Is this the year of the Mariners? If the first half is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes. With marvelous pitching, hitting and defense, Seattle has played virtually flawless baseball on its way to one of the best starts in baseball history and, barring a total collapse, has already wrapped up the American League West title. Trying to find a chink in the Mariners' armor is like trying to find a flaw in a Hawaiian sunset. It's possible one exists, but don't bet on it.
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Mariners first-half comparison
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2000
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2001
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W-L
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51-35
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63-24
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HR leader
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Rodriguez, 24
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Boone, 22
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BA leader
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Martinez, .354
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Ichiro, .347
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ERA
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Meche, 3.78
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Garcia, 3.18
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First-half MVP: So many players up and down the lineup are deserving. The bullpen has been outstanding. All-Star set-up man Jeff Nelson is 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 37 innings pitched, and opponents are hitting just .126 against him. Arthur Rhodes (5-0, 1.95) has been untouchable, and Kazuhiro Sasaki leads the majors with 29 saves. Freddy Garcia (10-1, 3.18) has developed into the ace of the staff, while Edgar Martinez (.302, 13, 67), Mike Cameron (.277, 15, 58) John Olerud (.316, 11, 58) and Mark McLemore (.290, 4, 26) have all made significant contributions. The MVP, however, is Ichiro. When he announced his intention to play in the majors, a lot of people snickered he'd be overmatched and never hit big league pitching. After three months in the Show, Ichiromania is baseball's newest sensation. A five-tool player, Ichiro is hitting .347 with five home runs, 41 RBI, 76 runs and 28 stolen bases. He shattered Alex Rodriguez's club record for hits before the All-Star Game (117) by picking up an astounding 134 and still says he makes too many mistakes.
Biggest Surprise: Bret Boone started the season hot and has shown no signs of cooling off. A career .260 hitter with a career-high of 24 home runs, Boone is hitting .324 with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and a slugging percentage of .582. The second baseman credits a change in his diet and an intense offseason workout regimen for his offensive onslaught.
Biggest disappointment: There hasn't been too much disappointment in the Emerald City. Outfielder Al Martin carried his 2000 struggles into a new year, but he seems to have found his stroke, raising his average from .170 to .213 over the last month. Left-hander John Halama, who came up big last September and October, was sent to the minor leagues in June, then pitched a perfect game on July 7. And though the bottom of the order -- shortstop Carlos Guillen (.245, 4, 38), third baseman David Bell (.261, 9, 44) and catchers Tom Lampkin (.221, 5, 12) and Dan Wilson (.275, 6, 24) -- has not exactly torn the hide off the ball, all have produced in the clutch. The Mariners' league-leading .306 batting average with runners in scoring position is evidence of that.
Second-half goals: GM Pat Gillick would like to acquire a left-handed bat and perhaps another arm. Jay Buhner, who is still rehabbing from left foot surgery, and right-hander Gil Meche, who had shoulder surgery in the spring, could return late in the season. Lou Piniella has experience managing wire-to-wire champions (see: 1990 Cincinnati Reds) and will likely rest some of his regulars and pitchers down the stretch to ensure the team is fresh for an October run.
Minor-leaguer to watch: Besides Ichiro, another Mariner from the Far East is making a splash of his own this season in the rookie-level Arizona League. Shin-Soo Choo, an 18-year-old outfielder from South Korea, has done his best to emulate his Far Eastern comrade by hitting .522 (13-for-25, 2 HR, 9 RBI) -- second-best among all short-season players -- in his first five games through July 2. Choo is only 5-foot-10, 180-pound, but he hits with more than his slight frame may suggest. Last season, the Mariners brought Choo to Safeco Field shortly after he was signed, and Choo showed his power with several batting practice home runs.
Grade:  -- Nobody expected the Mariners to win at the rate they've been producing victories. The M's have been successful by doing the little things -- advancing the runner, turning the double play, hitting the cutoff man, laying down the sacrifice, simply playing fundamentally sound baseball. Will the M's keep it up? If they do, the Yankees are in big trouble.
(Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best)
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Eric Ortiz is an assistant editor at ESPN.com
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