Jorge Polanco's shaky Mets start calms Mariners fans' fears of missing out

As much as this is arguably the most complete Mariners roster since 2001, it doesn't mean there weren't some concerns entering the season, including wondering if Jorge Polanco would be missed. Last season he was an integral part of the lineup with 26 home runs and a .821 OPS, and his performances during this spring with the Mets only increased the fear of missing out.

Well, based on the early returns in New York, Mariners fans can perhaps start to breathe a little easier. Not that anyone wants to see the likeable Polanco struggle, but in hitting just 3-for-15 and with only one RBI through four games with the Mets, this is the type of productivity — or lack thereof — that isn't going to be missed back in Seattle.

To give the 2019 All-Star some credit, it hasn't been a total disaster, with only two strikeouts and five walks in his 20 plate appearances. In addition, he just missed out on a walk-off win in Sunday's home series finale versus the Pirates, which would have made him an instant fan favorite.

Where's the encouraging defense the Mets raved about with Jorge Polanco during spring training?

However, all the walks and the near-miss on a walk-off hit doesn't change the reality of an overall underwhelming .667 OPS and 95 OPS+. Also not helping Polanco is his struggles at first base, in stark contrast to during spring when the Mets seemed to be almost trolling the Mariners by raving about how well he was adjusting to his new position on the field.

These struggles by Polanco at first base were particularly on display during Saturday night's game against the Pirates, when he dealt with a few tough fielding plays that fortunately for him didn't ultimately cost the Mets. As per Colin Martin of SNY, manager Carlos Mendoza said there's so much more the 32-year-old should be doing, but stressed it's also about getting more defensive reps to help him improve playing at first base.

Polanco wasn't exactly renowned for his defense in Seattle, where he mostly played at second base when he was on the field the past two seasons. In fact by last year it had gotten to the point that Cole Young saw more time at the position and after some teething problems — particularly struggling to make plays to his right — has really started to come into his own in 2026.

Cole Young is more than compensating with his bat for the Mariners

As for people reminding that it's Polanco's bat which is his main draw, even in this area Young is starting to look much more promising. Last year the 22-year-old hit just .211 with a .607 OPS, but following a firm directive from Julio Rodríguez, he worked on his conditioning and strength, and entered camp in fantastic shape.

The bat looked explosive during spring training as Young hit .281 with six (mostly crushed) home runs and a 1.016 OPS in 63 plate appearances, and this form has followed him into the regular season. Through six games he's batting .333 with a .935 OPS and 180 OPS+ and that improved power was particularly on display when he belted a three-run bomb last Friday evening:

Now of course we absolutely appreciate it's still extremely early in the season. However, no matter how much some Mariners fans might still be missing Polanco, there's plenty to like at this stage that Young is going to more than make up for his absence in Seattle.