What Mariners’ Kevin Seitzer says is behind improved power numbers

Perhaps the biggest reason the Seattle Mariners sit in first place in the AL West almost two months into the season is that their offense has been better.

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Now, they’re still in the bottom-third of MLB in batting average (.236). And while they’re not striking out the most in baseball like a year ago, they still have the seventh-most strikeouts at the plate.

Those were the big areas of concern after the 2024 season, and they have improved, but not by a huge amount. What has drastically improved, however, is maybe not what most were expecting.

The Mariners tied for 12th in MLB in home runs last year, but entering Friday they rank sixth in baseball with 67 longballs. And Seattle is currently ninth in MLB with a .325 on-base percentage, boosted by the second-most walks (195) in the game. In 2024, the M’s were 15th with a .311 on-base percentage, and that was even with the fourth-most walks in the game.

With new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes joining the organization in the offseason under manager Dan Wilson and director of hitting strategy Edgar Martinez, there was a perception that with simplified messaging for hitters, the M’s were embracing more of a small ball approach. But the results are telling a different story.

So, why is that?

Seitzer joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Friday and explained how the team’s offensive philosophies actually promote hitting for more power and drawing more walks. His explanation also seems to be indicative of why his communication style works with the Mariners’ hitters, because he made it all very easy to understand.

Here’s how Seitzer replied when host Mike Salk asked how the Mariners’ approach is generating more walks and home runs when it seems it would promote more singles.

This is the biggest thing: The more you are consistently locked in on trying to get the ball middle of the field to the opposite field, the better you see the ball. You see spin better, you see changeups better, you have better timing for the fastball, you’ll have a better swing path to where you stay short and inside the ball. And the big component of having that approach is making sure these guys are super aggressive for the fastball in a certain spot where we have them hunting, based on what the movement is for the pitcher.

So when those things all line up, you see the ball better, therefore you chase less and you make better decisions, find yourself in better counts. Now, being super aggressive, if you are just a little early on that fastball, you end up catching it out front and pulling it, and you hit for power that way. If you catch it just a little bit deep being super aggressive, then you hit it to the opposite field with more power.

And because you see the ball better and have better recognition and you see off-speed pitches better, you have a better ability to wait and be in good position. And therefore those pitches get barreled up more consistently, and most often it’s to the pull side because they’re slower and you’re a little bit earlier with your point of contact.

So all that being said leads to higher walks and more power because you’re putting the barrel of the bat on the ball more consistently.

Hear the full Brock and Salk conversation with Seattle Mariners hitting coach Kevin Seitzer in the podcast at this link or in the player below. Catch Brock and Salk from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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