Ichiro is still the de facto leader of the team. As goes Ichiro, so goes the Mariners.

Catchers – Kenji Johjima, Jamie Burke, Jeff Clement

Kenji Johjima is one of the most underrated catchers in the game today. Fantasy-wise, he will produce sound results in all categories except stolen bases. A career .288 hitter, Kenji hits somewhere in the vicinity of 16-18 homeruns a year, all while netting mid-fifties in runs and anywhere from 65-75 runs batted in. With free agency in the near future, there is no reason to suspect him to have a better year than his past two seasons. Jamie Burke has no significant fantasy value and will likely get 100 bats at most. Although Jeff Clement is not on the 15-man roster, the only thing stopping him from full-time bats is Kenji Johjima. Stashing him away in AL-Only Keeper leagues is simply a Must!

First Base – Richie Sexson, Mike Morse

Richie Sexson has fallen prey to Safeco Field. The one-time 30-home run hitter pushed a mere 21 in 2007. Add in an injury-plagued season and you have a reason that he has dropped so far on everyone’s cheat sheet.  Do not expect much of an increase in production, from his batting average of .241 to his home run totals. Both he and Adrian Beltre are in contention for the clean-up spot. Mike Morse could have some great opportunities, as he will also back up the corner outfield positions and could take a majority of at bats away from Brad Wilkerson. Consider Morse only in the deepest of AL-Only formats. If Sexson were to get injured, he would be a great low-cost, high ceiling candidate.

Middle Infielders – Jose Lopez, Yuniesky Betancourt, Willie Bloomquist

Jose Lopez is an interesting player. Like all other fantasy managers, I tend to think that he has lost his opportunity to shine in the fantasy world, forgetting that he is only 25. With that in mind, keeper-league managers should listen up. Jose Lopez has increased his batting average 10 points from ’06 to ’07. He did lose some power, but who has not lost their power when arriving in Seattle? If this team can get opportunity around Lopez, he has proven he can deliver. Lopez may return to his 2005 form, accumulating mid-70s in the runs/runs batted in categories.  Yuniesky Betancourt is another great candidate for keeper-leagues, particularly AL-Only formats. Betancourt had 72 runs and 67 runs batted in on a team that was offensively challenged. He may hit a maximum of 12-15 home runs per year in his career, but you can also see a 2.85 hitter with 75/75 potential in him as well. Heck, he may swipe 12 bags a year once he hits his stride as a major league ball player.  Willie Bloomquist is essentially a one-hit wonder that being stolen bases. He has been tasked with backing up 2B, SS, 3B, and CF as well as pinch running duties when the team is need of speed on the base paths. He is one of only two players to have 4 positional capabilities {Mark Loretta being the other}, making him great for AL-Only and deeper mixed leagues for positional depths on the bench/reserve.

Outfielders – Ichiro Suzuki, Raul Ibanez, Brad Wilkerson, Mike Morse

There is no doubt what Ichiro Suzuki brings to the team and the majority of the fantasy world knows about Raul Ibanez and is not so much a “sleeper secret” as he has bee in the past; however, the question is can this group of outfielders produce all that this team needs to be successful in 2008. Speed is a must in an outfield that is one of the largest in the major leagues. Brad Wilkerson has been a catcher and a first base and the question of whether or not he has what it takes at the dish and out in the field is up for question.I like Raul Ibanez to put up slightly better numbers than he has in the past, getting approximately 90 runs, 26 home runs, and 99 runs batted in, batting .289 and even stealing 8-9 bases because of the teams focus on generating runs. Lets face it; they really cannot rely on the big ball to win when their top home run hitter in 2007 was Adrian Beltre with 26. Charlton Jimerson has a great opportunity to see some playing time if Wilkerson struggles.

Starting Rotation – Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn, Carlos Silva, Miguel Batista

The arrival of Erik Bedard has many of the Mariners’ fan base buzzing. The question is whether Bedard will fair well at Safeco field. Since 2005, Erik is 0-2, with a 7.50 Earned run average, with 13 Earned Runs, 13 Strikeouts, and 3 Home runs, all in 16 innings of work. Ultimately, batters averaged .308 against in him in three starts at Safeco Field.  Felix Hernandez is another high ceiling, high opportunity for disappointment. Sure, either could end up with career-high or historic figures as both are incredible pitchers, but with limited hitting behind them, until the numbers are on the board and they prove consistent both home and away, I actually prefer to avoid them on draft day, allowing others to jump early and often.   The other three starters are simply useful in deeper mixed leagues and AL-Only formats. Jarrod Washburn has been a perennial “this is the year” guy, Carlos Silva added a splitter to his repertoire and added approximately $8-9M a year onto his contract offers which will likely prove to be like Bronson Arroyo-money, more of a right place/right time deal than anything else. Miguel Batista is a journeyman who will make splashes once or twice a season but is far too inconsistent to be drafted.

Bullpen – J.J. Putz, Eric O’Flaherty, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Mark Lowe, Sean Green, Anderson Garcia, Cha Seung Baek