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5 Biggest Seattle Mariners Question Marks Heading Into 2015 MLB Spring Training

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5 Biggest Seattle Mariners Question Marks Heading Into 2015 MLB Spring Training

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Some questions were answered last year for Seattle Mariners fans. For example, Mike Zunino can hit for power. Fernando Rodney can be premature with his trademark "bow and arrow" celebration. Felix Hernandez came closer than ever to winning his second Cy Young award as a Mariner. These are the five most pressing questions facing Seattle as 2015 Spring Training approaches.

5. Dustin Ackley

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5. Dustin Ackley

Seattle Mariners v Toronto Blue Jays
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He's a No. 2 overall pick, turns 27 before Opening Day and is only a career .245/.309/.366 hitter at the big league level. Ackley plays Gold Glove caliber left field, but the M's need him to get on base at a high enough rate to warrant batting him second in the lineup in between Jackson and Cano. Right now, his .309 is far from cutting it. He's looking like a poor use of a high draft pick and more of a bottom of the order, streaky style hitter.

4. Right Field

Seattle Mariners v Texas Rangers
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4. Right Field

Seattle Mariners v Texas Rangers
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Michael Saunders is a thing of the past. Now it will be a platoon of Seth Smith and Justin Ruggiano handling the nine position on defense. Neither have proven to be standout everyday players in their careers thus far. That's why there is talk of moving former second-round pick Brad Miler to RF if Chris Taylor can be a staple at SS for the M's in 2015.

3. James Paxton

Seattle Mariners v Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
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3. James Paxton

Seattle Mariners v Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
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Paxton labored through 2014 pitching only 74 innings. The M's need their talented southpaw to live up to expectations in 2015 and stay healthy and not be what left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard was for them from 2008-11 -- an injury riddled disappointment.

2. Taijuan Walker

Oakland Athletics v Seattle Mariners
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2. Taijuan Walker

Oakland Athletics v Seattle Mariners
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GM Jack Zduriencik refused to deal their first-round pick from 2011. Walker will turn 23 in August, but it's apparent management wants him to be a big contributor to the M's rotation in 2015. It looks as though he finally got his feet under him in 2014 with a 2.61 ERA in eight appearances and five starts. Walker's BB/9 rate of 4.3 last year will have to drop if he's going to become the front-end rotation arm the Mariners believe he can be.

1. Nelson Cruz

Seattle Mariners Introduce Nelson Cruz
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1. Nelson Cruz

Seattle Mariners Introduce Nelson Cruz
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$ 57 million and four years was a lot to give an aging hitter tied historically to PED use. M's fans would love to see Cruz become the player he was last year for the Orioles when he looked like an MVP candidate for much of the season. It's odd for a hitter to have a breakout season of sorts at age 33, but that's exactly what Cruz did. He'll be the Mariners' third-highest paid player in 2015, so if the HRs don't pile up, the boos probably will.

Jordan Wevers is a writer for RantSports.
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