Some recent hitting trends

[TTown]

So, Mike Carp has hit two HRs tonight. Might as well give him the ball for the 9th inning, this man walks on water and would probably strike out the side.

Also, Hultzen signed.

[TTown]

... aaaaaaand Wells hits another out of the park (3rd in 3 days?), giving the M's a 6-5 lead. Love these kids.

[Sweezo]

Carp and Wells back to back to take the lead!!!

[Sweezo]

And a three hit night for Trayvon Robinson. My goodness.

[TTown]

the M's and Jays have combined for six HRs tonight. Anyone know the Safeco record?

[DavidSterned]

Casper Wells has hit HRs in 3 straight games at Safeco. That's really impressive.

[sharkz]

What happened to Safeco's power dampeners???

Casper Wells and his sort of lazy looking swing...we're lovin it right now.

Oh and welcome Hultzen, goodbye Chris Ray.

[Bay_Areas_Finest]

I really like Ackley/Carp/Wells in the middle of our order. Gives the lineup such a boost from what we had before.

Wells is crazy. His swing doesn't look too powerful but the man has some pop in his bat. I like this kid. And I have always been a big fan of Carp. Just thought he needed some consistent playing time.

Go M's!

[jumanji]

So far the Detroit deal looks fantastic and the player to be named later should be announced soon i would think. Heard the guy coming is a second round pick from last year named Ruffin, although i have nothing to back that up.

Ackley looks like he's got a tired bat. It may be pitchers are adjusting to him or more likely he's just hitting a rookie wall.

Good to see Hultzen get signed and not sure his timetable but wouldnt be surprised to see him and Paxton in the rotation this time next year.

[Bulltalk]

So far the Detroit deal looks fantastic and the player to be named later should be announced soon i would think. Heard the guy coming is a second round pick from last year named Ruffin, although i have nothing to back that up.

Ackley looks like he's got a tired bat. It may be pitchers are adjusting to him or more likely he's just hitting a rookie wall.

Good to see Hultzen get signed and not sure his timetable but wouldnt be surprised to see him and Paxton in the rotation this time next year.

Indeed. It was almost impossible to imagine otherwise.

Seattle Signs 1st Round Choice, Hultzen

SEATTLE (AP) — Danny Hultzen, taken by the Seattle Mariners with the No. 2 pick on the amateur draft, agreed Monday night to an $8.5 million, five-year contract.

The deal includes a $6.35 million signing bonus.

Hultzen, a 6-foot-3 left-hander, was 12-3 with a 1.37 ERA in 18 starts for Virginia. In three seasons, he was 32-5 with a 2.08 ERA.

Because Hultzen still had one more year of eligibility at Virginia, the Mariners had until 9 p.m. PDT to sign him.

Hultzen, a 10th-round selection by the Diamondbacks three years ago, was a bit of a surprise pick for Seattle. The Mariners have had one of the worst offenses in baseball the past couple seasons. It was expected that they would use their second pick for a highly regarded position player such as outfielder Bubba Starling, who went to Kansas City with the fifth pick, or 3B Anthony Rendon, the sixth pick by Washington.

Hultzen had been compared to veteran Cliff Lee for his mid-90s fastball and pinpoint control. He held opposing hitters to a .189 batting average with 17 walks and 148 strikeouts in 103 1-3 innings last season.

He also can swing the bat. He played first base and DH, hitting .330 with 25 RBIs and had 18 steals in 19 attempts during his career.

The 21-year-old was the ace of the Cavaliers, who advanced to the College World Series last spring.

The Mariners also signed second-rounder Brad Miller, 21, a shortstop out of Clemson. He received the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award, after hitting .395 with 53 runs scored, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 5 home runs and 50 RBI in 56 games for Clemson.

The junior from Windermere, Fla., hit .339 with 173 runs scored, 36 doubles, 8 triples, 16 homers and 135 RBI in 191 games (189 starts) in three seasons at Clemson. He had a career .451 on-base percentage, while ranking 7th in school history with 143 walks.

The club failed to sign third third-rounder Kevin Cron, a 6-4, 240-pound high school catcher and first baseman out of Phoenix. But the Mariners signed 43 of 51 players selected, and 10 the first 11.

All in all, it seems like we did a pretty good job of getting most of our draft picks into the fold, Cron being the only "ouch". But such a thing is expected in these drafts to a certain degree.

Perhaps a sleeper signing is Tyler Marlette, a high school catcher drafted in the 5th round. The M's had to pay him above 5th-round-money to get him into the fold. He was already signed to play college baseball at Central Florida. His signability probably prevented him from being drafted higher.

But such HS players are really just a distant dream at this point.

[Sweezo]

And I have always been a big fan of Carp. Just thought he needed some consistent playing time.

I'm not surprised that's hitting for a high average and getting on base, but the power surprises me. Last night he hit a HR off a lefty in an 0-2 count, and went the other way with a HR. I hadn't really expected him to be capable of those type of things.

Wells and Carp are both hitting home runs that surprise me, and both keep doing it.

All in all, it seems like we did a pretty good job of getting most of our draft picks into the fold, Cron being the only "ouch". But such a thing is expected in these drafts to a certain degree.

Cron's brother signed for $1.6+ million earlier this year...kind of wonder if little brother decided to go the same route as big brother [go to school now, cash in later].

Heard the guy coming is a second round pick from last year named Ruffin, although i have nothing to back that up.

I remember Churchill floating that rumor awhile back; Shannon Drayer more or less shot it down. She may be wrong, but she's usually got a good read on the situation.

I'm hoping they go with Smyly. Smyly's skillset seems more in line with what look for an SP. Ruffin's a highly drafted RP; Jack Z doesn't seem overly fond of those types of players.

[sharkz]

Agree that Smyly would be my choice. However you look at it, starters are just more valuable than relievers, and Smyly is actually pretty decent too.

Oh and was anyone intrigued about going after Delmon Young? If we didn't have so many outfielders right now I think he might have been a nice reclamation project to look at.

[TTown]

Down 4-0 in the 1st. Not a good Vargas night.

[TTown]

Just kidding, make that 6-0 Jays in the 1st. Vargas' inconsistencies are wild. He has THREE 9-inning shutouts.

[sharkz]

1st inning only and we already look like we're done for the night. No wonder nobody claimed Vargas, this guy must have ticked off a lot of people with this. I mean how is it possible this is the same guy that 2 hit the Phillies???

[TTown]

Casper Wells goes yard AGAIN! 4 straight games!

Carp walked previously, he's now reached base safely in 25 straight games. Needs a hit to extend his hit streak to 16.

And Olivo goes yard! We've cut this lead in half, it's 6-3.

[Sweezo]

Casper Wells goes yard AGAIN! 4 straight games!

That has to be a record...4 HR in 4 consecutive games for a RH at SafeCo? I tried looking that record up last night but had no luck.

[sharkz]

CCCCAAAASSSSPPPPPEEEERRRRRRRR

If anyone can find the record, I'll send them free cookies.

Now lets hope Carp hits.

[Sweezo]

All tied at 6-6! Carp, Robinson, and Seager all coming up with timely hits. This is fantastic...it's great to see them keep battling back.

[sharkz]

These days I'm shocked to not see a home run whenever Carp hits something

Our kids are killing these guys....Wells, Carp, Robinson, Seager. Nice to see them stepping up also instead of just Ackley and Pineda. Meanwhile Wilson, Guti and Ichiro remain hitless so far. tsk tsk