5 Mariners players who could be the difference between success and failure in 2024

Mariners Difference Maker #4: Ty France

This, out of anyone on this list or even on the entire team, is the player that I want to see succeed in 2024. When Ty France is on, he is such a good hitter. It's more than that, though. He isn't just a good hitter, shoot, not even a great hitter. He's an incredible hitter. To hit .310 in today's game means something much different than what it used to, and France has shown the ability to do that over prolonged stretches in his career.

It's the HBPs and injuries that plague him, though. In mid-2022 he was hit by Nuese on a semi-dirty collision at first, and didn't hit the same the rest of the year. Last year, he took some pitches off his wrist and hands that hampered his play.

It's tough to just say "stop getting hit" when it's part of your approach and how you stand over the plate. We've all heard that he is going to driveline this offseason, and he's been there already. It made a massive improvement to JP Crawford's game. If we can see Ty France get back to the realm of .285/.355/.443 hitter, it's a win for the Mariners. And no, those aren't random numbers... they are his averages from the 2020-2022 seasons.