Three Seattle Mariners takeaways from the month of May

The Mariners have wrapped up another month of baseball, and have just started another road trip. This time around, they will be playing three in Baltimore, three in Texas, and three in Houston.

We will have previews up for each series, and make sure to talk about the games as they happen. I actually want to look back at May and find some of the important and meaningful occurrences that transpired.

Here are three takeaways for the Mariners from the month of May

Mariners May Takeaway #1: JP Crawford needs to be in the middle/back half of the lineup

JP Crawford has turned in two separate seasons this year, and it all depends on where he is hitting within the lineup. If the Mariners can keep Crawford down at the #5 spot, it really lengthens out the lineup, and keeps stress on opposing pitchers in spots 1-5. The problem is finding a 3 and a 4 hitter. Julio can take one of them, but the Mariners really need either Suarez or Winker to step it up and fill that other spot.

Lewis is back, which helps, and Haniger should be back in a few weeks as well. Until then, the Mariners really need someone on the team to step it up.

Mariners May Takeaway #2: Logan Gilbert is making an argument to be an Ace

Gilbert is a stud. He’s turning into not just a front-of-the-line starter, but a legit Ace. I don’t think he is there yet, but he has shown that he has what it takes to get there. The velo is still up compared to 2021 (95.6 mph compared to 95.3) on the 4-seamer, and the slider is up to 87.1 from 83.4 mph. If he can limit the exit velo a bit, his numbers are going to stay in the low 2’s for ERA, and be an incredible asset for the Mariners as the summer comes on.

Mariners May Takeaway #3: Servais might be at risk of losing his job

I remember bringing this up last year on a podcast. Is Servais good? The Mariners were 21-26, and we just weren’t sure if he could cut it anymore as the manager. Fast forward just over a year, and the Mariners are sitting there with a very similar record with the same questions being asked. Should we expect the team to win 60% of their games to finish out the year as they did in 2021? I know that’s the hope, but hope and reality are two different things.

I think they should keep him around. No Haniger, No Lewis, Kelenic in AAA, Toro/Muprhy are out, Sadler/Giles are out. Winker/Suarez aren’t panning out. Are those his fault? Most likely not. Could a fresh face vitalize the team? Possibly. However, I like what he did last year, and he’s been with the team through the bad and should get a chance to stick around through the good.

The rumors are out there though, from fans speculating to players reportedly questioning the direction of the team with Servais at the helm. Do you think he is still with the team come the All-Star break?

What did you take away from the month of May? Another month is here, and as the weather warms up, we hope that the Mariners offense does as well. As always… Go Mariners!