Mariners Spring Training: The 5 coldest bats

Mariners Hitter #2: Jake Fraley

I don’t know what to think of Jake Fraley anymore. I really, really, really want him to succeed. Jake Fraley has faced harsh criticism for his lack of performance and he took time last year to refocus on what really matters to him: “It’s definitely not the game of baseball that I play. It’s a passion.”

Jake Fraley is clearly a hard worker because he has battled injuries and managed to come back from them. He also reported to Spring Training having lost some weight, just like Justin Dunn and Yusei Kikuchi.

At the moment, his offseason work has only shown up in one game. Through 18 at-bats, Jake Fraley has just two hits (a double and a home run). Before the game against the Dodgers, Fraley was hitless. He has also drawn five walks and is tied for most strikeouts with seven.

His stat line:  .111 BA, .304 OBP, .333 SLG, .638 OPS

It’s not exactly what Mariners fans want to be seeing since Fraley is fighting for a spot in the outfield. It is even more relevant now that Jarred Kelenic will be sidelined for at least a month.

Like we’ve said before, Jake Fraley has been good in the Mariners and Rays farm system. He has a .286 minor league career batting average, .362 OBP, .40 slugging percentage, and .842 OPS. It is completely fair to assume that Fraley can be a part of the Mariners future, but we just haven’t seen it yet.

The 25-year-old outfielder has played 19 games for the Mariners and owns a .152 batting average. I am almost starting to think that Jake Fraley just needs a change in scenery. Maybe it will help him clear his mind and relieve some of the stress that is put on him. Playing in Seattle isn’t the same as playing in Boston or New York, but the Mariners are clearly putting pressure on Fraley because we are on the verge of something special.

Although his offensive numbers aren’t great, he has shown up with his glove. That is always the nice thing about Jake Fraley; he has a reliable glove. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up winning a Gold Glove at some point in his career. But to do that, he needs to be in the lineup.

Let’s hope Jake can build off of his big game against the Dodgers.

Mariners Hitter #3: Tom Murphy

Tom Murphy is also making a highly anticipated return to T-Mobile Park this season, after missing the entire 2020 season. The 29-year-old catcher hasn’t found his offensive groove yet in Arizona and is struggling.

Through 16 at-bats, Murphy has a .188 batting average, .235 OBP, .313 slugging percentage, and .548 OPS. Not very Tom Murphy-esque. Murphy has only walked once and struck out four times.

His stats aren’t appealing at all, but we can cut Tom some slack. He hasn’t seen game pitching in a long time. Matter as a of fact, the last time he was in a batter’s box was Summer Camp, against his own teammates.

It is still early in Spring Training, so we are hoping Murphy is just shaking the rust off. If he can get back to his 2019 ways, that would be a huge boost for the Mariners this season. Last year, it seemed like a revolving door of catchers so having a steady guy would be nice.

Austin Nola was holding it down for a while but the Padres called for his services. While Luis Torrens was working his way into the mix, a few other catchers manned the backstop. But it is clear, Murphy had the best bat out of the Mariners catching group last year and it was badly missed.

This year might be different though. Luis Torrens is hungry to split time with Murphy, and Cal Raleigh is impressing in Arizona right now.

Another question to ponder over, how long will Tom Murphy be the Mariners catcher? It might depend on how he performs this month and during the first half of the regular season.

Mariners Hitter #4: J.P. Crawford

The other Mariners Gold Glover is also struggling with his offense, sort of. Crawford is hitting .200 with a .579 OBP, .200 slugging percentage, and .779 OPS. Crawford isn’t struggling as much as Jake Fraley or Evan White, but we have seen better from the Seattle shortstop.

On the bright side, J.P. has walked an amazing eight times despite his low batting average this Spring. His OBP high reflects his plate discipline and matureness as a young player. Crawford has also been aggressive on the base paths and attempted three steals and is 2 for 3.

After winning the Gold Glove last year, the pressure is on J.P. to repeat what he did last season, especially during the first half of the season.

Last season, he fulfilled (or at least got close to) what MLB scouts and coaches had hoped for when he was a Phillies prospect. He finished the season with a .255 average, .336 OBP, .338 slugging percentage, and .674 OPS. He also stole six bases, hit two home runs, and drove in 24 runs.

Let’s see what J.P. Crawford does for the remainder of the month. I am confident that he can improve his numbers, specifically his batting average, in the coming weeks. It would be great if he ends Spring Training on a high note to carry on the momentum into the regular season.

Now onto our last cold Mariners hitter.

Mariners Hitter #5: Sam Haggerty

The 26-year-old was a pleasant surprise last season and is competing for a role this Spring. So far, he hasn’t found his groove offensively. The utility player is hitting .188 through 16 at-bats. He also had a .235 OBP, .313 slugging percentage, and .548 OPS thanks to his one triple.

Sam has also struck out a whopping six times with only one walk. But in good news, he has used his speed when one the base paths and stolen two bases.

Last season, he hit .260 with a .315 OBP, .400 slugging percentage, and .715 OPS.

His current Spring form is a little worrisome because he is more of a contact hitter and high strikeouts are not what we want. There is no question that he can offer a lot defensively for Scott Servais, but there is intense competition in the clubhouse right now and anyone could leapfrog Haggerty at any moment.

The coaching staff is giving Haggerty lots of chances like Jake Fraley, so it will be interesting to see if he can make the most of the chances for the remainder of the month. This Spring is one of the most important ones for Haggerty to not only make the lineup for 2021 but prove he belongs in Seattle for the long term.

As always, we end with honorable mentions for the coldest bats in Arizona.

Mariners Honorable Mentions

These players are on the fringe of being “cold” hitters. They have slightly outperformed the Jake Fraley and Evan White group of players.

Braden Bishop

Braden hasn’t been all that bad, but he hasn’t been great. He has had nine at-bats and recorded two hits and one double. Braden has also struck out twice this in the first week of Spring Training. His stat line: .200 average, .333 OBP, .300 slugging, and .633 OPS.

Dylan Moore

D-Moore isn’t having too bad of a Spring. But it is more like we aren’t getting what we expected out of him. Currently, he is hitting .235, .316 OBP, .471 slugging and .786 OPS. Dylan has also hit one home run and stolen one base in Arizona.

Jantzen Witte

I added Witte to this list, but to be fair, he has only had 10 at-bats which isn’t very much compared to the other players. Witte is currently hitting .100 with a .100 OBP, slugging, and .200 OPS.

Sam Travis

Former Red Sox prospect Sam Travis has also been unimpressive. He has just one hit in nine at-bats which equals a .111 average and .273 OBP. I was rather hopeful that Travis could prove himself with a change in scenery but that’s not going so well as of now.

Luis Torrens

The Mariners catcher is also struggling but he just got to Arizona. He only has seven at-bats and is hitless. There isn’t a whole lot to analyze as far as Torrens due to his sample size, so we hope his cold bat won’t last long.

Again, we are only a third of the way through March and players have plenty of time to turn things around. It is always good to look at Spring Training stats, but don’t start scrambling to assumptions just yet. We will revisit the stats in a couple of weeks.