Does it make sense to start believing in these Mariners?
Jim Moore  Sports columnist  Maybe you know him, maybe you don't, but he lives in South Kitsap and emails me frequently about the Mariners. He's a guy who can be a jerk one day and the nicest human being the next. But he's much more consistent when it comes to his views of the M's. He's normally gloomy, complaining about general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Service, bemoaning their continual mistakes with acquisitions and usage of players, particularly relievers. If I'm ever starting to feel upbeat about the direction of Seattle's major league baseball team, I can count on him to throw clouds my way. So it was rather unsettling to see his latest email, which arrived in my in-box Thursday afternoon after the Mariners beat the Blue Jays 7-2 to win a second straight three-game road series and improve to 43-39. This cynic of cynics has gotten on board with the Mariners. And when I say on board, it's both feet and he's suddenly rowing like mad, believing that what we're seeing is real and sustainable. I told him I was worried about him and he might need professional help. To me, the Mariners are still a greatly flawed team that will show who they truly are as the second half of the season unfolds, an 81-81 team at best and more likely one that will be 75-87. Their run differential of minus-42 suggests that they're playing over their heads, winning an abnormal majority of one-run and extra-inning games. I still look at them and can't help but think they're the 2018 team all over again, the one that started 54-32 but went 35-41 the rest of the way, falling short of the playoffs. I insisted they weren't an 89-win team even though they were, but at the end of the season they didn't resemble the team that started off 20 games over .500. My cyber-pal insists that "at some point it makes sense to believe." He likes the Mariners' starters and relievers and loves their defense, saying it's a winning combination, especially when the team is led by what he calls "one of the best managers in baseball." He's not alone. I was watching the MLB Network the other night and the guys there were saying that Servais is in the running for Manager of the Year, ranking him second behind San Francisco's Gabe Kapler. There are positive signs for the short-term and long-term, and down the road is what we should focus on since the rebuild is supposed to be complete in the next year or two. That's when the Mariners should be ready to compete for World Series titles year in and year out. So even when they fall short of the playoffs this season, that's perfectly fine as long as we see growth from younger players who will be part of the future core. We're seeing that from shortstop J.P. Crawford, first baseman Ty France and right-hander Logan Gilbert, among others. I'm not as sold on left-hander Justus Sheffield, Shed Long and right-hander Chris Flexen, along with first baseman Evan White and outfielder Kyle Lewis, who each have injury concerns. The answer to that is no, because he's a Gold Glover, probably the best defensive first baseman in Mariners' history. But he's got to become a decent hitter to keep a run-preserver in the lineup. While we wait to see how these key pieces develop, Dipoto also has decisions to make on Yusei Kikuchi and Mitch Haniger, both of whom can make a case for playing in the All-Star Game. Surely the Mariners will pick up an end-of-the-year contract option on Kikuchi, who has been one of the best starters in baseball over the past six weeks. With Haniger, do you keep a 30-year-old right fielder who should remain productive for the next three to four years or trade him for prospects, since the Mariners have youngsters who are bound to replace him soon, most notably Julio Rodriguez. I'm pretty sure if Dipoto took my advice, the whole team would go another 10 years without making the playoffs, but I hope he keeps Haniger and waits 'til the offseason to take a deep dive into the free-agent market to supplement the talented prospects who are already on hand or about to join the big-league club. Even if they're still within sniffing distance of a playoff berth later this month, I don't want to see the Mariners make any moves at the July 31st trading deadline that might jeopardize future success. Sure, you can make a case for adding reinforcements to the 2021 team, especially since the Mariners have gone 20 years without making the playoffs and are the only team to have not appeared in the World Series, much less won the whole darn thing. Whatever your thoughts on the Mariners, I think we can agree on one thing  they're interesting and worthy of holding our attention. I mean, come on, in too many seasons we've checked out by now and anxiously wait for Seahawks' training camp to start. All of this goodness is happening at a perfect time, with T-Mobile Park being wide open to fans again as the Mariners start a nine-game homestand with a three-game series against the Rangers this weekend. Sign me up for 3-6 while I wait for the next email from Mr. Sunshine telling me how wrong I am again. Jim Moore is a longtime Pacific Northwest sportswriter and sports radio personality, and writes a regular column for the Kitsap Sun. Contact Jim at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.