That past season I was able to walk on the field before a Mariners game against the Boston Red Sox after my name was picked from a jar at Hair Masters. I got to take a picture with J.J. Putz which was pretty cool. I was astounded how big he was, and it was neat to talk to a guy I recognized from television. I then jokingly referred to him as my close-personal-friend whenever his name came up in a conversation.
I was a bit disappointed to read that Putz was no longer a Seattle Mariner. I also had no idea who this latin-looking guy was that the Mariners got in return. I flipped to the Sports section because I was intrigued as to why in the world the Mariners traded away such a good pitcher for somebody I had never heard of. He was referred to as a "defense-only" type of player and that the new Mariners front office (to which I was totally oblivious) wanted to establish a strong defensive game. Although I didn't read much further, as my friend and I were on a mission to find lemonade, that trade sat in the back of my mind.
As I got home from my late night grocery shopping, my mind kept going back to that handsome devil who the Mariners now have. I wanted to know more, which lead me to clicking on Dave Cameron's take on the deal, which confused the hell out of me. Nonetheless, I decided that I would start paying attention to the Mariners next season
2009 was a season of stuffed animals and bubbles.
Endy Chavez is amazing! Griffey is back! Jose Lopez hits dingers! So does Russel Branyan! Everybody is happy! 2009 was just the best. I didn't watch the terrible Mariner teams prior, so my hope for the 2010 Mariners was filled to the brim.
Franklin Gutierrez became one of my favorite players. His home runs and sparkling defense were hard to resist. Even though I wasn't the brightest baseball fan, I noticed his raw power. I didn't know that raw power meant potential for more, but it wasn't hard to notice his home runs were much more impressive than Jose Lopez's, even though the latter hit more of them.
The home run that sticks out in my mind was the one he hit against the Padres in Petco Park. He hit two home runs that day, and his second was a blast that hit off that old brick building in left field. Hittracker.com measured that shot at 358 feet, a long ways, but was actually the shortest home run of his 2009 season. I am puzzled why that particular home run stuck with me and not his 444 foot shot he hit off Ricky Romero.
Without watching much Mariners games before that season, I never fully realized just how good Franklin Gutierrez's defense was. His defense was noticeably better than the opposing teams center fielder, even though he rarely had to make flashy plays. I heard the announcers say stuff, and I did see some plays that blew my mind. But without really having much for comparison, I didn't notice he was playing arguably the best defense of my generation. It was only after the season that I was able to read more about stuff like UZR and WAR that I noticed he was one of the best players in the game.
Throughout that season I still wasn't exposed to the advanced statistics that I would soon be captivated by. I became obsessed with the Mariners, no doubt. The batting averages and ERA's of each player were entrenched in my brain. I thought Jarrod Washburn was one of the best pitchers in baseball. I was annoyed that Ken Griffey Jr. had to walk so much. I was the irritating fan that sits behind you that you just want to mute for the rest of the game.
That off season, I learned about advanced statistics and the genius that is Jack Zduriencik. I began to rosterbate and dream about possible acquisitions. I couldn't decide whether to sign Placido Polanco or Chone Figgins and whether the Dodgers would accept a trade that sent Jose Lopez in return for Andre Ethier and Clayton Kershaw (probably not). I became fixated on acquiring left-handed bats and wanted nothing to do with right-handed hitters, as Safeco would obviously devour them- no exceptions. Adrian Beltre was out, Jose Lopez was out. Rob Johnson was gone too!
I just couldn't bring myself to trading Franklin Gutierrez. Sure, he was right-handed, but he was also undervalued, young, and awesome.
The real Mariners, of course, ended up trading for Cliff Lee, Milton Bradley, and Casey Kotchman while signing Chone Figgins. I loved every move. In my mind, everything the Mariners front office did would turn into gold. I never experienced a move that did not go well for the Mariners, as pretty much every 2009 acquisition turned out to be amazing, and I wasn't paying attention to the years before when pretty much every Bill Bavasi acquisition turned out to be horrible. Blinded by hope, I literally could not imagine a scenario where something went wrong.
We all know how it went. Besides Felix's arm falling off, everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. Griffey sucked then retired. Casey Kotchman didn't do anything. Milton Bradley actually got worse. Chone Figgins cute little bloopers were caught. Justin Smoak and Michael Saunders did nothing to restore hope for the future. Even Franklin Gutierrez, who's first few months were a lone bright spot, failed to build off in what should have been his peak year.
Later we learned that he had some bizarre stomach issue, which gave us an explanation for his poor offensive performance. The majority of us had hope that he would put that behind him and return to his 2009 form after an offseason to recover.
2011 couldn't have gone much worse. He was on the disabled list still recovering from his stomach problems until the middle of May. He came back noticeably thinner, and showed that little power remains in his once promising offense. His defense was still there, but Gutierrez was a terrible bat on a team filled with terrible bats.
2011 couldn't have gone much worse. He was on the disabled list still recovering from his stomach problems until the middle of May. He came back noticeably thinner, and showed that little power remains in his once promising offense. His defense was still there, but Gutierrez was a terrible bat on a team filled with terrible bats.
Before Spring Training, I wrote Gutierrez off as a lost cause. His fantastic 2009 season was just too long ago to hope he can one day regain that form. Once a 26 year old undervalued star, he is now a 29 year old player looking to prove he deserves a spot in a major league lineup.
Franklin Gutierrez needed to build muscle and get healthy this offseason in order to restore some hope. He has done just that.
With his 2009 season he showed he is able to be a phenomenal player. Now that the problems that anchored Gutierrez's performance the past couple seasons are behind him, the chances he can have more seasons similar to 2009 are significantly higher. The reports this Spring have been nothing but encouraging.
“I’d hit the ball and it wouldn’t go anywhere,” Gutierrez said. “I’m not talking home runs, I’m talking about line drives. I started swinging in December after working out all of October and November, and I could see a difference in the way the ball came off my bat.”Larry Stone:
@StoneLarry Gutierrez showing some pop. He's hit a couple over the wall, lots of gap liners. Physical difference is notable
When healthy, Franklin Gutierrez is one of the most exciting players in baseball. His defense in center field is incredible and he can hit one over the fence from time-to-time. If Franklin were to show this year that he still has that superstar talent in him, that would go a long ways to building this team back into a contender.
I usually dismiss "best shape of my life" type of stories, but there are cases where it may actually mean something. This is one of them.
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