SEATTLE — The Mariners (65-55) are through 120 games of the 2023 MLB Season and remain competitive in the playoff chase despite not living up to lofty preseason expectations.
After Wednesday night's win over the Kansas City Royals, the Mariners sit one game back of the final American League (AL) Wild Card spot. Seattle's rival to the north, the Toronto Blue Jays, currently owns that position with a 67-55 record overall.
Forty-two games remain for the Mariners, meaning there is ample time for the team to either improve its position or slide even further down the standings. Baseball-Reference estimates the Mariners have a 44% chance of making the playoffs, while FanGraphs is slightly less optimistic at 34.7%.
The Mariners will have to step up against quality competition, as the team has the sixth-toughest remaining strength of schedule in the AL. That includes road trips to Houston, Tampa Bay and Texas, three of the AL's strongest overall teams.
Only the Minnesota Twins have struck out more times as a team than the Mariners in 2023, underscoring what has been an underwhelming season offensively for Seattle.
Julio Rodriguez has not followed up his Rookie of the Year campaign with the ascension many expected from the young star. Rodriguez doesn't even lead his own lineup in home runs (Cal Raleigh has 21 big flies to pace the Mariners) and has a batting average of .261, well behind his .284 mark at the end of his rookie year. Rodriguez still does have the highest Wins Above Replacement (WAR) on the Mariners (3.8) as his play in center field has been stellar.
Eugenio Suarez and Teoscar Hernandez have struck out over 150 times, limiting the impact of their power numbers. JP Crawford should be returning soon from the injured list after a concussion sidelined him, and the 28-year-old shortstop has been a solid contributor with the second-highest WAR on the team behind Julio.
Other reserves like Tom Murphy and Cade Marlowe have made their mark when called upon, but the Mariners will need more consistency across the board from the batting order if they want to catch the top teams in the AL.
On the pitching front, Luis Castillo and George Kirby have formed one of the league's most potent one-two punches in the starting rotation. Logan Gilbert has 10 wins and a sub-four Earned Run Average (ERA) while Bryce Miller has shown his inexperience at times but looks like a potential future staple of the rotation.
In the bullpen, Andres Munoz has been mostly rock-solid and Tayler Saucedo has come along recently as a possible cornerstone of the bullpen. Justin Topa has been a welcome addition with a 2.28 ERA, but many fans have lamented the team giving up Paul Sewald and not making enough additions to the bullpen at the trade deadline.
Overall, the Mariners have a strong roster and certainly have the talent and capability to find themselves back in the postseason for the second straight year. However, they must take care of business against the inferior teams remaining on the schedule (like Thursday's game against the 39-83 Royals) and hold their own against the higher-level teams on the slate.
Now that Seattle fans got a taste once again of playoff baseball last fall, expectations are elevated for this Mariners team to refill that cup so the Emerald City can savor the drama of MLB's postseason.
