Overdue Mariners lineup shuffle must start with a major Cal Raleigh change

The Seattle Mariners have scored just 24 times in their last 11 games, a rate of barely more than two runs per game. This is after the returns of Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford off the injured list were meant to get the lineup rolling, so something clearly has to give.

And that something must be Raleigh's everyday status as Dan Wilson's No. 2 hitter.

Not to toot our own horn or anything — narrator: that is exactly what's happening — but we were touting a shakeup of Wilson's go-to lineup even before Raleigh finished his month-long recovery from a strained oblique. The idea was to get him lower in the order, where he could focus on doing damage instead of being an all-of-the-above hitter.

Well, all eight of the 2025 AL MVP runner-up's starts since his return off the IL have been in the No. 2 hole. He's 6-for-30 with just one homer, adding to a body of evidence that he hits better elsewhere, specifically in the No. 3 spot:

• As No. 2 Hitter: .760 OPS, 15.0 AB/HR
• As No. 3 Hitter: .862 OPS, 14.2 AB/HR

This isn't even the hottest take about where Raleigh should have slotted into the lineup after he came off the IL. Mitch Garver went even further, suggesting that Wilson could take some pressure off "Big Dumper" but moving him all the way down into the No. 5 hole.

Even in the abstract, the conventional wisdom on who should bat second doesn't favor guys like Raleigh. A team's best hitter is supposed to go there, and he was more of an all-or-nothing type even before he followed up last year's 60-homer barrage with the .168 average and .581 OPS his statline shows today. His career OBP coming out of 2025 was .314, whereas the standard No. 2 hitter is getting on base at a .341 clip this season.

Who should take Cal Raleigh's spot in the Mariners' order is the hard part to figure out

Of course, if not Raleigh, then who should bat second for Wilson?

Julio Rodríguez would be the obvious answer if he was in second-half mode, but it's apparently still a little early for that. Josh Naylor has likewise been short of warm all season. Put their numbers together, and you only get a .252/.313/.399 slash line and a 104 wRC+.

As such, experimentation might be the best way forward.

Given that they have both done well out of the leadoff spot, stacking Cole Young and J.P. Crawford in the top two spots ahead of Raleigh and Julio is one option. Wilson could otherwise keep Crawford in the No. 1 hole and go with a hot hand at No. 2. For the season to date, the leading candidates are Randy Arozarena (134 wRC+) and Dominic Canzone (152 wRC+). Brendan Donovan (144 wRC+) will be another option once he's healthy.

It's either this or do nothing, and that amounts to expecting different results from the same process. With the offense as stalled out as it is, that's asking for trouble.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow