Mariners 2022 Report Card: Ty France

Ty France is our All-Star first baseman for the 2022 season. In the photo above, he and Julio Rodriguez, the two Mariners representing Seattle, take in the All-Star experience.

France is one of the team’s celebration leaders, quick to reward his teammates’ excellent performances with a large shower of Gatorade. He also gives his friends a hard time as he did during George Kirby’s televised interview. France threw seeds at Kirby, put a towel over his head, and finally crowned him with an empty Double-Bubble container. Kirby, however, remained cool and calm, much like he was on the mound.

France was a solid first baseman, getting numerous double-plays and even getting two Astro players out at first base in an unusual move, an unassisted double-play. Hitting-wise, it makes sense to call France’s year a “tale of two seasons”: pre-injury and post-injury. At the beginning of the season, France was posting amazing hitting results. In April, his batting average was .337, an on-base percentage of .411, and his slugging percentage of .473 with 5 home runs. In May, his average and on-base percentage both increased to .355 and .427, respectively.

Ty France gets an A- for his 2022 Mariners report card.

France’s pre-injury play was A+ and then his post-injury score was B+ which averages out to an A-. France went on the 10-day injury list in mid-May for inflammation of his left wrist. Then on June 26, he was put on the same list a second time with a left elbow sprain. I suspect that these injuries to the same arm caused his batting averages, on-base percentages, and slugging percentages to come down in the remaining months.

I do not remember, however, that his first base performance suffered after the injuries. I expect that the long rest of the off-season should give France’s arm a chance to heal more completely.

It took me a second to realize why a group of fans at games were wearing berets, holding long loaves of bread, and holding the French flag. Of course, these were Ty France fans. It is difficult not to be a Ty France supporter when he offers so much in terms of leadership, entertainment, and skilled baseball playing for the Mariners.

P.S. A reminder that the 2023 All-Star Game will be in Seattle!