Seattle Mariners: Building the perfect lineup for 2021 season

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 07: J.P. Crawford and Kyle Lewis of the Seattle Mariners celebrate. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 07: J.P. Crawford and Kyle Lewis of the Seattle Mariners celebrate. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
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Seattle Mariners Ty France
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 11: Ty France #23 of the Seattle Mariners rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run off Alex Young #49 of the Arizona Diamondbacks during the eighth inning at Chase Field on September 11, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Batting second, DH/2B Ty France

Ty France hit predominantly in the two spot or the five spot last season, and in this lineup I like him hitting right behind the leadoff hitter. France had similar statistics to Lewis last season with a .305/.368/.468 batting line for the Padres and Mariners adding up to a .836 OPS. While France hit more doubles and fewer home runs compared to Lewis, they both had a high OBP and don’t have the power right now to be 3, 4, or 5 hitters in a good lineup.

I see France as the DH of the future for the Mariners and I also see his bat performing well in 2021. Fangraphs agrees with me as their ZiPS projections have France as the best hitter on the Mariners in 2021 with a projected .268/.335/.437 batting line adding up to a .772 OPS. He also had an xwOBA in the 77th percentile of hitters last season which projects well for next season.

France needs to walk more as he had a BB% that put him in the 27th percentile. But if he can indeed walk more and unlock some of his power potential, the Mariners could have themselves an excellent DH for the next half-decade who can play first, second, and third base.

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