- MANAGER: Lou Piniella
- HOME PARK: Pike Street Grounds
- TOP POSITION PLAYER: N/R
- TOP PITCHER: N/R
- TOP PROSPECT: SS Alex Rodriguez (16)
- 26TH MAN: Alex Bregman
I must say that, as I work my way through these previews, I am getting more and more excited about what this league promises. Three teams to go and this Seattle crew is one of the best. They won’t be so great to begin with, but boy when they reach their peak they’ll be a force to be reckoned with, in a large part due to the big bats of A-Rod and Mike Trout and the lethal left arm of Sandy Koufax. They might not have the depth of some other squads, but their stars are among the league’s brightest and the supporting cast such as the likes of their version of the Killer B’s – Bench, Brett and Bregman – along with the underrated Joe Gordon, as well as pitchers Smoltz, Keefe and Nichols, look ready to give it a real shake. Another squad whose speed will give opposition batteries the heebie-jeebies, the Rainiers are also arguably the league’s best defensive unit, and certainly its most flexible with plenty of players able to cover multiple positions and therefore share the load when certain players are in form funks.
1961 PREDICTIONS
RECORD: 72-96, 4th in West, 15 GB
HITTING: .228 / 102 HR / 602 R / 119 SB
PITCHING: 4.15 ERA / 667 K / 762 R / 500 BB