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Justin Smoak 1B SEA
26 Days Seattle Mariners Comment

With the Mariners down 10-1 in the ninth, Justin Smoak hit his first homer of the year Wednesday against the Astros.

It came off Paul Clemens, a guy who allowed 23 homers in 143 innings in the minors last year. Smoak deserves to be demoted to Triple-A, and it'd probably be happening if the Mariners felt better about Kendrys Morales as a first baseman. As is, it looks like he'll get a couple of more weeks to get things going.

Justin Smoak 1B SEA
1 Month Seattle Mariners Comment

Justin Smoak went 1-for-3 with a double in Sunday's game against the Rangers.

Smoak has really struggled so far this season, so any extra-base hit is noteworthy. The Mariners are hoping that he can finally live up to his power potential. They won't be making any changes at first base with Michael Morse and Michael Saunders both injured.

Justin Smoak 1B SEA
1 Month Seattle Mariners Comment

Justin Smoak went 0-for-4 on Friday, leaving him with a .175 average and no extra-base hits in 44 at-bats.

The Mariners won't be making any changes at first base with Michael Morse and Michael Saunders hurting, but if Smoak still isn't hitting once those two get back, they may start looking at alternatives. Smoak had a nice September and a strong spring, but his lifetime average is down to .222.

Justin Smoak 1B SEA
2 Months Seattle Mariners Comment

Justin Smoak blasted his third home run of the Cactus League schedule as the Mariners topped the Angels 8-5 on Friday.

Smoak finished the day 1-for-2 with a walk and a pair of runs scored. He came into camp with the full confidence of manager Eric Wedge, and has responded very favorably by hitting .382/.482/.765 with three bombs and eight RBI. While he certainly possesses average risk, he's capable of socking 20 or more homers and can be picked up at an extremely discounted rate in fantasy drafts.

Justin Smoak 1B SEA
3 Months Seattle Mariners Comment

Justin Smoak singled and belted a decisive two-run homer in Tuesday's 6-5 Cactus League win over the Brewers.

Smoak's blast came in the eighth inning off of Milwaukee closer John Axford, putting the M's ahead for good. It his second longball of the spring, and he's picked up five hits in nine at-bats in the early going. The 26-year-old is expected to open the year as Seattle's starting first baseman, but he'll need to hit in order to keep his job.

Justin Smoak 1B SEA
3 Months Seattle Mariners Comment

Mariners manager Eric Wedge said Monday that Justin Smoak will be the team's first baseman this season barring "something drastic."

Wedge doesn't want to base his decision making on spring training results, so first base is Smoak's job to lose. That means Kendrys Morales will function as the primary designated hitter while Michael Morse will play left, Michael Saunders will play right and Raul Ibanez will be used in a part-time role. However, given the number of options Wedge has at his disposal, there likely won't be much patience if Smoak gets off to a slow start.

Justin Smoak 1B SEA
4 Months Seattle Mariners Comment

Mariners manager Eric Wedge said Wednesday that he expects Justin Smoak to be his first baseman in 2013.

A vote of confidence for Smoak, who has a disappointing .227/.304/.382 batting line since coming over from the Rangers in the Cliff Lee deal. Assuming Smoak gets the chance to open the season at first base, Morales would presumably serve as the primary DH while Michael Morse would play left, Michael Saunders would play right and Raul Ibanez would be used in a part-time role. But the margin for error for Smoak just got a lot smaller.

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