Mariners Hitters I’m Most Excited About After 2021 Season

The sting of losing Kendall Graveman seemed like it would over-shadow anything Abraham Toro could contribute to the Mariners after they traded for him in July. Less than a month into his tenure with Seattle, Toro had the fans behind him 100%. He put an exclamation point on what was one of the most impressive starts to a Mariners career we have ever seen when he took the aforementioned Graveman deep for a go-ahead grand slam against his former team.

Toro cooled off significantly toward the end of the year, but given all Dipoto gave up to get him, it would seem he figures into the future plans for this ball club. I’m most excited to see where he fits in next year and what kind of production they can get out of him over a full 162. His defense at second felt a bit shaky (especially after watching Dylan Moore field at a clip of .987 over 66 games at the position) but considering it isn’t his natural position, that doesn’t feel too concerning.

What I’m really curious to see is whether he will remain the everyday guy at 2B or whether they shift him back over to 3B where he might be more comfortable defensively. I’m sure free agency will play a factor in deciding his role in the infield, but I’d imagine Servais will make it a priority to get him regular at-bats regardless so he can continue to develop at the big-league level.