The Seattle Mariners have a problem. Despite sporting one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball, the Mariners have struggled offensively all season. The lack of production at the plate caused the team to lose its lead in the AL West and now Seattle is at risk of missing the playoffs altogether.
The Mariners’ starting pitching is good enough to carry even a league-average offense into the postseason. Unfortunately, the Mariners are well below average at the plate. Entering play on Saturday the team is 26th or worse in batting average, runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
Seattle fired long-time manager Scott Servais August 22 in an effort to wake the team up. The unexpected change in leadership could help. But in order to close out the regular season on a high note and reach the playoffs, the Mariners now need to look to their farm system and promote three prospects. With an infusion of homegrown talent the team could potentially overtake the first-place Houston Astros and win the division.
To the organization’s credit, the Mariners recognized their offensive ineptitude and attempted to address it at the trade deadline. The team added outfielder Randy Arozarena in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and landed veteran infielder Justin Turner from the Toronto Blue Jays.
While these additions were intended to improve the offense, they failed to move the needle as Seattle has actually been worse in slugging percentage, WPA and fWAR since the deadline. The Mariners have also dealt with injuries to key players in the second half of the season with Juilo Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford and Victor Robles all missing time.
When healthy, Seattle’s outfield appears to be a strong group featuring Arozarena in left field, Rodriguez in center and Robles in right. Due to injuries, the trio have only played three full games together in the outfield. However, they demonstrated their potential as a unit when all three hit home runs in Wednesday’s win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The infield is far more problematic. The Mariners are not getting nearly enough production from the group as a whole and especially from the corner spots. Designated hitter has also been a huge disappointment in 2024. The team hoped Turner could help turn things around but he’s struggled since landing in Seattle with a .578 OPS and an OPS+ of 74 in 23 games. The success of the season depends on whether the team can get more out of its infield and DH.
Call up Cole
With a trip to the playoffs on the line, the Mariners need to promote Cole Young. The 21-year-old farm hand is Seattle’s 2nd ranked minor leaguer and the 36th overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com. The Mariners selected Young with the 21st pick in the 2022 draft. The team has brought him along slowly, promoting the talented infielder to Double-A at the start of this season and keeping him there throughout the year.
Young has done well with the Arkansas Travelers, posting a .756 OPS with 23 doubles, 59 runs scored and 22 stolen bases in 112 games for the Mariners’ Double-A affiliate. An excellent contact hitter who walks nearly as much as he strikes out, Young has gotten on base at a .369 clip this season and offers speed on the base paths once he’s reached.
Young can play shortstop or second base. While Seattle recently welcomed veteran J.P. Crawford back from the injured list, the infield is in serious need of an offensive boost. Getting Young starts at second could help the team’s run production down the stretch. And his positional versatility would allow him to back up Crawford at short as well.
The Mariners don’t have a ton of talent at the Triple-A level at the moment. And while the jump from Double-A to the pros can be tricky, the team needs to risk it for a shot at the playoffs this season.
Bring back Locklear this year
One Triple-A option Seattle does have is 23-year-old first baseman Tyler Locklear. It’s true that Locklear struggled mightily in 16 games – over two different stints – with the Mariners. The organization’s sixth ranked minor leaguer and the 89th overall prospect in baseball, was sent back down to Triple-A in late July.
Locklear spent all of August with the Tacoma Rainiers and rebounded nicely from his offensive woes in the majors. This month Locklear has a. .762 OPS with four home runs, 14 RBI and 18 runs scored.
Across two minor league levels this season Locklear has posted a .855 OPS with 22 doubles, 16 homers, 58 RBI and 67 runs in 95 games. Known for his raw power and ability to get on base, Locklear could ultimately prove a difference-maker for the Mariners, despite failing to catch on in the big league previously this season. He provides solid defense and plus offense at first base and can rotate to designated hitter as necessary.
Seattle’s fourth ranked minor league player – and the 52nd overall prospect in baseball – Harry Ford could also be an option. Ford has steadily produced at four different levels in four seasons since the Mariners took him with the 12th pick in the 2021 draft. However, Ford has only advanced to Double-A so far. And his primary position doesn’t offer a huge advantage to Seattle at the moment.
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Ford is one of the top catcher prospects in the minors. But the Mariners are getting nice production out of starting catcher Cal Raleigh this season. Raleigh leads the team with 27 home runs in 2024. It’s the third consecutive year he’s gone deep at least 27 times. Last season, Raleigh had 30 bombs and finished 18th in MVP voting. Of course, should the 27-year-old backstop miss time at some point this season, Ford should absolutely expect to be called up to the majors.
Go Get Garcia
With the infield offense improved, Seattle should turn its attention to relief pitching next. The Mariners have one of the best starting rotations in baseball this season. However the team’s bullpen has not performed as well, ranking 10th in ERA, 23rd in HR/9, 16th in FIP, 23rd in WPA and 26th in fWAR.
The Mariners have a strong pitching option developing in Double-A. Brandyn Garcia is the organization’s 16th rankedprospect and the sixth overall pitcher (second ranked lefty), per MLB.com. The 24-year-old Quinnipiac standout has advanced to Double-A since being drafted by Seattle in 2023.
Across two levels this season, Garcia has a 6-2 record in 24 appearances with a 1.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 127 strikeouts in 107 total innings. Since reaching Seattle’s Double-A affiliate, he’s posted a 2.09 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 38.2 innings. Opposing hitters are batting just .184 against him in 10 Double-A starts.
While Garcia has been working as a starter in the minors, the Mariners don’t need to add to the rotation at the moment. But they could certainly bolster the bullpen. Garcia boasts a mid 90s two-seamer that he mixes with a nice cutter and an active slider. The Mariners would benefit by adding a lefty reliever who can throw multiple innings out of the bullpen and pick up a bunch of swings and misses along the way.
Seattle is four games behind the first-place Astros in the AL West and 4.5 games back in the American League Wild Card race. The Mariners can still reach the playoffs if they upgrade the infield offense and bullpen, which is inline with new manager Dan Wilson's thoughts on the team. An infusion of talent can help the Mariners string together wins down the stretch and into the postseason.
