2024 Mariners Midseason Grades: Hitters
It's a blood bath.
These grades were due last Friday. But like a true teacher, I did not complete them on time.
As seen in our pitcher grades, we provide two grades for each Mariner. The traditional letter grade measures their performance this season. The other grade is an expectation grade based on each individual’s past performance. For example, if a player is playing better than he has in the past, he will receive an exceeds expectations grade. An exceeds expectations grade does not necessarily mean the player deserves an A. In fact, no Mariners hitter deserves an A, but there are a few that are exceeding expectations.
This is Part 2 of our Mariners midseason grades covering the team’s position players. Part 1 covering Mariners pitchers came out last week.
Enjoy this as much as you can. Here we go.
Josh Rojas: B+ / Exceeding expectations
Rojas has been a pleasant surprise. He’s turned into everyday third baseman for the Mariners with his defense vastly improved from past years. Rojas leads Mariners hitters with a 1.7 WAR. He has been this team’s bright spot on offense. For example, last night he had two hits. The rest of the Mariners team? 0.
Luke Raley: B / Exceeding expectations
Raley has brought us joy. He has the best batting average on the team at .261 and has a .9 WAR. The fourth-year veteran is having his best season at the plate in his young career. The Mariners may seek to trade him at the deadline as he is arbitration-eligible beginning next season.
J.P. Crawford: C+ / Not meeting expectations
Crawford, like his teammates, is having one of the worst offensive seasons of his career, hitting career lows with a .215 batting average and a .313 OBP.
Dylan Moore: C+ / Exceeding expectations
Moore, like Rojas, is having a career season. He gets a C+ because he is hitting .210. A little over a month ago when Moore was filling in for the injured J.P. Crawford, I thought Moore was a prime candidate to be traded. In May, Moore hit .241. In June, Moore hit .182. The past seven days, he’s hit .143.
Julio Rodriguez: C / Not meeting expectations
I admit it. I originally gave Julio a B grade. But in this current slump, he’s simply been bad.
Julio is slashing .247/.297/.327. Former Mariner Jarred Kelenic is slashing .278/.322/.458 for the Atlanta Braves. Who would you rather have on the Mariners right now?
Julio is having a bad first half. Yet, he is hitting .247 (not horrible) and he has 16 stolen bases (useful).
Will he turn it around? This is all a feel thing, but it’s just hard for me to imagine him continuing to struggle through the entire season.
There is a lot of talk about the Mariners adding a big bat. Maybe that’s not so necessary if their big bat starts being big.
Cal Raleigh: C / Not Meeting expectations
Cal is having a below-average Cal-type of season. He’s hitting bombs and not hitting for average. Could he be better and more disciplined at the plate? Sure, but I don’t want that to come at the expense of the power he brings. He gets a C because he’s better than most in this lineup and he has the second best WAR among hitters on the team at 1.5.
Ty France: C- / Not meeting expectations
Will Ty France still be a Seattle Mariner after the trade deadline? France is an average hitter, but a below-average hitter at first base. He does just enough to not be a liability, but I think his days are numbered in Seattle.
Dominic Canzone: C- / Not meeting expectations
Hitting a disappointing .214. He is striking out at 30.5% rate (Raleigh, Polanco, Raley, and Garver all striking out more frequently). And he is lacking plate discipline.
Jorge Polanco: F / Not meeting expectations
A newly signed Mariner struggling? Haven’t heard that one before. While Polanco hasn’t been as bad as his predecessor Kolton Wong, he’s been bad by his standards. He is slashing a career-low .197/.285/.298. Maybe the marine layer lifts and Polanco goes on a tear in the second half, but I’m holding my breath.
Mitch Haniger: F / Not meeting expectations
Can Haniger just play at home? At home, Mitch is hitting .260/.336/.420. On the road, Haniger is hitting .161/.225/.246. He has no trade value and when he’s on the road, he’s dead weight. I don’t know how much longer he stays a Mariner.
Mitch Garver: F / Not meeting expectations
Like Polanco, Garver was supposed to be a boost to this lineup. He has been an absolute flop. And just when things were looking better in June, Garver suffered an injury. In 72 games, Garver has hit a disappointing .172/.293/.353. Ugh.
Incompletes: Sam Haggerty, Luis Urias, Seby Zavala, Luis Urias, Tyler Locklear, Ryan Bliss, Victor Robles, Leonardo Rivas
"These grades were due last Friday. But like a true teacher, I did not complete them on time." Oooooo *burn*! Or is it *face* these days. Or even something else. Either way... *nice*.
"Crawford, like his teammates..." <---- Could it be something in the water?!
Thank you for sharing.
Jorge Polanco was acquired via trade, not signing. Please know what you're talking about before you try to write.