Less than a month ago, a lot of Mariners fans, with good reason, were wondering what the heck was wrong with first baseman Justin Smoak. Smoak, who the Mariners got in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to Texas two years ago, struggled last year in what was his first full season in the Major Leagues, but he battled injuries last year and also suffered the loss of his father to cancer.
The hope was that this season would be the beginning of a turnaround for Smoak, but early in the season he struggled mightily, causing some to wonder if he might not be the player the Mariners were hoping to get when they traded Lee. Well Smoak is still a long way from proving himself in the long term, but his recent play has certainly been encouraging, and on Monday Smoak was named the American League Player of the Week.
Smoak hit.348 with a double, 3 home runs, 8 RBI, 6 walks and 7 runs scored in 6 games last week. Smoak, who leads the Mariners with 10 home runs and ranks second with 29 RBI, has gotten his average up to .238. That’s hardly where he or the Mariners would like to see it at the end of the season, but it is considerable progress seeing as Smoak was hitting just .173 on May 9.
The Mariners wrap up their road trip with three games in Anaheim starting tonight, then return home to host the Dodger Friday.
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