Seattle Mariners: Building the perfect lineup for 2021 season

This is the perfect Seattle Mariners lineup for 2021 and all it takes is one big-time free agent signing

The Seattle Mariners have made some moves to boost their pitching staff but they have been quiet on the offensive side of the ball in free agency. They have a decent lineup as it stands right now, but the signing of one top tier outfielder would give them a perfect lineup for 2021.

Signing an outfielder would also put less pressure on guys like Jarred Kelenic and Taylor Trammell and would give the Mariners options in terms of trading players like Mitch Haniger and having depth if there are injuries or poor performances.

So without further adieu here is the leadoff hitter of the perfect lineup for the Mariners in 2021.

Batting first, CF Kyle Lewis

Kyle Lewis should be the Mariners leadoff hitter of the future. While he played almost every single game last season as Seattle’s third hitter, the leadoff spot better suits Lewis, and with the additions this year of Ty France, Mitch Haniger, and their big signing that I will reveal later, he does not have to be the lineups power hitter in the third or fourth spot.

With an 87th percentile BB% and a .364 OBP last year, Lewis is perfect for the leadoff role next year and should be the leadoff hitter of the future as well. Lewis’ high OBP makes him a model leadoff hitter as there has been a shift in the focus of a leadoff hitter being a steals guy to now, every team wants their best on-base guy in the first spot in the order.

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.

Batting third, LF/DH Marcell Ozuna

Here’s the big signing I have been hyping up. Myself, along with fellow Mariners blog Lookout Landing, have posted blogs about why Seattle should sign Ozuna (Mine can be read by clicking here or clicking the link below).

Marcell Ozuna had a career year last season leading the NL in home runs and RBI’s, along with having a 1.067 OPS. He also had a spectacular .417 xwOBA (99th percentile) and was 94th percentile and above for exit velocity, hard hit %, xBA, xSLG, and barrel %.

With the NL expected to not have a DH next season and this drops Ozuna’s value due to his poor defense. The market has been extremely dry for position players this offseason and the Mariners should strike offering a deal that would look like a steal in an offseason that’s not in the middle of a pandemic.

MLB.com writer Anthony Castrovince, who earlier this offseason picked the Mariners to win the AL West, has the Mariners as Marcell Ozuna’s landing spot in free agency. The 30-year-old Ozuna could be the bridge acting as a similar signing to what the Padres did with Manny Machado and could kickstart the rebuild to help the Mariners now and for the next few years.

Batting fourth, RF Mitch Haniger

Do I think Mitch Haniger will be the Mariners cleanup hitter next season? No. But for this to be a perfect lineup Mitch will have to come back from his multiple injuries playing like his old self, which is a cleanup hitter.

I do think it is possible for Haniger to recover from the various surgeries that he had in 2019 and be his old 2018 self or at least close to it. In 2018 he had a batting line of .285/.366/.493 with a .859 OPS. He had a Baseball Savant page that would make you drool in 2018 as well, being around the 90th percentile among MLB hitters for xSLG, xBA, and xwOBA.

In 2019 Haniger’s average dipped to .220 but he still had a decent OPS of .778 due to his 15 home runs that he hit in just 63 games. Then he missed the rest of 2019 with what I think is the most painful sounding injury ever, a ruptured testicle, and had multiple offseason surgeries that kept him out of the 2020 season.

Mitch will be eased back into baseball and Manager Scott Servais said recently that he is looking great and will be ready for spring training. In a lineup with Lewis, Ozuna, and other good hitters Haniger wouldn’t be pressed into being the cleanup hitter but as I said earlier, for this lineup to be perfect Haniger will be hitting like a cleanup hitter.

Batting fifth, 2B/LF Dylan Moore

Dylan Moore bounced around minor league systems spending time with the Rangers and the Brewers before being signed by the Mariners in 2018. After a rough 2019 season, Moore looks to have found a spot in the Mariners lineup at second base after an outstanding 2020.

While it was short since Dylan Moore had to deal with getting a concussion after being hit in the head twice, Moore hit a batting line of .255/.358/.496 with an .855 OPS. He also had a dWAR of 0.5 and played primarily leftfield, rightfield, and second base.

Add an xwOBA in the 74th percentile of MLB hitters, a barrel % in the 89th percentile, and a hard-hit % in the 78th percentile, and its clear that the Mariners might have found a gem as Moore’s season does not look like a fluke.

Moore has played well in the outfield but he struggled in the infield in 2019, however a lot of those struggles came on the left side of the infield and Moore is most likely going to be the starting second baseman where he has had some impressive stats the last two years in limited time at the position.

Batting sixth, 3B Kyle Seager

the sixth spot in the order feels low for Kyle Seager but this lineup with Ozuna is good. I think Dylan Moore has a better season than Seager next year but at age 33 Kyle will still be productive. Seager had a great first few weeks of the season last year but then cooled down closer to, and in, September.

Seager played every game last season and in 248 plate appearances, he hit an OPS of .788 with 9 home runs. He also weirdly enough led the league in sacrifice flies but hey, a runs a run.

Seager has quietly been a great player for the Mariners over his career and will go down as the greatest third baseman in Seattle Mariners history. I would not be surprised if no one wears the number 15 again, especially if Kyle retires a Mariner.

However, there is now a rumor that the Mets and Mariners have discussed a trade for Seager, and Kyle does not really fit into the Mariners’ plan for the future as he is most likely gone after this season. For now, Kyle is a Mariner and if Seattle wants to compete in 2021 he will be their third baseman.

Batting seventh, C Tom Murphy

Tom Murphy missed all of last season due to a broken foot that he suffered during Summer Camp before the 2020 season. However, manager Scott Servais recently said that Murphy is a “Full go” for spring training and is ready to get back on the field.

After spending four rather unsuccessful years with the Rockies, Murphy was waived and then claimed by the Giants before being DFA’d and then traded to Seattle. He found a home with the Mariners platooning with Omar Narvaez in 2019 and in 281 plate appearances had a batting line of .273/.324/.535 adding up to an .858 OPS.

Murphy unlocked his power potential with the Mariners hitting 18 home runs in just under half a seasons worth of games in 2019. Murphy struggled against right-handed pitching in 2019 but had a 1.103 OPS vs left-handed pitching.

Servais said that he will Platoon with Torrens this upcoming season but I assume Murphy will still get the majority of games behind the plate. if he is used correctly in a platoon with Torrens, where Murphy plays every game vs left-handed pitching and splits time with Torrens vs. righties, he will have another successful season in Seattle.

Batting eight, 1B Evan White

Evan White had a very weird rookie season in terms of evaluating his performance. He won the AL Gold Glove for first base and was incredible at all aspects of defense. However, at the plate, he was quite the opposite of incredible.

White struck out 42% of the time which was second to last in the league and he also hit just .176 which was worst in the league. White had a league-average BB% which saved his batting stats somewhat, but what was really impressive and shows White’s potential is when he connected on pitches.

White’s exit velocity ranked in the 87th percentile of MLB hitters, and his hard hit % and barrel % were both in the top 10th percentile. White played just 4 games in AAA which can explain his offensive struggles in terms of strikeouts and he will undoubtedly be working on it in spring training.

His strikeout numbers will improve when he gets more used to MLB pitching and he can turn into a cleanup hitter with his power. But for now, he should be towards the back of the lineup. Even if his offensive struggles continue I think it is best for the Mariners and White, in the long run, to have him stay up in the MLB.