Saturday, December 28, 2024
37.0°F

THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Dipoto's deals paying off for M's, like them or not

| August 8, 2023 1:15 AM

Jerry Dipoto is thrilled.

The Mariners boss is also being cursed, receiving vicious letters, routinely torn apart on social media, and …

Likely having little Jerry dolls being stuck with pins to bring the wrath of hell upon him.

So …

Why?

Well, he’s thrilled because (as of midday Monday), the Mariners had won six straight, bumped their record to 60-52 — exactly the same as last year after 112 games — and thrust themselves into the American League playoff race.

So, naturally, Dipoto and everyone in the organization is excited that the team has caught fire after three months of treading water around .500.

On the other hand, there are plenty of angry calls and messages on Twitter (sorry, X) blaming Jerry for leaving the Mariners lacking a critical piece for a dash to the finish.

Recall …

He traded closer Paul Sewald, who was not only Seattle’s reliable ninth-inning guy but a popular figure inside the clubhouse and with the fans in general.

It’s not like the three players Dipoto snagged from Arizona in exchange for Sewald have been knocking down the fences in this latest victory binge, either.

IN FACT, the new Mariners have contributed almost nada so far, so it appears to the doomsayers as though Jerry peddled his ace closer for nothing.

The player who was (and is) supposed to make a difference would be outfielder Dominic Canzone — even though he only had 38 at-bats in the big leagues with Arizona before the trade.

Josh Rojas is a utility infielder who didn’t play all that much for the Diamondbacks, and (hopefully) won’t see the field too often in Seattle.

The third piece in the deal was Ryan Bliss, an exciting minor league infielder who is considered maybe a year or more from providing an impact bat in the big leagues.

Still, Bliss is the kind of talent you can acquire in a deadline deal when the other team needs help (and your own system doesn’t have the same type of player getting close to the majors).

What Dipoto and GM Justin Hollander hoped, however, was that the left-handed Canzone might hit the ground running — especially since the M’s are missing injured outfielder Jarred Kelenic.

“He’s hit wherever he’s been,” Dipoto said when describing Canzone. “He’s slightly built kid, but the ball just jumps off his bat.”

Those are correct statements.

The 25-year-old Canzone is generously listed at 5-11 and 190 pounds (perhaps while holding a bowling ball), but he HAS hit.

In 302 games at various levels, he’s logged a .310 average with 78 doubles, 60 homers and 250 RBI.

It’s notable on a Seattle team that swings and misses far too much that Canzone has driven home more runs than he’s struck out (223 Ks in 1,274 at-bats), and he arrived in Arizona with a career .933 OPS in the minors.

It appears he CAN hit, and with some authority.

The problem, at the moment, is that Canzone has logged just 15 ABs with Seattle, with two hits.

THE ISSUE (at least so far) is that Canzone can’t get into the lineup.

Much to the Mariners’ surprise, two left-handed hitters called up from Tacoma have swung the bat like they belong.

At least for a short time.

Mike Ford is a 30-year-old slugger who was knocking the cover off the ball in Triple-A (13 homers and 56 RBI in 49 games).

He was summoned to Seattle — as a DH and occasional first baseman — when the Mariners’ lineup tilted too much to the right.

Surprisingly, Ford has delivered 11 homers with an .804 OPS.

It all appears to be catching up to him now, as pitchers are finding the holes in his swing.

Just about the time Seattle would be finding a spot for Canzone, however, 26-year-old semi-prospect Cade Marlowe — an outfielder who can run — came up from Tacoma and looked pretty good.

In fact, Marlowe delivered one of the biggest hits of the season last week, a ninth-inning grand slam that brought the Mariners back from a 3-1 deficit in Anaheim and kept their winning run alive.

Still, you have to assume that Canzone will get his chance, and his record suggests that he’ll hit.

How much, nobody knows.

But the Mariners are very, very hopeful.

Meantime, do you suppose Dipoto and the front office are getting any credit for having guys like Ford and Marlowe available in Tacoma?

Nah.

It never quite works that way.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”