These Numbers Could Shift the Narrative Around the Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners offense has struggled most of the year. That said, since making a change to new manager Dan Wilson and new hitting coach Edgar Martinez about a month ago, the M's offense has been extremely serviceable, and it's gotten downright hot over the last two weeks.
With the newfound offensive prowess, the M's have stayed in the playoff race at 2.0 games back of the wild card and 4.0 games back of the American League West.
Related to the frustration with the overall offensive performance has been the frustration at the front office who put the roster together. People have wondered if President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander are the right people to make roster decisions - especially with regards to hitters.
Perhaps these numbers, shared by Ty Dane Gonzalez of "Locked On Mariners" will change the narrative around Dipoto and Hollander's ability.
The last six notable bats the Mariners have acquired during their time as a Mariner this year:
Justin Turner: .248/.347/.376, 115 wRC+
Randy Arozarena: .245/.360/.409, 130 wRC+
Victor Robles: .333/.401/.475, 158 wRC+
Jorge Polanco: .202/.292/.338, 87 wRC+
Luke Raley: .244/.322/.464, 128 wRC+
Mitch Haniger: .209/.285/.339, 85 wRC+
The last six notable bats the Mariners have acquired during their time as a Mariner this year:
— Ty Dane Gonzalez (@TyDaneGonzalez) September 16, 2024
Justin Turner: .248/.347/.376, 115 wRC+
Randy Arozarena: .245/.360/.409, 130 wRC+
Victor Robles: .333/.401/.475, 158 wRC+
Jorge Polanco: .202/.292/.338, 87 wRC+
Luke Raley:…
Now, Polanco and Haniger have struggled over full seasons while Raley has clearly been solid. Turner, Arozarena and Robles have played less than a half a season with Seattle, so the sample sizes are still small, but their success points to a better-than-expected eye for talent by the front office and a solid job of coaching by the new staff. There is still the struggles of Mitch Garver, but even he provided a three-run home run on Sunday.
There's also been a narrative that it's too difficult to hit at T-Mobile Park, but Gonzalez put out numbers that try to buck that as well.
Numbers at T-Mobile Park:
Turner: .246/.356/.377, 126 wRC+
Arozarena: .286/.396/.494, 168 wRC+
Robles: .374/.447/.538, 196 wRC+
Polanco: .199/.290/.323, 89 wRC+
Raley: .257/.333/.535, 155 wRC+
Haniger: .242/.321/.414, 122 wRC+
Numbers at T-Mobile Park:
— Ty Dane Gonzalez (@TyDaneGonzalez) September 16, 2024
Turner: .246/.356/.377, 126 wRC+
Arozarena: .286/.396/.494, 168 wRC+
Robles: .374/.447/.538, 196 wRC+
Polanco: .199/.290/.323, 89 wRC+
Raley: .257/.333/.535, 155 wRC+
Haniger: .242/.321/.414, 122 wRC+
With the exception of Polanco, each of these players has showed that it is possible to hit in the team's home ballpark. That's good news moving forward as we look towards the offseason, where the M's will try to sell hitters on coming to Seattle.
The Mariners will take on the New York Yankees on Tuesday night at 6:40 p.m. PT.
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