3 Mariners Predictions that we absolutely nailed (So far)

I recently wrote about 3 Mariners Predictions that we are already wrong about, but wanted to get back to the positive side of things. Sure, it's easy to fall into the negative, thinking about all the things that are going wrong. For me, I prefer to try and stick with the positive. Otherwise, it's easy to fall into a pit of despair, especially as a lifelong Mariners fan.

So, let's get positive.

There are plenty of things to be excited about in the world of the Seattle Mariners. Things haven't been going great to open the season. There is a great possibility that the baseball gods are punishing the team for the "luck" they've had in close games over the last two seasons. Or, it's just early season jitters and brainfarts. Let's hope it's the latter.

It all depends on your viewpoint. You can choose to dwell on the negative or you can embrace the good things that we have seen. Sure, they were swept by Milwaukee and once again we are talking about how they could've won 1-2 games in that series as last year's team likely would've done. There are other positive things to take away from the season so far, so let's jump in and look at three predictions that we are right about so far with the Mariners.

Mariners Prediction #1: Luis Castillo Cy Young

When Luis Castillo came to the Mariners, most fans had thoughts in the same frame of mind. Sure, we had gotten Robbie Ray, a former Cy Young winner, but he was viewed as a low-end one or a great number two. He was even paid as such with his 5YR/$110M deal. Getting Luis Castillo, though, meant that we had someone with bonafide Ace potential.

He pitched great in 2022 after the Mariners got him. A 3.17 ERA and a 2.91 FIP was exactly what we were looking for, and he topped it off with an utterly dominant performance against the Blue Jays to open the playoffs. He even pitched well against the Astros, despite a late homer to Mariners-killer Yordan Alvarez.

2023, so far, has been special. After seeing Logan Gilbert set team records for lowest ERA in April, Castillo did his best to try and top it. Luis Castillo can't get there, but his April has been incredibly impressive through his first four starts. 11 hits, 4 walks, 24.2 IP, 26 Ks, and just two Earned Runs. His last start was perfect through 6, and that's not conjecture. It took a flare from Andrus to break it up in the 7th inning.

I'm not saying that Castillo keeps up a 0.73 ERA for the entire season. This isn't MLB The Show. Let's say that he makes 28 more starts, averages 6 innings a start, bumps up to last seasons K rate, and pitches to a 2.79 ERA (53 runs in 168 innings). That would see him finish up with 224 Ks in 192.2 IP, with an ERA of 2.52. That seems Cy Young worthy to me.

Mariners Prediction #3: Ty France will win the batting title

Ty France has started out hot and healthy, and I love it. If you've paid attention at all to our site over the last couple of seasons, we have been big-time proponents of Ty France, and the fact that he might just be one of the best hitters in all of baseball... when he is healthy. So far in 2023, that seems to be the case.

I'm writing this during the Mariners off day, as they try and forget the Brewers and prepare for the Cardinals. I chose today because I said that Ty France would hit .315 this season and win the batting title. Well, through 19 games, Ty France is hitting .316. That's even after (well, hopefully after) a mini slump that saw him go just 4-20.

France looks really good at the plate. He's getting some walks in, leads the league in doubles so far with 9, and has struck out just 10 times. That's a tiny K rate of just 11.4%, which is about half the league average rate (22.9%). If France can continue to see the ball like this all season, we might see him break into the top-10 list for doubles, as he needs 41 to T-10. The record is a lofty one, as A-Rod had 54 back in 1996.

Could France hit 45 doubles and win the batting title? It's early, but he is already on the right track to do so.