Josh Naylor is quietly succeeding where Cal Raleigh is loudly failing for Mariners

Coming out of the All-Star break, the pressing question was which struggling hitters would rally, with Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor at the top of the list. For all the issues with injuries and an unreliable bullpen, the offense has been the biggest disappointment this year and was in most need of getting going to ignite the team's playoff challenge. Well, in the case of Raleigh and Naylor specifically turning things around, we guess one out of two is better than nothing.

Raleigh has endured an absolute nightmare this year, starting all the way back during the World Baseball Classic. Unfortunately for the Mariners he has just never been able to get going, highlighted by a .125 batting average and 63 wRC+ since the All-Star break. In fairness to him, a new report from Adam Jude of The Seattle Times suggests he still isn't over his left oblique strain and will need a full offseason to completely recover although, without meaning to sound callous, this doesn't help the team in the here and now.

Naylor, on the other hand, has been in tremendous form post-All-Star break, exemplified by hitting .320 with a 140 wRC+. Finally, we're seeing more of the player who galvanized the Mariners last year following his trade from Arizona, and was arguably the main reason they came within just eight outs of a first trip to the World Series. Certainly, you have to hand it to him for getting his act together, following a rough start to this season.

We're not even being hyperbolic when we say rough, as Naylor put together an ugly stat line through his first 15 games, which included batting .102, with a .299 OPS and -8 wRC+. Seriously, it seemed as if the 2024 All-Star couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. The five-year, $92.5 million deal he signed during the offseason had gone from being team-friendly, to making you almost want to call 911 and report him for stealing money.

It's taking a while, but Josh Naylor is trending towards last year's heroics for the Mariners

Naylor then hit two home runs in his next game, versus the Astros, and seemed to get him going a little bit. However, he was still not in full Energizer Bunny mode for the Mariners at a time when they needed him most, especially with Raleigh spending a month on the Injured List. As if to compound things, Naylor was also giving subpar performances complete with unnecessary errors at first base.

It never quite got to the stage of the Mariners fanbase completely turning on Naylor, but the honeymoon period was effectively over. About the only thing that consoled people was that he had surely bottomed out, and better days were ahead for a career .270 hitter with close to a .770 OPS. And it's fair to say he has turned the corner and is now looking more like his old self.

We would contend there's still even more that Naylor needs to do as, despite making more prolific contact with his bat, he only has two homers and eight RBI in his 26 games since the All-Star break. To be clear though, we see this as a reason to be excited rather than concerned, for a player who averaged over 25 home runs and 100 RBI the past two seasons.

And if Naylor does go full Energizer Bunny mode again, he's fully capable of making up for Raleigh's ongoing struggles and once again leading the Mariners' stretch charge to another playoff spot. If you believe in miracles for a team seven games under .500, then he's the type of guy to put your faith in.

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