#39 Taijuan Walker

Seattle Mariners

DOB: 8/13/1992

Previoius Rank: N/R

ETA: 2014

Walker was Seattle’s first pick in the 2010 draft, and the 6-foot-4 right-hander had a terrific first professional season in the Midwest League (A).  He threw up a sub-3.00 ERA with 113 strikeouts against 39 walks.  He only allowed four jacks in nearly 100 innings of work and has a chance to be a very fast mover in hopes of reaching the Bigs in time to join Felix Hernandez, Michael Pineda, and Danny Hultzen at Safeco.

Walker is extremely athletic with loads of projection and a fastball that reaches the high-90s.  With a big downer curve that receives consistent plus to double-plus gradings, Walker already has at least two plus pitches.  His changeup is way behind the other two pitches, but Walker is already making huge strides in terms of command and clearly seems to understand what it means to pitch.  The addition of an average or better changeup could see Walker land in the Show by 2013 so long as he breezes through the high Minors like he has with Class A.

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Bottom 2: Mike Stanton struck out swinging against Felix Hernandez

Bottom 4: Stanton struck out swinging against Hernandez

Bottom 6: Stanton struck out swinging against Hernandez

Bottom 9: Stanton struck out swinging against Brandon League

Final Line: 0-for-4, 4 K

Notes: This is just what tends to happen when you swing as hard as Mike Stanton and have to face Felix Hernandez.

Total 2011 Sombrero: 50 (wow)

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#17 Michael Pineda – Seattle Mariners

RHP

DOB: 1-18-89

ETA: 2011

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Today on The Baseball Show, co-host Clint Evans of Diamond Hoggers and I went strong for a little over an hour. Topics for discussion included but weren’t limited to:

-Thoughts on the Justin Upton trade rumors
-We skim through the free agent class and the moves that have taken place thus far around baseball
-Thoughts on the NL Rookie of the Year
-Thoughts on Felix Hernandez winning the AL Cy Young Award
-Final thoughts on the AL/NL MVP awards

Do you know what divine intervention is, Garrett Olson?

In the upcoming issue of ESPN The Magazine, Felix Hernandez and Garrett Olson of the Seattle Mariners decided to cut loose, trading in their gloves for guns, and their own pride for laughs.  Dressed as Vincent Vega and Jules — with King Felix playing Jules, naturally — from Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” the two Mariners’ pitchers clearly embraced the rare opportunity, as you will see in the remaining photos.

My only question: Garrett Olson? Really? Does that mean Ryan Rowland-Smith was unavailable?

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