State of the Mariners – April 26th, 2024
A brief look at where the team stands nearly one month into the season
By Brittany Wisner, edited by Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Oh what a difference a week and a half can make.
Just 11 days ago, things were looking increasingly bleak for a scuffling Seattle Mariners team that was once again off to a freezing cold start to begin their season. Through their first 16 games, not only did the offense look anemic, but the team’s best and historically most consistent asset, its pitching, was struggling to find its footing.
Turn the page to April 25th, and the Mariners have since won three consecutive series and pulled into first place in the American League West with a series win over the reigning World Series Champion Texas Rangers.
So, what has started to click for the squad and where do they need to continue to improve? Let’s take a look at the State of the Mariners as they near the one month mark on the 2024 season.
A key example of a player that struggled early in the season at the plate was centerfielder Julio Rodriguez, who has since started to heat up. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo)
Trending Up
To say the Mariners offense was struggling to start off the year would be an understatement. From opening day through April 14th (16 games), they were collectively slashing .204/.282/.308 as a team with a 79 wRC+. Only two teams in the league posted a worse wRC+ over that time and the Mariners strikeout rate of 28.9% was second highest in the league behind only the Oakland Athletics.
Since the beginning of the Cincinnati series on April 15th, the offense appears to have turned a page, producing enough to help the team sweep the Reds and earn series wins over both Colorado and Texas. Over the last nine games, they have collectively slashed .260/.347/.434. They have posted a 133 wRC+ as a team which is the second highest in the league over that period of time.
While their strikeout rate only decreased somewhat to 25.5%, the offense finding the ability to put the ball over the fence has made the strikeouts sting slightly less. The 11 home runs the Mariners have hit over the span of the last 9 games is a decent improvement from the 13 they hit over the span of the first 16 games of the year.
Perhaps the most important improvement we have seen is amongst the pitching staff. The Mariners hurlers – particularly the starting rotation – had a rough stretch to begin the season, posting an uncharacteristic 4.36 ERA and 1.20 WHIP as a group over the first 16 games. They have since recorded a 1.35 ERA and 0.88 WHIP over the last 9 games, the best in the league over that period of time.
While the bullpen has remained fairly steady since opening day, the starting rotation stringing together 8 quality starts in a row – 11 total over the last 12 games – has been a fundamental turnaround that has helped this Mariners squad get things back on the right track.
Behind the starters, the Mariners defense has also improved and begun to resemble the Perry Hill-led type of squad we have grown accustomed to seeing. Josh Rojas in particular stands out, flashing the leather on several difficult plays at the hot corner recently, plays that he might not have made just a few weeks ago. They have also received some improved defense from second baseman Jorge Polanco, including a stellar play in Thursday’s game against Texas where he tracked down a blooper in shallow right field and quickly made a throw home to prevent the tying run from scoring. That play proved to be a key moment in the game that the Mariners would go on to win, 4-3.
Seattle Mariners designated hitter Mitch Garver is still looking to gain some traction at the plate. (Photo by Kevin Ng)
Trending Down/Treading Water
While many individual performances have begun to trend upward (Julio Rodríguez perhaps the most noteworthy, slashing .410/.439/.539 over the last 9 games), there are still some key players that have yet to get going or have found themselves in a rut.
Mitch Garver continues to struggle at the plate, slashing just .134/.263/.224 on the season with a 55 wRC+. The front office's big free agent acquisition of the offseason, Garver was acquired to primarily fill the DH role. This season so far, he is striking out at a higher clip (28.7%) than he typically has in his career and when he has put the ball in play it hasn’t been particularly hard-hit. Garver has been a productive offensive piece in his career when healthy but has seen significant struggles during injury-riddled seasons. During the first homestand of this season, Garver sat out two games with back spasms. It's fair to speculate whether or not health is playing a role in Garver's struggles early on.
Speaking of Mitches, Mitch Haniger has been scuffling as of late after being one of the few players to start off the season hot. In his last 9 games, Haniger is slashing .212/.235/.364 with a whopping 41.2% strikeout rate, the highest on the team by far over that span. It's fair to assume this is just a slump for Haniger but the Mariners have become – perhaps unexpectedly – reliant on his production in the middle of the order and will need him to get back on track soon.
Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco has struggled as of late, despite having some strong plate appearances to begin the season. (Photos by Liz Wolter)
The Mariners will also look to get Jorge Polanco back on track, who is slashing .107/.324/.214 over the last 9 games. Polanco's team-high 24.3% walk rate over that time has kept him on base but the Mariners will need him to start putting some balls in play again soon; some, hopefully, over the fence.
What’s Next?
The Mariners begin a 6-game homestand Friday night against Arizona and Atlanta, welcoming back old friends Eugenio Suárez, Ketel Marte, Jarred Kelenic and possibly Paul Sewald. Sewald recently began his rehab process after beginning the year on the IL with an oblique strain and there is no indication yet if Sewald will be joining the Diamondbacks while in Seattle.
The Diamondbacks are 12-14, having won four of their last 10 games. They currently lead the league in runs scored (149) but have had substantial injuries to their bullpen which has struggled to hold down leads.
The Braves are 17-6 and lead the league in most offensive categories, including AVG, OPS and wRC+.
The Mariners will then take off on a 7-game road trip, visiting the 7-19 Houston Astros before traveling to Minnesota to take on the Twins.
The Mariners have put shortstop J.P. Crawford on the 10-day IL with a grade 1 oblique strain. They will hope to have him back at the end of his IL stint but there is no set timeline at this time.