One of the surprising teams being a slight disappointment in the 2023 MLB season, to this point, is the Seattle Mariners.
The Mariners, are currently treading water in a rather difficult American League West division. The M’s sit around the .500 mark, and they aren’t exactly living up to their preseason hype.
Notably, the offense is scuffling a bit as the second half of the season progresses. While some players are meeting their standards, some aren’t quite living up to expectations.
Want to learn more on Back Sports Page and the MLB mid-season recaps? Go find the latest one on the Cincinnati Reds.
So… how did we get here? And what does Seattle need to do to improve their offense and turn things around? Here’s a bit of a deeper dive…
Seattle Mariners Mid-Season Recap: Offense Is Just… Not There
When looking at the statistics, the Seattle Mariners are one of the bottom-feeders in the AL for total offense. Overall, Seattle is third-worst in the Junior Circuit in hits (727). Those low numbers lead to being the fourth-worst in AL batting average (.231), tenth in on-base percentage (.311), and 11th for slugging percentage (.388).
The Mariners also are a team that strikes out a lot. As a team, the M’s hitters have 915 strikeouts, which is second-most in the American League to this point in the season. Those are numbers that will not make a coaching staff or a fan base happy.
Players that are Hot
One player, however, that is putting together a nice 2023 season is left fielder Jarred Kelenic. The third-year pro is posting career highs in batting average (.252), on-base percentage (.321), and slugging percentage (.441). He also leads the team with a personal-best in doubles (24), and has a new personal best in RBIs (45). After some struggles in his first two seasons, Kellenic is slowly showing signs of becoming a capable everyday outfielder.
Rodriguez in Sophomore Slump?
After an exciting first season that saw him take home Rookie of the Year honors, it might be fair to say that year two may be a bit of a disappointment for star center fielder Julio Rodriguez. To this point, Rodriguez is not putting together quite the same year he did in 2022. Conversely, his statistics show he is seeing a drop-off in power (13 home runs so far in 2023 compared to 28 in 2022), and RBIs (50 against 75).
While Rodriguez is still playing at an All-Star level, it seems that teams are starting to figure him out more in 2023.
Mariners Mid-Season Recap: Pitching, For The Most Part, is Rock Solid
For those who don’t know, the Mariners’ home ballpark, T-Mobile Park, is one that can be friendly to pitchers. And that is playing a major influence on the success of the M’s pitching staff.
Likewise, let the stats denote that the Mariners have allowed the fewest earned runs in the entire AL at 355. They also have the fourth-best ERA (3.80), fourth-fewest hits allowed (752), fewest walks (241), and second fewest home runs given up (100) in the Junior Circuit.
One pitcher in particular who stands out is third-year right-hander Logan Gilbert. In 19 starts, Gilbert has a team-best 8-5 record with a steady 3.65 ERA with 111 strikeouts to just 20 walks in 113.1 innings. That’s a 5.5-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio, which makes him one of the premier pitchers in the MLB.
Similarly, Gilbert is a starter with a workhorse kind of mentality, a guy who can eat up a healthy amount of innings (he threw 185.1 innings last season).
Looking at the Bullpen
After a debate at the start of the year, one guy who has emerged as a true closer is Paul Sewald. Sewald is developing into one of the steadier closing pitchers in today’s game. After posting 20 saves last season, Sewald is already close to that mark again with 19 saves to go with a 2-0 record, 3.11 ERA, and 55 strikeouts in 37.2 innings pitched. That’s an average of just over 13 strikeouts per 9 innings.
Overall, the Mariners have 22 saves as a team, which is only good for 9th-best in the American League.
Mariners Defense: Where Do They Stand?
Overall, the Mariners defense is one of the middle-of-the-pack units in the American League. Statistically, they rank 9th in the Junior Circuit for errors committed (47) and hold the sixth-best fielding percentage (.986).
Seattle Mariners: 2023 Biggest/Statement Win/Worst Loss
To this point, the Mariners biggest statement win came just a week or two ago, against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros. July 7 saw Seattle beat up on Houston 10 to 1.
Likewise, the team’s worst loss of the season came at the hands of one of the worst teams this season. Back on June 27, the Mariners fell in extra innings to the Washington Nationals 7 to 4.
Final Thoughts on Seattle Mariners Mid-Season Recap
Overall, in a stacked AL West division in 2023, one of the teams left behind is the Seattle Mariners. It’s disappointing to see a team that had playoff expectations be floating around the .500 mark. If Seattle wishes to make another postseason bid, they will need to make a major move at the impending trade deadline. But there is still time for things to turn around.
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Nate Powalie is a contributor for Back Sports Page. A 2022 graduate of Ashland University (Ashland, Ohio), Nate has five years of sports writing experience, and has gotten the chance to call sporting events for radio and live stream. Nate can be found on Twitter (@PNate22) and Facebook (Nate Powalie).
