Joey's Soapbox

As of yesterday, CEO & Chairman Howard Lincoln resigned from his post with the Mariners & Nintendo sold it's majority ownership in the Mariners to 1st Avenue Entertainment, who has control in ROOT Sports [the Seattle Mariners TV Network]. The team's new owner is John Stanton, who had minority ownership of the team since 2000 & had a stake in the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics until they left for Oklahoma City. The recent creation of the Seattle Mariners TV Network, ROOT Sports, became a huge money maker [woo-hoo!] for the franchise. The millions & millions the team will make over the next decade could help pay for good players in the off-season or at the July 31st Trading Deadline if we are in contention for the playoffs, something we haven't done since 2001. So this means that money, especially now with new ownership [T-Mobile], will not be an excuse, by anyone, not the front office, not the fans, ANYONE!

The Seattle Mariners are changing things up from a front office & an ownership standpoint.

Change has finally arrived. Go Mariners!!!!!

Player Profile: John Ryan Murphy

John Ryan Murphy is a young, promising catcher who played for the New York Yankees last year. The problem is, under the personal section on his Wikipedia page, it says he grew up a fan of the Yankees' ancient rival, the Boston Red Sox. Which means that he was a fraud in the Yankee pinstripes. But luckily for Murphy, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins, who play in a state where Murphy's childhood love for the Red Sox is only a misdemeanor & not a felony...

Fraud!

My 3 MLB Predictions for 2016

1. The Seattle Mariners will get to the Playoffs for the 1st time since 2001

Why? Because I have faith in Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto. He's a more statistically minded individual than previous Mariners GM's Jack Zduriencik & Bill Bavasi put together.

2. Tyson Ross of the San Diego Padres will pitch the 1st no-hitter in Franchise History

Why? Because it's been long overdue, as the Padres are the only MLB team to never have a no-hitter in their franchise history & Tyson Ross is the best candidate to pull it off. Andrew Cashner will not because he gets injured every time he gets out of bed.

3. The Chicago Cubs will win the World Series

Why? Because if anyone can make the Chicago Cubs World Champions, it's their Vice President, Theo Epstein. In my opinion, if the Cubs do win it all this year, Theo Epstein will be in the VIP Suite of Baseball Immortality, because the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years under his watch.

My 3 MLB Predictions for 2016

1. The Seattle Mariners will get to the Playoffs for the 1st time since 2001

Why? Because I have faith in Seattle Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto. He's a more statistically minded individual than previous Mariners GM's Jack Zduriencik & Bill Bavasi put together.

2. Tyson Ross of the San Diego Padres will pitch the 1st no-hitter in Franchise History

Why? Because it's been long overdue, as the Padres are the only MLB team to never have a no-hitter in their franchise history & Tyson Ross is the best candidate to pull it off. Andrew Cashner will not because he gets injured every time he gets out of bed.

3. The Chicago Cubs will win the World Series

Why? Because if anyone can make the Chicago Cubs World Champions, it's their Vice President, Theo Epstein. In my opinion, if the Cubs do win it all this year, Theo Epstein will be in the VIP Suite of Baseball Immortality, because the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years under his watch.

Update on Pirates Catcher Reese McGuire

NOTE: The quotes in this entry were taken out of an interview from the official Minor League Baseball Website [www.milb.com].

Like most Pittsburgh Pirates fans, Reese McGuire watched as many games as he could last season, particularly during the final month of the regular season and the wild-card playoff game.
But no matter the opponent or significance of the game, one thought consistently flowed through his head.
“I wish I was there. I wish I was playing behind the plate,” McGuire said.
It might not be long before he gets his wish.
McGuire is the top catching prospect in a talent-rich minor league system. The second of the Pirates’ two first-round picks in 2013 — outfielder Austin Meadows was the first — McGuire was recently ranked as the Pirates’ No. 6 prospect by Baseball America, this after putting together a solid first season with high-Class A Bradenton.
McGuire has spent the past month playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League. He’s one of six prospects with the Desert Dogs. Meadows, the No. 2 overall prospect in the Pirates Organization, played in 17 games before being removed from the roster to attend to an illness in his family.
Like Meadows, McGuire was selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game, a big honor made even more significant considering he’s the youngest player on his team and one of the youngest in the league at just 20 years old. McGuire, a left-handed hitter, is batting .333 with a .417 on-base percentage and has struck out only three times in 42 at-bats.
Among those impressed with McGuire’s talent is Glendale pitching coach Justin Meccage, who holds the same position at Class AA Altoona. Meccage praised McGuire’s defensive ability and developing offensive skills, and said he looks forward to working more with McGuire, possibly as soon as the start of the 2016 season.
“He’s a really nice prospect, especially blocking and receiving and throwing, the physical part of the game,” Meccage said. “The thing that he’s still learning and we’re all still learning is pitch calling and things like that. I hadn’t seen him much offensively, but he’s really impressed me offensively out here. He’s swung the bat really well. So there’s a nice little package working for a 20-year-old guy that’s in the fall league.”
After last season, Baseball America named McGuire the best defensive catcher in high-Class A in addition to the No. 11 prospect in the Florida State League.
“Everything seems pretty instinctual out there,” McGuire said. “My baseball IQ has been real good. Being able to call my own games since I was a young kid has really helped me, as well.”
Offensively, McGuire has shown a lot of promise. He hit .254 with 34 RBIs in 98 games at Bradenton in 2015, a year after hitting .262 with 45 RBIs in the same number of games at West Virginia.
“I’m getting better every day for sure,” McGuire said. “I’ve learned a lot this past year. Coming off of my first full season in 2014, I was able to come into this past season with a pretty good idea of who I am as a player and develop a consistent routine.”
Projecting when McGuire will make it to Pittsburgh is difficult. Starting catcher Francisco Cervelli is coming off a strong season and could be in the Pirates’ long-term plans. Another catcher, Elias Diaz, is the organization’s No. 10 prospect who spent the 2015 season at Indianapolis before a late-season call-up.
Regardless, it appears McGuire could have the label “major league-ready” attached to his name soon, maybe even this year.
Said Meccage: “He’s going to put himself in position to be able to make an impact up there in the next few years.”

Good News & Bad News

Let's start with the Good News: There are seven days until the Mariners play their first Spring Training game against the San Diego Padres in Peoria, Arizona. Bad news: It will not be on T.V.

Fun Fact!!

Ken Griffey Jr. [below] was the 1st overall selection in the 1987 Major League Baseball Draft and the 1st number one overall draft pick in MLB history to be elected to the Hall of Fame.  Can you name the highest overall draft pick in MLB history to be elected to the Hall of Fame before Griffey?

The answer is... Reggie Jackson [left], who was selected 2nd overall in the 1966 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Athletics [now the Oakland Athletics].