SEATTLE – One benefit of wearing that Nintendo patch? You start putting up video-game numbers.
Well, at least by Seattle Mariners standards.
The team whose offense was once considered anemic is now atomic – with bombs blasting out of T-Mobile Park and any other stadium the M’s visit.
The story going into the season was that Seattle’s star-studded pitching staff was going to have to carry a low-production lineup. The story 28 games into the season is that the first-place Mariners (16-12) have one of the best offenses in baseball.
Will this last? Time will tell. In the meantime, the club is having the time of its life.
“We’re blowing up that narrative,” Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez said of his team’s batting reputation. “I feel like we, as a team, are taking a lot more pride in that.”
After their 7-6 win over the Marlins Sunday, the Mariners sit third in MLB in home runs, fifth in OPS and seventh in runs. Last year, they finished 12th, 22nd and 21st in those categories, respectively, and missed the playoffs by one game.
Part of this was due to playing in what might be the most pitcher-friendly park in the big leagues. Another part was due to an otherwise middling lineup playing below expectations.
The thought was that if this year’s Mariners could play to the back of their baseball cards – another way of saying progressing to the mean – they would be a serious contender. What few thought is that they would be playing better than said cards ever suggested. At least on offense.
Jorge Polanco, who had three hits and two RBI Sunday, is slashing .377/.405/.739 – and would be leading MLB in slugging percentage if he had enough plate appearances. Last year, he slashed .213/.296/.355 – all career lows.
Catcher Cal Raleigh was the Mariners’ best position player last year, but he and his MLB-leading 10 home runs have him on pace for the greatest season of his career.
Worried that Dylan Moore’s spring training struggles would carry over to the regular season?
Nah, he’s got a slugging percentage of .557 and an OPS of .903.
Sure, the Mariners are still waiting for Rodriguez – who’s hitting .196 with four home runs – to break out of his now routine early-season slump. Not everyone in the batting order is playing at an All-Star level.
But given their pitchers’ track record (Seattle was second in MLB in ERA last year but is 13th this season as starter George Kirby rehabs), this has bonanza potential if the offense plays anywhere close to this level all season.
As is the case with a team’s spot in the standings, it’s tough to make much of any situation when it’s April. In 2019, for instance, the Mariners were 13-2 at one point in this month before finishing 68-94.
But it’s tough to ignore the presence of Edgar Martinez as the senior director of hitting strategy, something that wasn’t the case for most of last season. And though I’ve said before that if hitting coaches had a drastic impact on production, they should be making eight-figure annual salaries – it’s hard to think Gar doesn’t matter at least a little.
Sunday, Seattle got key at-bats throughout the lineup. Raleigh hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first to tie the score at 1-1 and take some pressure off pitcher Logan Evans, who made his major-league debut. Shortstop J.P. Crawford hit a two-run shot to right-center in the fifth inning to put the M’s up 7-2. And, of course, there were the three aforementioned hits from Polanco, two of which were doubles.
The Mariners needed every one of them, as Miami mounted a comeback that featured a three-run home run in the eighth. But thanks to a 1-2-3 ninth from closer Andrés Muñoz, Seattle got the W. In style.
“All up and down the lineup, contributions. Whether it’s a walk, whether it’s a hit to give us a run or two, it’s just been really good to see these guys do their thing offensively,” M’s manager Dan Wilson said. “It’s been really fun to see that.”
In response to a question about whether any players took the previously established narrative about their hitting personally, Wilson said his guys tune out the noise. Rodriguez’s answer about “blowing up” said narrative, however, suggested something different.
Again, it’s early. This isn’t a group of rookies showing what they can do for the first time. It’s largely a group of veterans whose pasts have shown fans what they can expect.
In the meantime, though, it’s been a gas to watch. The weather is still warming up around here, but the M’s bats are scorching hot.