Through Climb Back to .500, Mariners Have Found Hope
On Thursday night, the Mariners finally got back to .500 after a tough start to the 2022 campaign.
Now, reaching that mark on July 6 may not be what the organization or fans had in mind, but there is more to this story. Through this journey, the Mariners and fans in the Pacific Northwest have found exactly what they have been craving all along: hope.
Of course, hope is the last thing a Mariners fan suffering from a 20-year playoff drought wants to hear about, but bear with me. We have seen years of the Mariners trying to piece together an aging core of players, with little payroll flexibility and no farm system to speak of. We have seen very bad teams, good teams and everything in between.
All most fans want is for the team to have good players and try to win. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, for years the Mariners neglected to build a farm system or build around young players who could sustain playoff runs, and now they have done just that.
Young position players like Ty France, J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodríguez are going to be around for a long time. Having a controllable, young position player core is not something Seattle has had in quite some time.
The pitching staff has been anchored by a big free agent acquisition in Robbie Ray and two young starters with terrific upside in George Kirby and Logan Gilbert.
This team got off to a truly terrible start. Offseason acquisitions did not perform, and the bullpen was seemingly on a mission to prove offseason regression questions correct. Over the last month, this team has flipped the script completely and given themselves a chance.
While the offense has struggled mightily, the starting pitching has been fantastic almost all season, keeping them in games night in and night out. Injuries and suspensions have sapped the team of many of their best offensive performers for lengthy stretches.
Through all of this, the Mariners have turned back to much of their 2021 roots. "Chaos Ball" was a moniker this team lived by last year, relying on contributions coming from some unlikely sources.
One of the most bizarre homers you'll see -- Dylan Moore leaves the yard, but only thanks to an assist from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. pic.twitter.com/uTuaK4kI3s
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) July 8, 2022
If the Mariners are leading in a game right now, the confidence in the bullpen being able to hold a lead or keep them in a game long enough to come back has also nearly reached 2021 levels.
While the depth on the roster is not good, this team has positioned itself nicely. With the trade deadline looming, Seattle can and should acquire whatever is needed to supplement the roster.
This is a team you add to.
— Jason A. Churchill (@ProspectInsider) July 8, 2022
This is not a team you rely on returning injured players.
IMO, Dipoto should be pretty aggressive at the deadline. Not all-in, because thats always ridiculous -- seriously, stop saying that, it's not real -- but the oppoetunity is legitimate and real. https://t.co/aW5UU83Y02
Not to mention is the fact this roster is going to be bolstered by two huge in-house additions. Kyle Lewis is on a rehab stint right now and Mitch Haniger may not be very far behind.
Remembering how pretty Kyle Lewis’ new swing mechanics are.. pic.twitter.com/I8Z9a1kPiX
— Gravel (@Gravel_sense) July 8, 2022
Jesse Winker will return from suspension soon as well, and the Mariners could have a shot to have their full and preferred roster together for the first time this season. Now what happens over the next few weeks could very well determine if Seattle has the firepower to sustain a playoff run, but the hope is certainly there.
No matter how much pessimism there is, this team has put itself in a position to compete.
