4 Mariners who have surprised us this year

JP Crawford - .264/.381/.426 15 HR, 15.1 BB%, 131 wRC+, 3.7 WAR

The Mariners, fan appointed captain, and most obvious surprise this year is J.P. Crawford. Nobody on the Mariners and, perhaps in all of baseball, took a bigger step forward this year. J.P. has been a fairly average shortstop for the Mariners since arriving from Philadelphia but was the heartbeat for the young Mariners team. But J.P. wanted to prove he was more than an average shortstop and, boy, did he show everyone just how good he can be. He worked with Driveline Baseball in the offseason to rework his swing and approach and he has put himself in the elite category of shortstops.

He is top 20 in fWAR in the American League regardless of position. He is also 2nd in wRC+ among qualified shortstops, only to Corey Seager, in all of baseball, leading guys like Bo Bichette, Francisco Lindor, Xander Bogaerts and every single other shortstop you can think of not named Corey Seager. Thats how good J.P. has been. I think all of us thought J.P. had more in the tank but were unsure if he would ever reach his full potential as a Mariner. We have seen J.P. step up his game to an elite level and become one of the best shortstops in all of baseball. He has been the biggest surprise for the Mariners this season while being one of the most consistent bats in the lineup. He has been a key cog in the lineup and will