It's time scuffling Seattle Mariners shake up batting order

A lot changed with the Seattle Mariners once they finished their trade deadline dealings.

They had a new first baseman in Josh Naylor. A returning face at the hot corner in Eugenio Suárez. And, for some reason, a brand new batting order.

Josh Naylor is giving the Mariners every reason to re-sign him

For the first time all year, Randy Arozarena was suddenly the Mariners’ leadoff hitter, with Cal Raleigh switching places with Julio Rodríguez at No. 2 and No. 3, followed with either Naylor or Suárez hitting fourth depending on which hand the opposing starting pitcher throws with.

It was an interesting, somewhat out-of-the-box idea.

But it’s not working. At least not anymore.

The Mariners have more or less stuck to this lineup since July 31. In those games, they’re 16-13. But it started with a 10-1 run following the emotional high of their big trade deadline, and particularly the reunion with Suárez.

Since that hot streak, though, the Mariners are just 6-12. And in that swoon, they’ve scored more than four runs in a game just five times.

Some credit for Seattle’s recent troubles could probably be assigned to tough travel – on Tuesday, they’ll play their 14th of 18 games in the Eastern time zone since Aug. 12 – because they have sure looked tired when out on the road in the past month. But wheeling out the same lineup more or less through the struggles can’t be helping.

It also doesn’t help that it seems Seattle’s preferred top of the batting order is flawed – at least based on the returns since the Mariners switched things up at the end of July.

Arozarena doesn’t seem to work as the leadoff man. In the 29 games since moving to the top of the order, he’s slashing just .225/.295/.400 for a .695 OPS. To be fair, that’s been helped out some by his last eight games (.324/.361/.618, .982 OPS), but he’s been better overall this year hitting third, fourth or fifth.

Raleigh hitting second, though, really isn’t working.

Yes, he’s having an historic season, already breaking the record for home runs by a catcher in a single season, with the switch-hitter and Mariners team homer records also in his sights. But he’s clearly being worn down by his herculean workload. And when he’s not the Greatest Hitting Catcher of All-Time, which he was in the first half of the season but hasn’t been in the second half, he doesn’t make sense hitting second in the lineup.

Since the Mariners planted Raleigh in the No. 2 spot on July 31, Raleigh’s slash line is .189/.312/.472 for a .784 OPS. And he’s been trending to roughly those same numbers over his last 58 games (dating back to June 25), during which he has a .191/.310/.460 slash for a .770 OPS.

Before Raleigh’s downturn started, he had a .281/.386/.667 slash line on the season for a 1.053 OPS. Entering play Tuesday, it’s down to .243/.354/.667 for a .932 OPS.

OK, so what are the solutions?

I’d start with bringing Julio Rodríguez back up to the top of the order, either hitting leadoff or second. He’s been on fire for nearly two months, slashing .307/.347/.603 for a .951 OPS in 44 games since July 12. He just ended a seven-game hit streak, and has raised his slash on the season from .244/.301/.386 (.687 OPS) on July 10 to .264/.316/.459 (.776 OPS) entering Tuesday.

That’s a hitter you should be getting as many plate appearances as possible.

Meanwhile, putting Raleigh and Arozarena’s more all-or-nothing approaches into traditional run-producing spots in the middle of the order – I’d go Raleigh fourth, Arozarena fifth – seems like the ticket. Getting Raleigh off his feet whenever possible wouldn’t be a bad idea either, which the M’s can do now by making him the designated hitter more often while having both Mitch Garver and the recently called-up Harry Ford available to catch.

For now, returning J.P. Crawford to the leadoff spot with Rodríguez hitting second would make sense. especially since Crawford is always good for an on-base mark that easily clears .300. More permanently, Victor Robles – who was Seattle’s planned leadoff man when the season began – probably should be back atop the order when he returns from his suspension Saturday.

Seattle also has a lot of good, middle of the order-type hitters to work with now, so there’s plenty of opportunity to get creative and ride the hot hands. Suárez has been swinging well, so why not give him some at-bats hitting third? Move Jorge Polanco up while he’s in a good place. Try Naylor near the top of the order if the pitching matchup is good for him.

The Mariners need to find a way to inject some energy into what looks like a tired ball club. Shaking up a lineup that has been stale for a while seems like an easy and obvious thing to try.

Seattle (73-65) remains in playoff position despite its recent road struggles, but the Texas Rangers (72-67) are breathing down their necks for the American League’s last wild card. At the same time, the Houston Astros (76-62) are still within striking distance in the AL West.

The Mariners have come up just short of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. They need to try whatever they can to avoid that happening again – especially since the AL is wide open this year, and the top end of Seattle’s rotation gives the M’s as much chance of doing serious damage in the postseason format as any team in the league.

It’s time scuffling Seattle Mariners shake up batting order

Tags: