Seattle Sportsnet

Bet you a dollar you won’t read that headline anywhere else. We like to appeal to a multitude of readers on this site, including kids, who know all about swagg and how to turn it on, off, up, and down.

And you better believe that right about now, Franklin Gutierrez has his swagg turned on full blast.

The Mariners’ center fielder is on an absolute tear in the past month. Since June 18, Gutierrez has produced a line of .370/.411/1.021 (AVG/OBP/OPS), which is among the very best in the majors. At the same time, he has dramatically increased his power numbers, belting six home runs and driving in 18 runs during that span.

On the season, Guti is now hitting .294/.354/.815 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI. He has become one of the team’s most reliable batters and has locked down the No. 5 spot in the batting order.

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Sometimes I get the feeling that Jack Zduriencik views the Mariners as his personal fantasy baseball team.

When a regular goes down, he immediately peruses the waiver wire and explores all trade options in attempts to find a replacement part.

When he obtains all the necessary materials to field a fully-functioning ballclub, he tinkers and toys with the roster spots on a near-daily basis (or, perhaps more accurately, instructs manager Don Wakamatsu to do so) in order to give his team the absolute best chance to win. He plays the matchups, rewards the hot hand, and basically ensures that every player on his team will be in a position to earn playing time at any given moment.

Not that any of this is a bad thing.

Compared to his predecessor (Bill Bavasi), who often fell asleep at the switch, Jackie Z is a master puppeteer looking to take full control over his baby.

Which is why, one week ago, the Mariners obtained third baseman Jack Hannahan in a trade with Oakland. The move was in essence a delayed response to the untimely injury to starting third baseman Adrian Beltre.

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