Fans and the front office had high hopes for Brendan Donovan once he got to Seattle. He had been a consistently strong hitter for four seasons with the Cardinals and after years of underwhelming corner infield production, having him man the hot corner seemed like a significant upgrade.
For the first month of the season, he proved his supporters correct. He posted a .954 OPS with three doubles and three home runs in his first month as a Mariner, and looked like he was going to be one of the best hitters in the lineup. Unfortunately, what seemed like a minor groin strain ended up being a recurring injury, leading to two IL stints.