3 reasons Mariners fans loved April, 2 worries that still remain

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The Mariners had one of the wierdest months in a while that I can remember. Not just for a team that I root for, but for a team, period. We've touched on it a fair amount, but now that the first month (including March) is done, it's time to look back at it with a bit more attention to see what all happened, and how the Mariners have gotten to where they are.

It's been a mix of good and bad for the Mariners, but we all know that this team has weaknesses. If you went back to the start of the Reds series, I don't think there would be a single reasonable or realistic fan out there that would've expected this team to go 11-3 against the likes of the Reds, Rockies, Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Braves (with a single game left against the Braves).

Think about that group. One of the most exciting teams in baseball, a series in Colorado, the two World Series teams, and then the best team in baseball. The Mariners went 11-3 against them, and they did it with a batting split of .232/312/.405. 18 homers sure helped, but we all know the reason they did so well was the pitching, and that with any offense whatsoever, they likely could've gone 13-1.

So, what was the good and what was the bad? Let's take a look, starting with the negatives before finishing on a strong note. You know, just like the Mariners did in the month of April.

#1 Mariners' Worry: The Strikeouts

This was supposed to be a thing of the past, yet, it cna be argued that it is worse than ever. Not only are the Mariners striking out the most, but they are also doing it at the highest rate. I saw something good online (for the life of me I can't remember who from) explaining that the amount of strikeouts a team has isn't always bad. It was about the Dodgers I think, who were a top ten team in strikeouts at the time, but when looking at strikeout rate, were just above average.

Yet, the Mariners lead the league in both categories. If not for literally one of the best stretches of pitching that anyone in the Majors has ever seen, the Mariners would be a laughingstock right now because of their offense. 28.7%. That's their strikeout rate. Normally you would be accepting of having 1-2 people above that number. Yet, that's what they are doing as a team.

Some timely homers have helps assuage some of the games they easily could've lost (thank you, Mitch Garver), but it's a massive problem that needs to be rectified. Maybe, just maybe, if some of their big named players started showing up, this wouldn't be a problem. Hey, speaking of stars...

#2 Mariners' Worry: The (lack of) Starpower impact

I'm not worried about Julio at all. I know that some people are, but personally, I'm not. He's 23, and his "bad" month still led to a .256/.298/.306 with 7 steals. No, it's not good. However, if that is the worst that a player has really ever looked at the plate, I'll take it.

That being said...

Julio, my guy. What happened to the power? He's 151st out of 182 qualified players in slugging, with just a single homer and three doubles on the season. His hard-hit rate and exit velo are down a bit, but they are still strong and sitting in the 71st and 80th percentiles, respectively.

He seems to be struggling in the clutch as well, and in key moments. Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports, and I don't want to sound like a keyboard warrior, but more as a fan who is struggling with watching such an incredible talent struggle at the plate. The weak pop out to Kelenic, and then first pitch swinging and rolling a ball over against a pitcher who was struggling with his control is tough to watch.

He will come around, I'm sure of it. He's a career .236/.296/.347 hitter in March/April, and a .281/.326/.484 in May, so let's hope those splits are a good indicator of success this month going forward.

#1 Mariners' Positive: The Big 3

Let's just go ahead and give a paragraph or so to each of them. It's Luis Castillo, George Kirby, and Logan Gilbert that I'm talking about, as they form an incredibly dangerous three-headed monster at the front of the rotation.

La Piedra, after worrying some fans with his start to the season, proved that it was the underlying numbers that we needed to look at, and not just the ERA. With a 3.29 FIP in his first three starts, you just knew he was going to turn it around despite the 6.89 ERA. The last four starts showed exactly that, as he has 26 innings with a 1.38 ERA and 31 strikeouts, and just gave the Braves a whooping on Tuesday night.

George Kirby started off real similar to Castillo, struggling in his first couple of outings. He had an 8.16 ERA but a 2.88 FIP through three starts. Those numbers are always a good indicator of future performance, and he showed way as well. He's given up two runs, two walks, and struck out 25 over his last three starts, good for a 1.00 ERA and a 1.44 FIP. Kirby is exerting himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball again, and it's just a joy to watch.

Then, there's my boy Logan Gilbert aka Walter. He struggled against Milwaukee, giving up three homers. Since then, he is rocking a 1.32 ERA across 27.1 innings in four starts, with a slash line of .149/.206/.266 against him. Add in a 0.769 WHIP, and you can see why Gilbert was given the honors of the best #3 starter on any team in baseball. Personally, it's not even close, and Gilbert is showing he's probably a top 15 pitcher in baseball.

#2 Mariners' Positive: Emergence of Miller

Bryce Miller. Holy crap.

The first start of the year was a struggle. Everything about the start of the year for the Mariners was essentially a struggle, so this fits in line with that. The last five starts though are showing why so many teams were trying to acquire Miller in the offseason for the Mariners.

5 GS
30.1 IP
4 ER
13 H
10 BB
33 K
.128/.205/.255 slash

That's what you expect from the top of your rotation, not from your #4. To get that just stabs opponents straight in the heart. You just know they are thinking something along the lines of "okay, we got through Castillo, Kirby, and Gilbert, so now we can take a breather as we face... oh crap, it's Miller."

Throw some more expletives in there most likely, and it's probably going through their minds.

Expect a bit of a downturn soon, as his FIP is 3.81 compared to the 2.03 ERA. He's giving up some hard hit balls when people actually make contact, sitting blue in exit velo. Players aren't chasing his pitches, but they are also whiffing a ton when they actually swing, so it's a bit of a trade off there. Still, a bit of a slowdown/downturn by Miller is still a great pitcher, and hes a massive part of their backhalf success in April.

#3 Mariners' Positive: Josh Rojas putting the team on his back

Who would think that the Mariners best hitter in April would've been Josh Rojas? Does that make any sense to anyone? This is a guy that they acquired for Sewald, and plenty a fan thought that he wasn't even going to be playing that much.

Even heading into 2024, it seemed like there was a shot that he was going to lose a fair amount of playing time to Polanco and Urias. He has a bit, but has still managed 66 AB, and is slashing an impressive .318/.408/.530. I don't expect that to keep up whatsoever, but that was a monster April from Rojas. If they can get some decent numbers from him going forward with a bit of that sneaky speed, the offense is going to be just fine.

Mentioned it earlier, but the offense has to turn it around at some point and start producing. If Rojas can be a strong part of that, things are going to be just fine. Make sure to check out the schedule for May in our breakdown, and let's hope that the Mariners can keep it up. The pitching is going to cool off, but on the flipside, the bats have to pick up at some point. Go Mariners!

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