Three Bold Mariners Predictions for the Month of April

IT’S TIME FOR MARINERS BASEBALL!

That’s all I can think of the last week or so. Well, really, ever since the lockout ended, it’s what I’ve been waiting for. That day would be here if not for the inclement weather that is besieging Minnesota currently, which resulted in the game being pushed back to Friday the 8th to open the season against the Twins.

We’ve got a series preview coming out this week as well, so make sure to check back and read that too. (inside note… if you’re reading this after Friday morning, the link should actually be here to click on.)

Until then, this is going to be the first of a new series we will be putting out throughout the season. Each month, we will come up with some predictions on what we think will happen. Sure, we will try and keep them realistic most of the time, but you have to be crazy once in a while as weird things definitely happen in baseball.

We won’t get too crazy to start though. Let’s take a look at a few things that could happen this month with the Mariners.

Prediction #1: Julio Rodriguez decides “The ROY is Mine!”

I think this is the player prediction that everyone most wants to happen. For Julio to come out, firing on all cylinders, and seize the Rookie of the Year award with a strong April.

It’s a big ask. He’s 21 all season, and would be one of the youngest players to win the award. Especially when you realize how much baseball was missed from pandemic-related cancellations.

Then, add in that he barely has any time at even AA baseball, and you realize that it’s going to make it even more impressive when Julio comes out and hits well. He has hit well everywhere that he has been, knocking down any obstacle placed in front of him. Double A, the Olympics, or spring training, he’s hit well at all of them.

There are going to be some slow sections of the month. A 1-7 here and a 2-11 there, but that’s only a small part of the picture. He’s going to make us forget about those easily with some magnificent series where he hits .500, going 6-12 or 7-14.

Julio is gonna come out and hit .280/.350/.480 this month, rapping 5 HR and stealing a handful of bases as well. Pairing that with what turns out to be slightly above average defense in Center, and we are going to see Julios play take a look at Detroit and Kansas City while saying “This award is mine.” Not only that… he’s gonna hit a homerun during the first game of the series in Minnesota.

Prediction #3: Chris Flexen has a bad month for the Mariners

This goes back to the bold predictions I made for the season, and I think it starts early. In one of his first two starts, Flexen is gonna get rocked. Like, 3 IP & 7 Runs badly rocked. Are they all earned? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s the start of a bad April for Flexen, and things never get any better after that. He pitches decent sometimes, but as April draws to a close, he ends up sitting around an 8.50 ERA.

Remember 2021, how Flexen really struggled on the road? It seemed like a lot of his starts were away from Seattle for quite a while, and it was skewing his stats. His splits ended up being pretty crazy halfway through the year due to the absolute drubbing he took from the Padres.

Well, I think the start in Minnesota could be the start of another rough road for Flexen. The Mariners outfield defense isn’t that good. With Kelenic needing to show improvement, Julio unproven at the MLB level as well as center field, and Haniger and Winker below average (Winker is worse), it seems like a recipe for disaster for a pitcher that sees a lot of his pitches end up in play.

Only time will tell if any of these things are actually going to happen. It sure would be awesome to see Julio and Geno rake all month, and I would love to be wrong about Flexen. Baseball is here though, and for now, that’s good enough for me. Go Mariners!