Fantasy baseball: 2020 Seattle Mariners fantasy preview

2020 Seattle Mariners projected starting rotation

Marco Gonzales, LHP (16-13, 3.99 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 147 K in 34 starts)
Yusei Kikuchi, LHP (6-11, 5.46 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 116 K in 32 starts)
Justus Sheffield, LHP (0-1, 5.50 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, 37 K in 7 starts)
Kendall Graveman, RHP (1-5, 7.60 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 27 K in 7 starts with OAK in 2018)
Taijuan Walker, RHP (3.21 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 10 K in four starts with ARI during 2018-19)
Matt Magill, RHP (5-2, 4.09 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 64 K, 5/7 saves with MIN/SEA)

For the first time since 2004, Seattle faces a season without King Felix. They do return Taijuan Walker to the place where he showed so much promise as a top prospect before the trade to Arizona and two lost seasons to Tommy John surgery. However, Walker is still just 27 years old. He is an interesting late round flier.

Gonzales still has trouble keeping the WHIP down and his home numbers are far better than road ones. That’s not something you want to deal with from a regular member of your rotation in standard leagues. Gonzales is worth a slot at the back of your rotation, but this is likely what Gonzales will be over his career. A guy with some nice upside at home and a risk everywhere else.

The Mariners treated both Kikuchi and Sheffield with kid gloves last year. Sheffield, the prize of the James Paxton deal, has shown promise but has yet to yield results. Same for Kikuchi. Both still have good upside, but what are you really going to get from them? Many reached for Kikuchi last year, and though he showed flashes of brilliance, failed to deliver most of the time. I like Kikuchi and Sheffield as back of the fantasy rotation pieces. Kikuchi has more upside.

Magill has a tentative hold on the closer role since he saved five games last year. That’s all it takes in this bullpen. Scott Boches, Sam Delaplane, Deitrich Enns, and Devin Sweet all had saves in the spring. Good luck deciphering this. Make sure you don’t reach for Magill.

Prospects to watch:

Seattle got their hitters up last year. 2020 could be the year of the pitcher for the Mariners’ prospects. Justin Dunn, the prize of the Robinson Cano deal, had four good September starts as an opener. The Mariners should be willing to let him go deeper on the heels of a solid spring. He should get the call early if Graveman’s and Walker’s elbows aren’t back to good just yet.

Logan Gilbert blew through the minors in his first full season without really being challenged. He will start the season at AAA but keep an eye on Gilbert. This rotation is far from a sure thing. Gilbert could be up by the middle of the summer if his ascension remains as it was last year.

If Magill and the latest Japanese import, Yoshihisa Hirano, fail to lock down the closer job, Seattle could wind up with a rookie in the role. Sam Delaplane had a good spring and has 270 strikeouts in 161.1 minor league innings. His career 2.29 ERA and 1.07 WHIP show that Delaplane could be a force in the majors. He will start at AAA, but nothing in this bullpen is a given.

There are 24 more of these where this came from! Sports may be on hold, but we will have baseball sometime this season. We here at FanSided Fantasy are going to make sure you’re prepared!