Mariners: Walker, Cishek, and Zych Undergo Surgery

By Bill Pivetz | Oct 17, 2016

Sep 25, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (44) pitches in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

The Mariners announced that three important members of the pitching staff underwent some kind of surgery. What are their outlooks for the 2017 season?

The Seattle Mariners had a shot to win one of the Wild Card spots, but came up three games short. The team has some great pieces on the offense, but the pitching staff is hit or miss. After Felix Hernandez, there’s no one you can rely on from start to start. But even King Felix had a down year.

The pitching staff has a lot questions entering this season. The team announced Monday that three members of the staff underwent some type of surgery. Will they recover in time for Spring Training or Opening Day?

The biggest name on the list is starting pitcher Taijuan Walker. Walker dealt with foot issues throughout the season and decided that now was a good time to address the problem. He underwent a surgery to remove a bone fragment removed from his right ankle.

He made 25 starts this season. Walker went 8-11 with a 4.22 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 8.0 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. It wasn’t the best season, but compared to the other members of the rotation, it could have been a lot worse.

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There is a lot of promise in Walker and the Mariners are hoping he can live up to those expectations next season and beyond. The team believes he will be 100 percent went pitchers and catchers report.

Next on the list is relief pitcher Steve Cishek. He was the Mariners closer for the first half of the season. And while he was removed from that role, he was still an important part of the bullpen.

In 62 games, Cishek finished with a 2.81 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and 25 saves. The team decided to switch things up and go with Edwin Diaz as the closer for the final couple of months. He will likely be the closer at the start of 2017 with Cishek’s surgery.

Cishek had his torn hip labrum repaired. The Mariners say that the surgery will require four to six months of recovery, before he can resume any kind of baseball activity. In all likelihood, he will be ready about two months into the season.

The last man is Tony Zych. While he didn’t appear in many games, 12 to be exact, he has some good stuff. He had a 13.8 K/9, but the rest of his numbers don’t hold up. Zych had a 3.29 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 6.6 BB/9. He underwent a shoulder biceps tendon transfer in his right arm. The Mariners are saying that he should be ready by Spring Training as well.

Next: Is Didi Gregorius a Top-10 Shortstop in 2017?

Walker is more than likely to be ready by Spring Training. I would expect Cishek to miss the fist couple of months of the season. Zych could be an important bullpen arm as a replacement for Cishek, regardless of how long he is out.

Walker should still be drafted in most leagues. As long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, he is a good SP3 option in most leagues.

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