The Seattle Mariners had the longest playoff drought among all the organizations in the four major American sports. Twenty years of missing the postseason were tough to swallow for their rabid fanbase, so they were ecstatic when they clinched a spot in 2022. Unfortunately, they faced the 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros in the ALDS and got swept in three games.
They were part of the historic 18-inning contest in Game 3, but their offense struggled immensely in that series. Thus, the front office added reliable power hitters, such as Teoscar Hernandez, AJ Pollock, and Kolten Wong. Julio Rodriguez will continue being the catalyst of this squad, but they have added the necessary help he needs. The pitching continues to be the primary asset of Seattle heading into 2023, and they intended to duplicate their success in 2022.
Even with the excellent performers of several Mariners' guys last season, a couple of guys need to bounce back from their dismal 2022 campaign.
Jarred Kelenic
Playing 54 games in 2022 with a .141 batting average and .221 on-base percentage was an abysmal one for prized prospect Jarred Kelenic. It was his second season in the majors, but both of them have been underwhelming, especially with the heightened expectations of the Seattle fans. Playing with Julio Rodriguez in the outfield and two veterans in Hernandez and Pollock must be a terrific learning curve for him.
His hitting in AAA was excellent, but his velocity and contact must improve at the big league level. The struggles of Jesse Winker opened up critical opportunities for him last season, but he failed to capitalize on them. At 23 years of age, the enormous expectations should not affect him, but the eyeballs will be all over him in this 2023 campaign.
Marco Gonzales
An incredible starting pitcher who was left off the postseason roster was lefty Marco Gonzales. His stints in 2020 and 2021 were a sign of things to come, but his 2022 numbers took a drastic downturn. Surrendering an ERA of 4.13 resulted in a league-worst 15 losses. Furthermore, his struggles were magnified in the Mariners because of the astounding numbers of his teammates, such as Robbie Ray and Luis Castillo.
Being cut off the postseason roster despite being the longest-tenured pitcher was tough to accept for Gonzales. Since he was in Seattle, he dreamed of stepping on the postseason mound, and he was not given the opportunity. Thus, it makes Marco Gonzales' bounce-back season in 2023 even more crucial to continue retaining his spot in the Mariners' rotation.
Diego Castillo
Acquiring Diego Castillo from the Tampa Bay Rays showed that Seattle wants to prioritize bolstering their bullpen. However, his start in 2022 could have been better, as there was a juncture wherein Castillo's ERA ballooned to a whopping number of 9.28. Manager Scott Servais gave him a break and found his stuff after a vital victory over the New York Mets.
As an excellent setup man, Castillo will need to be more consistent in setting it up for Paul Sewald. The combination of his sinker and off-speed keeps hitters having great contact on his pitches, along with the plummeting of his base on balls surrendered. Wrapping up the 2022 season was remarkable for Castillo as he did not make the early struggles affect the rest of his performances.
With the big names of Seattle's roster not mentioned in this piece, they must continue thriving as a group and growing as a unit. Most of them were stellar in 2022, which must be a brilliant building block for this young team.
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