Preview/Prediction

There were those that believed the Seattle Mariners had enough talent to win the American League West last year, but instead, the team turned in one of the more disappointing years in franchise history.

Now that public enemies number one and two, Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, have been shipped out, Mets fans will be ravenous for a new scapegoat to despise. Mets fans can be so harsh that if Mother Teresa was alive and she was invited to throw out the first pitch at Citi Field, we might boo her if she doesn’t paint the outside corner with 90 mph heat.

The minor leagues have as much talent in 2011 as ever. The system is overflowing with No. 1 starting talent (Matt Moore, Jeremy Hellickson, Zach Britton), 30-plus homer hitters (Mike Moustakas, Jesus Montero) and future batting champions (Lonnie Chisenhall, Freddie Freeman).

And those are just the guys who are playing at Double-A or higher.

As Spring Training winds to a close, with only about 10 games remaining on the Cactus League schedule, the Oakland Athletics have already begun trimming their roster down to the required 25-men they plan to open the season with.

A few roster battles still remain, leaving a few roster spots in question. Likewise, a few injuries have popped up, which will provide opportunities to a few players who otherwise may have seen them ticketed for Minor League Spring Training and a trip to the minors.

Albert Pujols will bat third when the St. Louis Cardinals open their season next week. The Boston Red Sox will slot in Jacoby Ellsbury as their leadoff hitter, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Ryan Howard is a pretty safe bet to bat fourth for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Yet not every manager likes to tip his hand so early in camp. New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi seemingly intends to keep fans scribbling and scratching out the names (written on backs of enveloped and restaurant napkins) of Brett Gardner, Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson until Opening Day.

As Opening Day anxiety continues to mount, the New York Yankees are still in somewhat of a mini-crisis on the pitching mound, as they are yet to name a formidable five-man rotation.

Manager Joe Girardi has already named ace C.C. Sabathia and recovering ace A.J. Burnett as his one-two punch, but the other three spots remain in limbo.

162-0. 

I still believe. We all still believe at this point.

As the MLB season draws near, the amount of belief you have in your team may begin to shrink, especially for a team like the Mariners, who only managed 61 wins last year.

But it's spring training, and it's a time for hope, a time for speculation and a time to make predictions that will inevitably be proved wrong.

That's where I come in. Without further ado, here is the lineup I believe the Mariners will roll out on April 1st in Oakland for the first of their 162 wins.

As the persistent Arizona sun beats down on the backs of the 2011 Seattle Mariners, the biggest question in the minds of fans—besides "when oh when will we be relevant again­?"—is when Dustin Ackley will be ready for the Show. 

The Mariners’ offseason middle infield moves say a great deal about the timetable for their biggest prospect since King Felix matriculated.

9 Innings Blog will be bringing you previews of every Major League Baseball team for the next 30 days. This is in accordance with our 30 teams in 30 days series. Today, we will be bringing you the 2011 preview of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers are looking to catch a wave that will ride them back into the playoffs.

Josh Outman has been optioned by the Oakland Athletics to Triple-A Sacramento following a frustrating spring where he was unable to find consistency from the mound.

Outman put together a very promising rookie season in 2009, going 4-1 with a 3.48 ERA and earning some All-Star consideration before his season was cut short by elbow troubles that led to Tommy John surgery in mid-June.