Randy Arozarena has been what Mariners were hoping for

When it comes to the Seattle Mariners, Cal Raleigh has deservedly drawn the lion’s share of the spotlight while clubbing an American League-record 38 home runs over the first half of the season.

Did contract extension unlock Cal Raleigh for his incredible year?

But over the final two weeks heading into the All-Star break, Raleigh wasn’t even the hottest home-run hitter on the M’s.

That distinction belonged to Randy Arozarena, who blasted nine homers over the past 13 games – three more homers than Raleigh or any other player in the majors over that stretch.

With his midsummer surge, Arozarena is batting .251 with 17 homers, a .463 slugging percentage and an .820 OPS through 94 games this season. He ranks eighth in the AL with a 3.7 WAR and is tied for ninth in the league with a 139 OPS+.

As Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Wednesday, this is exactly why the Mariners acquired Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays at last year’s trade deadline.

“Randy is not getting nearly enough love,” Shusterman said. “Randy Arozarena is a freaking star. … This is going about as well as you could possibly hope. I mean, you’re getting one of the best versions that we’ve seen from him.”

Arozarena was a 2023 All-Star with Tampa Bay and posted a 122 OPS+ over his four-plus seasons with the Rays.

But at the moment, he’s on track for the best season of his career. He’s just six homers away from matching his career-high mark of 23. And among the five seasons he’s played upward of 90 games, he’s on track for career highs in both slugging percentage and OPS.

“This is what you hoped for,” Shusterman said. “This is why you trade for a guy last year that had multiple years of team control – that he could be this productive. I don’t think Randy’s getting nearly enough praise for what he’s been in this lineup, and especially recently. It’s a huge difference.”

According to Shusterman, it’s a big reason why the 2025 Mariners’ lineup is different than years past.

“We talk (about) this lineup (like) it’s the same thing every year,” Shusterman said. “It’s like, no, Randy has not been around. This is a new character that needs to be appreciated. And if he can keep it going, I think it’s a big part of why (the Mariners) have a real chance of making the postseason.”

Listen to the full conversation with Jordan Shusterman at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story. Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Mariners

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• Seattle Mariners rookie Cole Young starting to turn a corner
• Insider report indicates Seattle Mariners could trade Harry Ford soon
• 3 things we learned about Seattle Mariners’ top pick Kade Anderson
• Mariners Draft: ‘Throwback’ catcher Stevenson has a Raleigh vibe

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