What do the Mariners Look Like with 2021 Jesse Winker?

Over the course of this season, Seattle Mariners outfielder Jesse Winker has definitely had his struggles and has mostly not looked like his past self while he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds.

The Jesse Winker of 2021 finished with an impressive .305 average and .949 OPS, with 24 HR. We have not seen that in Seattle yet, as Winker has struggled to reestablish himself as a dominant LH bat, posting a .219 average and .672 OPS with just 6 HR.

However, Winker has shown signs of improvement as of late.

While this is a tremendously small sample size, the past week has given us glimpses of the old Jesse Winker as he was a leading factor in the M’s producing back-to-back 8+ run nights.

How would the Mariners’ record look if we had a Jesse Winker as productive as this the entire season? As pointed out earlier, he had been a dominant bat in Cincinnati, and that was exciting to see come over in the March trade.

The Mariners’ struggles have been real, and we can agree that there are some clear holes in the roster. Winker seemed to be the answer in LF when acquired in the offseason; without diving too much into deep analytics, simply, the Seattle Mariners would absolutely have a better-looking record at this point in the season if there had been 2021 Winker in the lineup.

So, if this small sample size is a sign of what’s to come in the coming months, we definitely have reason to hope for a postseason run. If (and when?) the Mariners make a playoff run this October, Jesse Winker unlocking his past success will be a key piece to that run.

There is no doubt that if Jesse Winker continues to improve and reestablishes himself as a legitimate run-producing LH bat in the lineup, he will not only help propel the Mariners forward this season but could also cement himself as a fan-favorite for years to come here in Seattle.