200th hit of the season. In the process, he set a new MLB record by getting at least 200 hits for nine consecutive seasons, passing the mark held by Wee Willie Keeler.[1]

Quick Facts Seattle Mariners, League ...

Overview

Even before Opening Day, the season was marked with a flurry of change, most notably with the hiring of new general manager Jack Zduriencik, field manager Don Wakamatsu, and an entirely new major-league coaching staff. Unlike the previous season, which was approached with an expectation to contend for the AL West division title, the 2009 season has been approached with a rebuilding philosophy and a departure from the team-building strategies used in previous seasons. In January the Mariners unveiled their 2009 slogan, "A New Day, A New Way", to reflect their rebuilding philosophy.

In terms of players, this season was marked by the free agency departure of outfielder Raúl Ibáñez, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, and the trade of closer J. J. Putz to the New York Mets. However, the offseason has been most notable for the acquisition of longtime Mariners outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., nearly 10 years after trading him to the Cincinnati Reds. Other notable acquisitions have included outfielders Franklin Gutiérrez and Endy Chávez (both from the Putz trade), new closer David Aardsma (traded by Boston Red Sox) and long-time Kansas City Royals infielder Mike Sweeney (free agent).

This season also marks the 10th anniversary of Safeco Field, the Mariners' home stadium which opened its gates on July 15, 1999.

Offseason

Front office changes

We believe Jack is the best person to provide a new approach and to lead our baseball operations. He has a proven track record of recognizing talent, both on the field and in the front office.

— Mariners president Chuck Armstrong on the hiring of Jack Zduriencik .[2]

On June 16, 2008, then-general manager Bill Bavasi was dismissed after a disappointing 2446 start, with vice president-assistant GM Lee Pelekoudas selected as his interim replacement.[3] During the off-season, the Mariners began their search for a new general manager with several candidates to be interviewed including Pelekoudas himself.

After an extensive search, the Mariners selected Milwaukee Brewers executive Jack Zduriencik, who was most notable for his drafting skills and credited with turning the Brewers into a playoff team, as their new general manager on October 22, 2008.[2] Pelekoudas was retained as assistant GM, but resigned on September 1, 2009.[4]

Coaching changes

In addition to relieving GM Bill Bavasi of his duties, the Mariners also fired manager John McLaren on June 19, 2008. Bench coach Jim Riggleman was selected as the interim manager for the rest of the 2008 season.

On November 19, 2008, the Mariners named Oakland Athletics bench coach Don Wakamatsu as their new manager. With the hiring, Wakamatsu becomes the first Asian-American manager in Major League Baseball.[5] Wakamatsu then dismissed all of the coaching staff hired under the McLaren-Riggleman tenure, and hired Ty Van Burkleo as bench coach and Lee Tinsley as first base coach, while Rick Adair and John Wetteland were hired as the pitching and bullpen coaches respectively. Alan Cockrell was brought in as the new hitting coach.

Roster changes

Key departures

Raúl Ibáñez was one of the key players in the Mariners offense for the past five years.

Raúl Ibáñez, who led the team in RBIs in 2008, signed a 3-year, $31.5 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies after a five-year tenure with the Mariners.[6] Ibáñez, who was a Type A free agent, allowed the Mariners to receive the Phillies' first round pick in the 2009 MLB draft and also a compensatory pick as well.

On December 10, in a three-team trade, Zduriencik sent former All-Star closer J. J. Putz, outfielder Jeremy Reed and pitcher Sean Green to the New York Mets and prospect Luis Valbuena to the Cleveland Indians, in exchange for a combined seven players from both teams, most notably the Indians' Franklin Gutiérrez and the Mets' Endy Chávez.[7]

On July 10, the Mariners sent shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for two minor-league pitchers.

Key additions

Russell Branyan was considered one of the best free agent pickups in the offseason.[8]

The Mariners made numerous additions in free agency, adding over 17 players to the team. On December 3, the Mariners made their first move in the offseason by signing 1B Russell Branyan to a one-year deal. Branyan was one of the players that Zdurienck saw potential in during his time with the Brewers.[9] Mike Sweeney, formerly a fan favorite and leader in the Royals organization, was signed as well to a minor-league deal.[10]

Next, the Mariners received 7 players in the three team trade (see above) that netted them outfielders Endy Chávez and Franklin Gutierrez, pitcher Aaron Heilman, and four other minor leaguers including prospect Mike Carp and pitcher Jason Vargas. Heilman, however, would be traded to the Chicago Cubs almost a month later, in exchange for utility player Ronny Cedeño and pitcher Garrett Olson.[11] Seattle also traded for pitcher David Aardsma from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for a minor leaguer.[12]

Griffey's return
Ken Griffey Jr. returned to Seattle almost ten years after they traded him to the Cincinnati Reds.

Perhaps the biggest move in the offseason, however, was the signing of former Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. to a 1-year deal.[13] Griffey, who was known as the man who "saved baseball in Seattle", received a warm welcome and a fifteen-minute presentation that applauds his tenure as a Mariner when his former team, the Cincinnati Reds, visited Safeco Field in 2007. Surprised by the reaction, Griffey explored the possibility of a return in Seattle. The Mariners reportedly were trying to negotiate with Griffey until the Atlanta Braves also want to sign him as well. Griffey was inclined to sign with Atlanta due to the proximity from his home, but choose to instead return to Seattle. Most, if not all, Mariners fans were ecstatic about the news, and orders of Griffey jerseys were off the charts.[14]

Complete transactions

2008

2009

Regular season

Season standings

Division standings

More information W, L ...

Record vs. opponents

More information Team, BAL ...

Game log

More information #, Date ...

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Roster

2009 Seattle Mariners
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches

Player stats

Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases

Through October 4, 2009

More information Player, G ...

Pitching

Starting and other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started (for pitchers who did not start every appearance); IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Through October 4, 2009

More information Player, G ...

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; SVO = Save opportunities; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Through October 4, 2009

More information Player, G ...

Team totals

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; SVO = Save opportunities; CG = Complete games; SHO = Shutouts; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Through October 4, 2009

More information G, IP ...

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: AZL Mariners

Major League Baseball Draft

Quick Facts Information, Owner ...

Below is a complete list of the Seattle Mariners draft picks from the two 2009 Major League Baseball drafts.[16][17]

The Seattle Mariners took part in both the Major League Baseball Rule 4 draft and the Rule 5 draft in 2009.[16][17]

The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in New York City.[18] The Seattle Mariners went second in the draft order and had two supplemental first-round draft picks for the loss of free agent Raúl Ibáñez after the 2008 season.[19] The Mariners selected a total of 52 players and signed 35 of those selected players.[16]

The Mariners selected one player in the Major League Baseball phase of the 2009 Rule 5 draft.[17] They also had one player selected (Marshall Hubbard) in the 2009 Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft.[17] The Mariners also selected one player in the Triple-A phase of the draft as well.[17]

June amateur draft

Key

Round (Pick) Indicates the round and pick the player was drafted
Position Indicates the secondary/collegiate position at which the player was drafted, rather than the professional position the player may have gone on to play
Bold Indicates the player signed with the Mariners before the deadline
Italics Indicates the player did not sign with the Mariners before the deadline

Table

More information Round (Pick), Name ...

Rule 5 draft

Key

Pick Indicates the pick the player was drafted
Previous team Indicates the previous organization, not Minor league team

Table

More information Phase, Pick ...

References

  1. Baseball's Top 100: The Game's Greatest Records, p. 46, Kerry Banks, 2010, Greystone Books, Vancouver, BC, ISBN 978-1-55365-507-7.
  2. Stone, Larry (October 22, 2008). "Mariners | M's hire Brewers' Jack Zduriencik as GM | Seattle Times Newspaper". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  3. "Mariners Blog | Bavasi fired | Seattle Times Newspaper Blog". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  4. "Lee Pelekoudas resigns as Mariners Associate General Manager". Seattle Mariners Press Release. September 1, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2009.
  5. Baker, Geoff; Stone, Larry (November 19, 2008). "Mariners will introduce Wakamatsu as new manager today". The Seattle Times.
  6. Gonzalez, Alden (December 16, 2008). "Ibanez excited to join world champs". Phillies.MLB.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  7. "Mets get Putz in 12-player deal – CBSSports.com". Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  8. Baker, Geoff (December 4, 2008). "Mariners sign big-hitting Russell Branyan to one-year deal". The Seattle Times.
  9. "Mariners". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  10. "Mariners fill up 40-man roster with trade for Aardsma". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. January 20, 2009.
  11. Johns, Greg (February 19, 2009). "Mariners waste no time marketing Griffey's return". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  12. Baker, Geoff (July 10, 2009). "Mariners | Mariners trade Yuniesky Betancourt to Royals | Seattle Times Newspaper". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  13. "Seattle Mariners 2009 Draft Results". Major League Baseball. seattle.mariners.mlb.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  14. "Rule 5 draft". Major League Baseball. December 10, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  15. "Draft Date and Location". Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  16. "1st Round of the 2009 June Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
  17. Larry Stone (June 10, 2009). "Mariners take North Carolina slugger Dustin Ackley with second pick in draft". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 12, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  18. Gregg Bell (June 9, 2009). "Mariners draft Ackley, then Fla. high school SS". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  19. Jim Street (June 10, 2009). "Mariners add offense in first round". Major League Baseball. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  20. "Seattle Mariners Select Rich Poythress in 2nd Round of MLB Draft". Georgia Sports Communications. WJBF-TV. June 9, 2009. Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  21. "Georgia's Rich Poythress Drafted By Seattle Mariners In Second Round". UGA Sports Communications. georgiadogs.com. August 29, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009. [dead link]
  22. Mike London (July 5, 2009). "Kyle Seager on verge of signing". Salisbury Post. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  23. Ian Begly (June 10, 2009). "Seattle Mariners select Long Island University's James Jones in fourth round of MLB draft". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  24. Larry Stone (August 17, 2009). "Done deal: Mariners sign Ackley". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  25. Gregg Bell (June 10, 2009). "Mariners have stories on 2nd day of draft". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  26. "Zeeland East grad Haveman signs with Mariners". The Grand Rapids Press. mlive.com. June 16, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  • Game logs:
1st half: Seattle Mariners game log on ESPN.com
2nd half: Seattle Mariners game log on ESPN.com

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