4 Mariners who have stood out after the first week of the 2024 season

Let's look at the glass half-full after the first week of the season to see which 4 Mariners have stood out so far

Boston Red Sox v Seattle Mariners
Boston Red Sox v Seattle Mariners / Alika Jenner/GettyImages
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This offseason was full of ups and downs. We went into it expecting a super busy offseason where Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander would be able to go big fish hunting. It was one of the most impressive free agent classes in recent memories, only to be given the "RSN" issues and payroll constraints.

Even with all of that, Dipoto and Hollander were extremely busy flipping this roster over. With new starters in five of the nine offensive positions, there was probably a lot of hope and optimism, as well as some skepticism; with so many new faces, there can be an adjustment period.

The team has played pretty well so far, splitting the opening series with the Red Sox, before taking game one against the Guardians. Some familiar faces have been really impressive; while Dipoto, Hollander, and company look to have found another solid bullpen arm (are we surprised because we shouldn't be). Let's take a look at four players who have stood out after the first week of Mariners baseball.

Gabe Speier has taken another step forward

Other than the offense (which was a huge talking point), the emphasis of this offseason was placed on the Mariners bullpen. The Mariners rely heavily on the pitching staff, which even though they are one of the best in the game, are still pretty young and inexperienced.

The Mariners were hoping that some of the other bullpen arms that they relied on a lot last year, like Gabe Speier and Trent Thornton. Gabe Speier has taken that challenge and looks like he is ready to become one of the more underrated relievers in the Mariners' bullpen.

After posting just 40 innings over four years, Speier pitched 54.2 innings in 2023, and not only was it the most innings in his career, but he was the most dominant in that extended look. He had a 3.79 ERA, but the underlying numbers show just how dominant he was. He walked just 1.8 per nine as well as an incredible 10.5 per nine and he hasn't skipped a beat this year. In just 2.1 innings, he hasn't walked a batter and has struck out five of the seven batters faced. Speier looks like he is ready for more work, as well as a more reliable arm that Scott Servais can call upon in 2024.

Surprise surprise... the Mariners found another solid bullpen arm

The Mariners bullpen looked gas late last year; after the Paul Sewald trade, guys were forced into more opportunities and higher leverage positions and it just wasn't the same bullpen we had grown accustomed to seeing. There was a lot of talk this offseason about adding to the bullpen, and the Mariners did quite a bit to improve it, even after losing Justin Topa.

With a bullpen of Munoz, Brash, Santos, Stanek, and a few other solid mid-leverage options, it didn't seem like the Mariners had a lot of holes there, when healthy, this might be the best bullpen the Mariners have assembled. However, with Brash and Santos starting on the injured list, there was some uncertainty about how they would fill in the gaps.

If the Mariners are good at one thing, it is finding reclamation bullpen arms and turning them into very solid relievers. We could do a whole article on just those names, but today, we focus on what looks like another hit by the Mariners: Austin Voth.

When you think about Mariner's bullpen arms, you think about high velocity, sweepers, and high spin rates. That is exactly what Voth is and the Mariners seemed to have found something. It's only been two innings, but Voth has only allowed two hits, no runs, walking just one batter and striking out four of the six outs. Even more impressive is perhaps his sweeper; it is filthy! With it being over 10 mph slower, on average than the fastball, and with a spin rate of over 2650 his sweeper is generating a crazy 66.7% whiff rate. Obviously, that won't hold over the year, but you can already tell, it's going to be a problem for hitters!

These 2 Mariners bats have been a pleasant surprise so far

Ty France

Many fans were calling for Ty France's head in 2023; he struggled mightily, and he knows that. France is too good of a hitter to let his 2023 season override his very solid 2021 and 2022 seasons. France spent a lot of time at Driveline in Seattle, Washington, giving fans a lot of hope he can have the same type of results that JP Crawford yielded last year.

So far, the results have been awesome! France leads the team in hits with six and has struck out just four times. He looks very comfortable at the plate and has driven the ball to all fields. France doesn't have any extra-base hits yet, but he is hitting the ball extremely hard (94.9 average exit velocity; last year it was 87.5 mph), as well as barreling up the baseball (14.3-barrel percentage when last year it was at 6.8%).

France being a solid to above-average bat for this team in 2024 could be huge! He will most likely slot in around the number six or seven spot in the lineup, which is a lot better spot than forcing him in to the three-or-four-hole spot like last year. This could take some pressure off of France, and when you pair that with his suspected faster bat speed, we could be looking at a career year for France.

Mitch Haniger

One of the biggest fan favorites in Mariner's history returned this year and I don't think that you could find a Mariners fan that wasn't ecstatic to have him back. Haniger delivered in some big-time moments for the Mariners.

There is no question that, when healthy, Haniger is a very productive hitter and that should continue for the Mariners this year. The biggest question is "Can the Mariners keep him healthy enough to be an impact bat?". If you are looking for an impact bat, however, the Mariners haven't had a more impactful offensive player than Haniger so far in 2024. with five hits, he is second on the team, and with three RBIs, he is tied for the team lead.

Haniger is off to a hot start and will certainly be a key contributor when in the lineup. Hopefully Scott Servais can manage his playing time and keep him healthy for the entire year. If they can get 100+ games out of Haniger, they will be very thankful and ride his production into the playoffs.

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