Seattle Mariners C Jose Godoy has done a fine job so far

The plan going into 2021 was that Tom Murphy and Luis Torrens would split time behind the plate but the Seattle Mariners had to take a detour. With both expected starting catchers struggling, the Mariners sent down Luis Torrens and called up Jose Godoy to change things up.

So far, I have been impressed with Jose Godoy, who was the 20,000th player to debut in the majors. The 26-year-old has been playing professional baseball since 2012, when he was 17, so he’s definitely someone you can cheer on for.

Jose Godoy has had a decent offensive start for the Seattle Mariners

Godoy has only played in six games and had 18 plate appearances and in those opportunities, he has recorded four hits and two walks. It’s a very small sample size but he currently owns a .250 batting average, a .333 OBP, and a .646 OPS.

For us, those numbers look fantastic since Luis Torrens and Tom Murphy set the bar very low for Jose Godoy. The Venezuela native had a key RBI in last night’s game as well in the second inning to give Justin Dunn and the Seattle Mariners an early lead against the Texas Rangers.

If you also take a look at his advanced metrics on Baseball Savant, he owns a .256 xBA, a .367 xSLG, and a 50% hard-hit rate. Not too bad for a first-time big league catcher.

It is also worth noting that Jose Godoy was a decent hitter in the minor leagues. In 2019, he hit .276 with a .785 OPS while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals’ Double-A and Triple-A teams. Godoy also hit seven home runs and drove in 42 RBI.

So, it shouldn’t be too surprising if we continue to see Jose Godoy contribute to the Seattle Mariners offense.

As far as his defense, I honestly haven’t watched enough of him to provide a good analysis. And of course, there is very limited data available right now because he’s barely been with the Seattle Mariners.

But, during his minor league career, runners weren’t the most successful against him. In 2019, he threw out 34% of batters in Double-A, and 11% in Triple-A (combined 27%). In 2018, he threw out 44% of runners who tried to steal on him.

Jose Godoy will most likely remain in the Seattle Mariners lineup for a while

With all that being said, I think we will see a lot of Jose Godoy moving forward. Tom Murphy is still struggling to find his 2019 self and currently owns a .163 batting average. I hate to call Murphy a liability but that’s what he pretty much is in the lineup.

If Godoy can continue to hit in the .250 area, he should be seeing the field more than Tom Murphy as he gets more comfortable with the Seattle Mariners pitching staff. Luis Torrens is still trying to figure out his offense in Tacoma and is hitting .182, so it will be a while for him to be wearing a Seattle Mariners uniform, I think.

Now you may be asking what about Cal Raleigh? Well while I agree with your thought process, I still think it’s beneficial to give Raleigh extended time in Tacoma. We have seen the struggles of Taylor Trammell, Jarred Kelenic, and Logan Gilbert, so there’s no reason to just hope that Cal Raleigh will be better prepared for the bigs than those three prospects.

I also wouldn’t discount Jose Godoy’s age. He is only 26-years-old and while he’s not a highly-touted prospect, Godoy may end up being a part of the Seattle Mariners future. Think about it… if Tom Murphy isn’t a Mariner by the end of the season, we are left with Luis Torrens, Cal Raleigh, and Jose Godoy (and maybe Jacob Nottingham).

So, I think there is a real case for Godoy to stick around in Seattle. Again, it’s a bit early for me to say this stuff but I am assuming that he continues to hit.