the outfield in part two.
Catcher: Cal Raleigh showed in his second
full season he is the right man for the job.
He and JP Crawford are the leaders on the
field. Cal is more the quiet type though he
puts his point across when needed. We
could see that when he went to the mound
to straighten out the pitcher.
Cal had the best first two seasons as a catcher
in Mariners history. This season he had 30
home runs and 75 rbi's. He didn't have a high
average in .232 however with his other responsibilities
he still showed he got hits when they counted.
Tom Murphy was a good back having a great
season before ending his season in August.
His loss was probably a major reason the M's
didn't make the playoffs. He would spell Cal
behind the plate against lefties. When facing
lefties Cal would dh or Murphy did to depending
how how often they faced lefties in a week. The
dh spot was weak all season however against
righties it was important to have both in the
lineup depending whether Cal needed a rest or not.
Usually found Cal pinch hitting when he wasn't in
the starting lineup. In fact he was the Mariners
best pinch hitter. In fact it was a flaw for them.
Wish they hadn't pinch hit so often except when
Cal or Tom did it.
The Mariners brought back Luis Torrens at the end
of the season. Would like him or add another catcher
for depth. Look forward to the day Harry Ford is on
the team even if he ends up playing another position.
He would still be a good backup at catcher. Harry
may end up being a superstar so having him and Cal
in the lineup is important. See what happens.
Grade : B plus
Left field: The Mariners always have had issues in
left field since the beginning of the franchise. Jarred
Kelenic was the starter out of spring training. He had a
a rough April however May he was one of the Mariners
best hitters. He struggled in June however recovered
in July before allowing his temper and frustration get the
best of him being injured for two months over a water
cooler. Cade Marlowe did a fine job for a little while
in his place before going into a slump. The Mariners
picked up Dominic Canzone who did show some signs
for the future.
The season began with Jarred Kelenic platooning with
AJ Pollock who started against lefties. With Kelenic
doing well and play good defense Pollock pretty much
became the right handed hitter against lefties. As we
know that was a disaster where he didn't even bat .200.
They should have released him in May or June but waited
until the trading deadline. Jerry Dipoto admitted signing
Pollock and Tommy La Stella who didn't last long besides
acquiring Kolten Wong were his biggest mistakes. Now
we hope this off-season the front office learned from their
mistakes.
Grade: C sort of pushing it here
Center Field: It was Julio Rodriguez all the way. His stats
looked great having over 30 home runs and 100 rbi's. Julio
made the all-star team probably because the game was
played in Seattle and an injury kept out another outfielder.
Looking at the stats you would think Julio had a good season
at the plate all season long but that isn't the truth. The first
half he hit inconsistent and struck out a lot especially in key
situation. The biggest trouble was the rest of the offense
followed suit. Otherwords when he was going good so
was the offense but the same when he wasn't. Can't blame
it on Julio the other players needed to pick up the slack.
The nice thing he did play solid defense. We should see Julio
have a good season all the way along in 2024. The Mariners
need to see the August version beginning in April.
Grade: B
Right Field: Teoscar Hernandez who the Mariners picked up
during the last off-season was the Mariners primary right
fielder. He would on occasion dh. He started the season
inconsistent. He is known as a slow starter. He heated up the
same time as Julio. Trouble like other M's hitters he struck
out way too many times especially in key situations. His
home runs and rbi's were good being number three on the
team in both. Some people criticized his defense however
he did a fine job. He was one of the top right fielders in
throwing g out runners. Teo is now a free agent. Whether
he returns will depend on how much he is offered on the
open market. I wondered what the Mariners were thinking
since they could have signed him to an extension during
the season. His return is a if at this point. The Mariners
will have to pick up another outfielder whether he returns
or not. We could see Kelenic move to right field depending
on what comes up.
Grade: B
Next time on Mariners report card look at the starting pitching.
Go M's.
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