Drayer: Success of 3 types of Mariners hitters show what they need to target

One ballplayer’s paradise can be another’s purgatory, as is the case for many who have worn the Seattle Mariners uniform in recent years. For those on the mound, T-Mobile Park is home sweet home. For many who wield the bat, however, the “T” stands for “torment,” particularly in April and May.

Drayer: Mariners’ offensive hires show different approach to staff

There is no getting away from the impact T-Mobile Park has on offense, but there are perhaps better ways of getting around it. And that was on the mind of Jerry Dipoto in the final week of another season where the Mariners came up short.

“We learned where we may be doing things the wrong way and we have to make adjustments,” the Mariners president of baseball operations said, “not just in approach on the field, but in how we put the roster together and maybe in some of the things we are looking for and in how things fit in our ballpark.”

What is a good fit for the ballpark? Recently while guest hosting on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob, Mariners broadcaster Gary Hill took a look at the offense as a whole, breaking down the three profiles he saw come together and produce as a unit over the final five weeks of the season.

Hitter No. 1, the big bats.

“What worked and what works specifically at T-Mobile Park, you have the Cal Raleigh, Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez – big exit velo guys,” Hill said. “Guys whose exit velo, they can’t hit it out of any park. It doesn’t matter.”

Hitter No. 2, the perfect T-Mobile fit.

“Victor Robles, one of the best outfielders in baseball the final month of the season. I don’t think we can expect him to be that next year. That’s not a fair ask, but I’m optimistic that he can be a productive player given he’s in his prime and given his skill set. He was more kind of chaos ball. He used his speed. The Mariners don’t hit a lot of doubles. He nearly led the Mariners in doubles (despite playing just 77 games with Seattle). It’s because of where they were. He hit them down the line and used his speed. They weren’t gobbled up by the gaps.”

Hitter No. 3, use the field.

“Justin Turner on the field, a guy that didn’t have a ton of power but just kind of sprayed the ball around. And that’s a big ask for somebody that doesn’t do it, but that’s his skill set. He can hit the ball around.

“I think about the guys have really had big success here offensively and I think of those three type of categories.”

Are those the type of players the Mariners are looking to add this winter? Perhaps. By his own admission, the final five weeks of the season had Dipoto looking at the offense – his offense – in T-Mobile park differently. Seeing what the team could do in terms of a different approach – less pulling the ball in the air, more using the whole field – gave him a glimpse of a possible positive future.

Just as key as the adjustment in approach were the players on the field at the end. It was largely a different lineup that Dipoto was watching. In-season acquisitions Robles, Turner and Randy Arozarena had taken up daily residence on the lineup card, while the Mitches – Haniger and Garver – received limited at bats. It also didn’t hurt that Rodríguez played his best ball in those weeks. Put it all together, and the lineup at the end of the season bore little resemblance to the lineups in mid-June that featured a leadoff man hitting just over .200, and often two or three others hitting in the same vicinity or worse.

An example can be seen in the final five-week slash lines of the lineup on the field in Houston on Sept. 23.

Robles: .407/.475/.558, 1.033 OPS
Rodríguez: .319/.355/.546, .901
Raleigh: .254/.345/.451, .796
Arozarena: .248/.353/.425, .778
Raley: .272/.341/.580, .921
Turner: .299/.390/.485, .875
Jorge Polanco: .200/.264/.340, .604
J.P. Crawford: .194/.319/.245, .564
Josh Rojas: .221/.304/.309, .613

This is the lineup the Mariners rolled out in a must-win game against the Astros. For reference, here is what the Astros went with in a not must-win but still would-really-like-to-win game, along with their final five week numbers.

Jose Altuve: .274/.339/.407, .746
Kyle Tucker: .365/.453/.587, 1.040
Alex Bregman: .268/.318/.505, .823
Yanier Diaz: .288/.313/.376, .689
Jon Singleton: .246/.358/.491, .849
Victor Caratini: .271/.361/.376, .737
Jeremy Peña: .220/.256/.314, .570
Jason Heyward: .218/.283/.473, .756
Jake Meyers: .163/.233/.238, .471

Missing is Yordan Alvarez, who was out with an injury. But even when taking this into account, the Mariners still edge out Houston in OPS with this lineup.

This by no means is to attempt to show or claim the Mariners had a better offense than the Astros, but it does show they had five weeks that were comoprable. Five weeks of numbers is indeed a small sample and it should not be assumed these players can just take this performance into next season. It does, however, show what this lineup and approach is capable of. It also could be seen as a starting point of sorts with at least two spots that should be occupied by new players next season.

It is understandable that recent history in offseason acquisitions may not inspire confidence in what could be incoming in filling those spots – and yes, it would be great if the Mariners would just throw the checkbook at top-end hitters – but they could be on the right track in finding players that succeed at T-Mobile Park. To find an encouraging sign, one need look no further than the wRC+ leaders at home to see the top four spots filled by the newest acquisitions.

Robles: 196
Raley: 166
Turner: 151
Arozarena: 150

This crop of new hitters has been a good fit and each falls into one of Hill’s profiles. It does need to be noted that three of the four joined in-season, after the toughest hitting months of the season at T-Mobile Park had passed. This is significant as many have pointed to the challenges the run-suppressing park poses to hitters coming out of the friendly environment in spring training as often being a blow to new Mariners hitters. The observation of some with the club has been damage is done when new players see the ball die on the warning track after a good swing time after time in April and May, often getting into their heads and leading to unnecessary changes. How can this be avoided?

Finding the right type of hitter is key. Hill’s descriptions of Hitters No. 2 and 3, the Robles and Turner examples, are more likely to be immune if they stick to hitting the ball down the lines or spraying it around the field. The building will be a challenge for the sluggers, but it doesn’t have to be for all. Raley, hitting from the left side, is not impacted as much and has said the park really doesn’t bother him. With Arozarena, it is wait and see, but the Mariners largely found success with these four players in ’24 and they will need to find more this winter. The new finds will be critical as the core has taken this team as far as it can go on its own, and without major spending there is little room for error.

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