Mariners All-Star predictions no. 2 – Ty France
It seems as if the Mariners were lucky to acquire Ty France in the trade package from the Padres last year. Taylor Trammell and Andres Munoz were the main players of focus in the package, but France is certainly putting his name into the spotlight.
Last season, he finished with a .362 wOBA and .430 xSLG. Both ranked in the 76th and 75th percentile of the MLB respectively. The Mariners infielder has continued his hot hitting into Spring Training is finished with the second-highest OPS on the team.
France batted .327 and slugged .714 in Arizona. He also led the team with five home runs (the league leader had eight). What is even more amazing is how many times he struck out. The 26-year-old struck out just seven times.
If you compare him to other power bats in the Mariners lineup, Mitch Haniger struck out 13 times, Julio Rodriguez struck out 11 times, and Evan White struck out 10 times. France’s plate discipline plus his natural hitting ability is an amazing sight to see, which is exactly why he is one of my candidates to be on the All-Star team.
2021 will be an exciting year for France because he will be hitting at the heart of the order while playing every day. In his first two seasons in the MLB, he hasn’t received consistent playing time yet so it will be a good confidence booster for him as well.
Now onto my third prediction.