3 Mariners players fighting for their futures heading into the 2024 season

Ty France hopes to tap into some of the Driveline magic

France was one of the Mariners' better hitters in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, posting a 129 and 125 wRC+, respectively. He was a high average, high on-base hitter with a little bit of slug, but he controlled the zone very well which is something that Dipoto loves. He is a first baseman, so the lack of power is a little disappointing, but a borderline .300 hitter with 20 home runs is a very good hitter.

That was just the issue in 2023, however, as France was just a .250 hitter and only hit 12 home runs while slugging a putrid .366. Many fans, me included, were calling for his job as these team starting to get hot, and seeing him struggle down the stretch made it all the more frustrating.

France stayed in Seattle to work with Driveline Baseball, the same group that aided in JP Crawford's breakout year. So far this spring France looks leaner with more muscle and his bat looks a lot faster. Unfairly or not, this has set up a lot of expectations for France to return to his 2021 and 2022 form, and maybe even surpass it.

Let's hope France does because he could see himself out of town pretty quickly if he struggles this year. He is only under contract through 2025 and the Mariners have Tyler Locklear who is seemingly pounding down the door to join the show.