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5 Mariners players who could get the team to the playoffs
This could be fun to watch, but time is running out for the Mariners to make the playoffs, and these 5 players could play a pivotal role down the stretch
As the season winds down, reality is starting to set in. This team, in a surprisingly disappointing AL West division, blew what was a prime opportunity to stake their claim as the new division leader. A massive 10 game lead gave Mariners fans a ton of optimism, but many came to the realization that it may not be so easy. The offense continued to struggle, the Houston Astros surged, and the bullpen was forced to work extra hard (particularly Andres Munoz).
With just a handful of games left, the Mariners can likely only lose one or two more games, while needing some help from other American League teams. Seattle certainly has the talent to do it, and if certain players can get hot and carry this team, Mariners fans could be blessed with October baseball. After the Yankees series, Seattle will have just nine games to make up enough ground to make their second playoff appearance in the last three years. If they hope to do that, they will need some players to really step up.
Bryan Woo needs to get back on track to get Seattle to the postseason
Without a doubt, the strength of this Mariners team lies in the pitching. A starting rotation that is easily a top 3 unit in the game, pairs well with one of the best closers in baseball. The youthfulness that this group possesses is entertaining to watch, but perhaps none more than Bryan Woo.
Woo's season got off to a rough start as there were some serious concerns about his elbow and many fans started thinking about the dreaded "Tommy John surgery", or the possibility that he might need to move to the bullpen. After returning from the injured list, Woo has been neck and neck with Gilbert as the team's best starter. Though his 110.1 innings don't compare to the workhorse that Gilbert has been (191.2 innings pitched), Woo has been electric with one of the best fastballs in the game. His 2.85 ERA and miniscule .9 BB/9 are some of the best numbers in the game.
Woo had a rough start to open the series against the Yankees but will still make two more appearances versus the Rangers and to open the series against the Athletics. Woo has made three career starts against the Rangers and has only been able to work through nine total innings, giving up a total of 12 runs.
He has yet to face them this year, but hopefully he will be better this year, as the 2024 Rangers offense is vastly different than last year's juggernaut squad that slugged their way to a World Series. Woo has absolutely dominated the A's in his career with just a .68 ERA in 26.1 innings. Hopefully the Mariners still have something to play for during his last start, as Woo could dominate Oakland yet again. If Seattle hopes to clinch another playoff spot, Woo is going to have to be excellent in his two remaining starts.
A potential rookie, high-leverage reliever could play a massive role in Seattle clinching a playoff spot
What looked like it could be on the deepest positions the Mariners had, quickly lacked depth and certainty. Injuries to both Matt Brash and Gregory Santos have forced a lot of pressure on Andres Munoz while inserting other guys into more high leverage spots than they should be. Guys like Trent Thornton, Austin Voth and Collin Snider have all been good to varying degrees, but they are better suited in the mid-leverage spots. The team has really needed another late-inning guy as Munoz has carried the loan.
Insert 22-year-old, UC Irvine pitcher, Troy Taylor. The Mariners have seemingly found another solid reliever in the six-foot righty with mid-to-upper 90's heat and a devastating slider. The Mariners actually drafted Taylor twice (the 20th round in 2021, and the 12th round in 2022). Taylor dominated in his time in the minor leagues and after just 88 innings, Seattle knew that Taylor was ready for the big leagues, and he has looked poised to take on a massive role. In just 13.2 innings, Taylor has 15 strikeouts while walking just three. His 1.98 ERA is impressive as relievers can really struggle to acclimate to the pressures of being a major league reliever.
With how nasty Taylor is, he, along with Munoz and Snider, will need to make up a sort of "three-headed monster" over the final week of baseball. Taylor may be just 22, but at this point in the year (and with an already inexperienced bullpen), you just need your best stuff out there every night, and Taylor is certainly in that category.
3 Bats that can carry the offense
This is the most obvious answer on this list. Julio Rodriguez, despite his struggles this year, is one of the best players in the game and has the potential to carry this offense all by himself (like he showed in August of last year). In what has been a bad year on the surface, Julio has had an absolutely dominant September. In 15 games, he is slashing .328/.356/.522 with three home runs and eight RBI. He has come through with some big hits in the last week and he will need to continue that over the final week or so if Seattle has any chance of making the playoffs... but not like Wednesday night.
One of the best moves of the offseason was when Seattle traded utility infielder, Jose Caballero, for Luke Raley. While the offense continues to struggle, Raley has, surprisingly, been a relatively consistent producer in the middle, while also providing the Mariners with some athleticism and positional flexibility.
Raley's numbers on the year are impressive (.244/.322/.469 with 21 home runs and 11 stolen bases, a 129 wRC+), but what is perhaps even more impressive are his numbers since August 1. During that span, Raley's 198 wRC+ would rank second in all of baseball (tied with Yordan Alvarez and only behind Aaron Judge), while his .290/.402/.660 is a stat line of an MVP type player. His 10 home runs don't seem like much but are three more than any other Mariners player during that time. Raley isn't the big-name player like Julio (or the guy we will talk about next), but if him playing the Robin to Julio's Batman could be just what the Mariners need to make a run at the division, or wild card spot.
One of the best playoff runs happened when baseball fans got to see "playoff Randy" go wild. During the 2020 postseason, Arozarena slashed .337/.442/.831 with 10 home runs in just 20 games. This just illustrates the type of streak that someone like Randy Arozarena can go on, and how much it can carry a team.
While Mariners fans shouldn't expect that same time of insane production in a short amount of time, the offense may need something like it. With just a handful of games left, the offense needs to get hot; it is now or never if they want to be playing baseball next month.
The Mariners thought they were getting the typical Arozarena after he slashed .284/.379/.545 in July, but since coming to Seatle, he hasn't been able to sustain that same level of production. In 44 games with the Pacific Northwest, Arozarena is slashing .239/.356/.399 with just five home runs. These numbers are solid, but if Seattle really wants to go on a run and make a push for the division or the wild card, he may need to channel his inner "playoff Randy" for Mariners fans.
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