2009 Seattle Mariners 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 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. He would break Wee Willie Keeler's record of eight consecutive seasons.[1]

2009 Seattle Mariners
Major League affiliations
Location
Results
Record85–77 (.525)
Divisional place3rd
Other information
Owner(s)Nintendo of America
(represented by Howard Lincoln)
General manager(s)Jack Zduriencik
Manager(s)Don Wakamatsu
Local televisionFox Sports Northwest
(Dave Niehaus, Dave Sims, Rick Rizzs, Mike Blowers)
Local radioSeattle Mariners Radio Network (English)
(Dave Niehaus, Rick Rizzs)
(Spanish)
(Alex Rivera, Julio Cruz)
< Previous season     Next season >

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 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 24–46 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.

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

Division standings
AL West W L Pct. GB Home Road
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 9765 0.599 — 49–32 48–33
Texas Rangers 8775 0.537 10 48–33 39–42
Seattle Mariners 8577 0.525 12 48–33 37–44
Oakland Athletics 7587 0.463 22 40–41 35–46

Record vs. opponents
Team BAL BOS CWS CLE DET KC LAA MIN NYY OAK SEA TB TEX TOR NL
Baltimore–2–165–42–53–54–42–83–25–131–54–58–105–59–911–7
Boston16–2–4–47–26–15–34–54–29–95–52–49–92–711–711–7
Chicago4–54−4–10–89–99–95–46−123–44–54–56–22–41–612–6
Cleveland5–22–78–10–4–1410–82–48–103–52–56–45–31–84–45–13
Detroit5–31–69–914–4–9–95–47–121–55–45–45–27–23–510–8
Kansas City4–43–59–98–109–9–1–96–122–42–65–41–93–34–38–10
Los Angeles8–25–44–54–24–59–1–6–45–512–710–94–28–114–414–4
Minnesota2–32–412–610–812–712–64–6–0–74–65–53–36–43–512–6
New York13–59–94–35–35–14–25–57–0–7–26–411–75–412–610–8
Oakland5–15–55–45–24–56–27–126–42–7–5–146–411–83–65–13
Seattle5–44–25–44–64–54–59–105–54–614–5–5–38–113–411–7
Tampa Bay10–89–92–63–52–59–12–43–37–114–63–5–3–614–413–5
Texas5–57–24–28–12–73–311–84–64–58–1111–86–3–5–59–9
Toronto9–97–116–14–45–33–44–45–36–126–34–34–145–5–7–11

Game log
2009 Game Log (85-77)
October (3–1)
# Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record
159October 1Athletics4–2Fister (3–4)Anderson (11–11)Aardsma (37)16,60783–76
160October 2Rangers7–4Wilson (5–6)Aardsma (3–6)Francisco (26)27,89983–77
161October 3Rangers2–1Rowland-Smith (5–4)Hunter (9–6)Batista (1)24,39184–77
162October 4Rangers4–3Hernández (19–5)Feldman (17–8)Aardsma (38)32,26085–77

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

Player G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG SB
Wladimir Balentien 56 155 18 33 10 0 4 13 .213 1
Adrián Beltré 111 449 54 119 27 0 8 44 .265 13
Russell Branyan 116 431 64 108 21 1 31 76 .251 2
Ronny Cedeño 59 186 15 31 4 2 5 17 .167 3
Endy Chávez 54 161 17 44 3 1 2 13 .273 9
Ken Griffey, Jr. 117 387 44 83 19 0 19 57 .214 0
Franklin Gutiérrez 153 565 85 160 24 1 18 70 .283 16
Jack Hannahan 51 148 15 34 8 0 3 11 .230 1
Kenji Johjima 71 239 24 59 11 0 9 22 .247 2
Rob Johnson 80 258 21 55 19 2 2 27 .213 1
Ryan Langerhans 38 101 12 22 6 1 3 10 .218 0
José López 153 613 69 167 42 0 25 96 .272 3
Chris Shelton 9 26 1 6 2 0 0 4 .231 0
Ichiro Suzuki 146 639 88 225 31 4 11 46 .352 26
Mike Sweeney 74 242 25 68 15 0 8 34 .281 0
Josh Wilson 45 128 16 32 8 1 3 10 .250 1
Chris Woodward 20 67 7 16 1 0 0 5 .239 1
Team 92 3127 363 817 160 11 88 348 .261 62

Starting 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 July 21, 2009

Player G IP W L CG ERA SO
Érik Bédard 15 83 5 3 0 2.82 90
Félix Hernández 34 238.2 19 5 1 2.49 217
Chris Jakubauskas 35 (8 GS) 93 6 7 1 5.32 47
Garrett Olson 31 (11 GS) 80.1 3 5 0 5.60 47
Ryan Rowland-Smith 15 96.1 5 4 0 3.74 52
Carlos Silva 8 (6 GS) 28.2 1 3 0 8.60 10
Jason Vargas 23 (14 GS) 91.2 3 6 0 4.91 54
Jarrod Washburn 20 133 8 6 1 2.64 79

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 July 21, 2009

Player G IP W L SV SVO ERA SO
David Aardsma 73 44.1 3 6 38 40 2.52 80
Miguel Batista 56 71.1 7 4 1 4 4.04 52
Roy Corcoran 16 19 2 0 0 1 6.16 6
Shawn Kelley 41 46 5 4 0 2 4.50 41
Mark Lowe 75 80 2 7 3 6 3.26 69
Brandon Morrow 26 (10 GS) 69.2 2 4 6 8 4.39 63
Denny Stark 9 11.0 0 1 0 0 6.55 7
Sean White 52 64.1 3 2 1 2 2.80 28

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 June 1, 2009

G IP W L SV SVO CG SHO ERA SO
92 823.2 49 43 30 44 3 2 3.65 615

Farm system
See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Tacoma Rainiers Pacific Coast League Daren Brown
AA West Tenn Diamond Jaxx Southern League Phil Plantier
A High Desert Mavericks California League Jim Horner
A Clinton LumberKings Midwest League Scott Steinmann
A-Short Season Everett AquaSox Northwest League John Tamargo
Rookie Pulaski Mariners Appalachian League José Moreno
Rookie AZL Mariners Arizona League Andy Bottin

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: AZL Mariners

Major League Baseball Draft
2009 Seattle Mariners draft picks
Dustin Ackley (pictured right) was the Mariners first round pick in 2009.
Information
OwnerNintendo of America
General manager(s)Jack Zduriencik
Manager(s)Don Wakamatsu
First pickDustin Ackley (Rule 4)
Kanekoa Texeira (Rule 5)
Draft positions2 (Rule 4)
14 (Rule 5)
Number of selections52 (Rule 4)
2 (Rule 5)
Players signed (Rule 4)35
Links
ResultsBaseball-Reference
Official siteThe Official Site of the Seattle Mariners
Years2008 • 2009 • 2010

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]

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
Round (Pick) Name Position School Ref
1 (2) Dustin Ackley Center fielder University of North Carolina [20]
1 (27) Nick Franklin Shortstop Lake Brantley High School [21]
1 (33) Steven Baron Catcher John A. Ferguson High School [22]
2 (51) Rich Poythress First baseman University of Georgia [23][24]
3 (82) Kyle Seager Second baseman University of North Carolina [25]
4 (113) James Jones Left fielder Long Island University [26]
5 (143) Tyler Blandford Right-handed pitcher Oklahoma State University [27]
6 (173) Shaver Hansen Third baseman Baylor University [28]
7 (203) Brian Moran Left-handed pitcher University of North Carolina [28]
8 (233) James Gillheeney Left-handed pitcher North Carolina State University [16]
9 (263) Trevor Coleman Catcher University of Missouri [16]
10 (293) Vincent Catricala Third basemen University of Hawaii [16]
11 (323) Timothy Morris First baseman St. John's University [16]
12 (353) Andrew Carraway Right-handed pitcher University of Virginia [16]
13 (383) Matthew Cerione Center fielder University of Georgia [16]
14 (413) Adam Nelubowich Third baseman Vauxhall High School [16]
15 (443) Blake Keitzman Left-handed pitcher Western Oregon University [16]
16 (473) Tillman Pugh Center fielder Gateway Community College [16]
17 (503) Joseph Terry Second baseman Cerritos College [16]
18 (533) Anthony Vasquez Left-handed pitcher University of Southern California [16]
19 (563) Eric Thomas Right-handed pitcher Bethune-Cookman College [16]
20 (593) John Hesketh Left-handed pitcher University of New Mexico [16]
21 (623) Daniel Cooper Right-handed pitcher University of Southern California [16]
22 (653) Andrew Hayes Right-handed pitcher Vanderbilt University [16]
23 (683) David Rollins Left-handed pitcher San Jacinto Junior College [16]
24 (713) Carlton Tanabe Catcher Pearl City High School [16]
25 (743) Brandon Josselyn Right-handed pitcher Yale University [16]
26 (773) Chris Sorce Right-handed pitcher Troy University [16]
27 (803) Austin Hudson Right-handed pitcher University of Central Florida [16]
28 (833) Regan Flaherty First baseman Deering High School [16]
29 (863) Brandon Haveman Center fielder Purdue University [29]
30 (893) Brandon Bantz Catcher Dallas Baptist University [16]
31 (923) Clint Dempster Left-handed pitcher Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College [16]
32 (953) Bennett Whitmore Left-handed pitcher University of Oregon [16]
33 (983) Hawkins Gebbers Second baseman Biola University [16]
34 (1013) Scott Griggs Right-handed pitcher San Ramon Valley High School [16]
35 (1043) Eric Valdez Right-handed pitcher Indiana State University [16]
36 (1073) John Housey Right-handed pitcher University of Miami [16]
37 (1133) Chris Kessinger Right-handed pitcher University of Nebraska, Omaha [16]
38 (1133) Matthew Nohelty Center fielder University of Minnesota [16]
39 (1163) Greg Waddell Left fielder Florida International University [16]
40 (1193) Jorden Merry Right-handed pitcher University of Washington [16]
41 (1223) Kyle Witten Right-handed pitcher California State University, Fullerton [16]
42 (1253) Stephen Hagen Third baseman Eastern Oklahoma State Community College [16]
43 (1283) Cameron Perkins Left fielder Southport High School [16]
44 (1313) Mark Angelo Left fielder East Stroudsburg University [16]
45 (1343) Kevin Mailloux Second baseman Canisius College [16]
46 (1373) Clay Cederquist First baseman Fowler High School [16]
47 (1403) David Holman Right-handed pitcher Hutchinson Community College [16]
48 (1433) Sean Nolin Left-handed pitcher Hutchinson Community College [16]
49 (1463) Dane Phillips Catcher Central Heights High School [16]
50 (1493) Evan Sharpley Third baseman University of Notre Dame [16]

Rule 5 draft

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

Table
Phase Pick Name Position Previous team Notes Ref
Major League 14 Kanekoa Texeira Right-handed pitcher New York Yankees none [17]
Triple-A 9 Terrence Engles Right-handed pitcher Washington Nationals none [17]

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 August 14, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  3. "Mariners Blog | Bavasi fired | Seattle Times Newspaper Blog". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. 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 August 14, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  7. "Mets get Putz in 12-player deal – CBSSports.com". Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  8. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&page=starting9/090701
  9. Baker, Geoff (December 4, 2008). "Mariners sign big-hitting Russell Branyan to one-year deal". The Seattle Times.
  10. "Mariners". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  11. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9143260/Sources:-Cubs-land-Heilman-from-Mariners Archived April 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Mariners fill up 40-man roster with trade for Aardsma". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. January 20, 2009.
  13. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3917214
  14. Johns, Greg (February 19, 2009). "Mariners waste no time marketing Griffey's return". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  15. Baker, Geoff (July 10, 2009). "Mariners | Mariners trade Yuniesky Betancourt to Royals | Seattle Times Newspaper". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  16. "Seattle Mariners 2009 Draft Results". Major League Baseball. seattle.mariners.mlb.com. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  17. "Rule 5 draft". Major League Baseball. December 10, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  18. "Draft Date and Location". Archived from the original on July 30, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  19. "1st Round of the 2009 June Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
  20. 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.
  21. Gregg Bell (June 9, 2009). "Mariners draft Ackley, then Fla. high school SS". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  22. Jim Street (June 10, 2009). "Mariners add offense in first round". Major League Baseball. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  23. "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.
  24. "Georgia's Rich Poythress Drafted By Seattle Mariners In Second Round". UGA Sports Communications. georgiadogs.com. August 29, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  25. Mike London (July 5, 2009). "Kyle Seager on verge of signing". Salisbury Post. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  26. 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.
  27. Larry Stone (August 17, 2009). "Done deal: Mariners sign Ackley". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  28. Gregg Bell (June 10, 2009). "Mariners have stories on 2nd day of draft". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  29. "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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