Weekly Grades: James McOwen's Streak Ends

James McOwen: Mariners farmhand James McOwen, playing for Class A High Desert, racked up a hit streak of 45 games. This streak, which ended Saturday, landed McOwen the eight spot on the all-time minor league hit streak list. It was also the longest hit streak in 45 years, since Roman Mejias’ 55 game hit streak in 1954.

Even after this streak, McOwen may not be a prominent prospect within the M’s organization. As FanGraphs outlines, McOwen does not have outstanding tools nor do hitting streaks necessarily translate to professional success.
But I think this makes his story that much more interesting. It is great to see a kid with average skills crank out this streak and get his time in the spotlight. The fact that they were talking about a minor leaguer in the M’s organization on ESPN is impressive, and I will be rooting for McOwen to turn his performance the last 45 games into a career. Grade: A

Seattle Sounders FC: The Sounders had a great week last week, winning both their games. They defeated the Kansas City Wizards 1-0 in the Open Cup quarterfinal. They then went on to beat the Houston Dynamo, defeating the Western Conference leaders 2-1. The Sounders will rematch Houston in the Open Cup semis on July 21.
Winning their second consecutive game for the first time since game three, the Sounders are really starting to click. They now stand in second place in the Western Conference, three points behind the Dynamo. With Ljungberg distributing, Jaqua and Montero really starting to mesh, and Keller in the goal, I’m willing to say this team will be a championship contender. Grade: A



Seattle Mariners: The M’s got off to a poor start last week, losing their series to Baltimore 2-1. Against one of the worst teams in the AL, this came as a major disappointment. If the Mariners want to be in playoff contention, they will not be able to lose many more series against poor teams like the Orioles.
However, the Mariners rebounded well from these losses, winning a crucially important series against division rival Texas three games to one. They gained ground on the Rangers in the West, but still trail the first-place Angels by four games. As they enter the All-Star Break, the Mariners are still in contention for a playoff spot.
However, this fact only raises an important question: should the Mariners buy or sell? This question revolves primarily around pitchers Eric Bedard and Jarrod Washburn. But I don’t think the Mariners should trade either of them. It’s been a long time since we had a team make the playoffs, and now that we have a legit chance, the M’s are going to trade that opportunity away? For prospects? Really, the future for the M’s is now. Give Seattle a team to be proud of… we deserve one. Grade: B-


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