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Mariners 2023 Report Card: Wildly varying opinions from the folks here at Sodo Mojo
We looked at the fan reactions to the Mariners 2023 grades, and now it's time to take a look at what the fine folks here at Sodo Mojo think about the 2023 season
I love baseball, but holy cow can it be stupid sometimes. So many things that, if they would've gone a little bit differently, the Mariners would've been sitting at home during Wild Card weekend... but doing so while waiting for the ALDS to start as the Champions of the AL West. That's how close it was in 2023, and a good reminder when taking a look at the season as a whole to give it a "grade".
That's what we are here to do today. Last week, we went through and gathered up some comments from you, the fans, to look at what kind of grade you thought the Mariners should get for 2023. It can be a bit tough to get the information online through Twitter or "X", since we are limited in our poll options. The majority of you felt the same, but it was hard to tell how wide it was. Did everything want to say a B- or C+? Or were there a lot of B+ and C- in there as well?
Today, you'll get some exact grades from folks here at Sodo Mojo. Not everyone turned in a grade, but we still got a handful of them. Let's take a look and see what some of the staff here grades the Mariners 2023 season, and what they end up with on their report card. Let's start off with the other expert here, and see what Trevor had to say.
Trevor Pedro: Mariners earn a B- for the 2023 season
The Mariners came into this season with some considerable hype and rightfully so. They were coming off a second consecutive e 90-win season. They had a franchise icon who won the American League Rookie of the Year award. Their pitching was deep and their bullpen was strong. Jerry Dipoto swung a trade for noted slugger Teoscar Hernandez and filled out around the edges (AJ Pollock, Kolten Wong) to raise the floor of the team.
Well, the latter didn’t work and it was a huge determant to the team realizing their goal of making a deep playoff run.Because of the failures of Hernandez, Pollock, and Wong, General Manager Justin Hollander was forced to leverage the trade market by shipping closer Paul Sewald to Arizona for new platoon players (Dominic Canzone, Josh Rojas). It is safe to say the Mariners would’ve made the playoffs with Sewald on the roster.
They blew September late-game leads against Cincy, New York, Chicago, Texas, and Los Angeles. That is AT LEAST five winnable games right there. If Pollock and Wong actually performed up to the back of their baseball cards Sewald would still be here and the Mariners would be celebrating another playoff appearance. It’s always hard to put the onus on a small set of moves (or lack thereof) because baseball is a TEAM game. However, this group of transactions put the nail in the coffin of the 2023 season.
Michael Thompson: Mariners get a D grade for the 2023 season
The Mariners struck first in the offseason, acquiring Teoscar Hernandez to help get the offense close, then whiffed or sat out the rest of the offseason, when they were probably a bat short of being AL West champs. This set the tone for an offensively challenged first half of the season, that set you 10 games back of the division for much of the summer.
Because of this, leadership sold at the deadline (don't let anyone tell you differently) and put more stress on your pitching staff that had carried you. A pissed-off offense and a historic month by Julio Rodriguez turned you into the 2001 Mariners for 40 games and an AL West lead heading into September.
An incredible run that took everything to catch Houston and Texas, the final month was the consequences of their inaction. Julio cooled, and the staff ran out of gas. They missed the playoffs by 1 game and missed an AL West banner by 2 games.
Sure there are positives with JP turning into a franchise player, and the pitching staff and bullpen are absolute beasts for most of the season, but you can't in good conscience call this season a success or step forward. Ty France has fallen apart. Geno and Teo each struck out over 200 times. Kelenic was below average minus an MVP level April. The DH and 2B positions continue to haunt this franchise.
It's a good thing that Seattle was so close to a division title, but it also won't mean anything if the front office and players don't respond. Both have to get better and look for ways to improve.
The American League will probably never be as weak as it was this year, and it feels like the Seattle Mariners blew a special opportunity.
Jeff Nooney: The Mariners get a C on the season
My grade for this team is a solid C. Making the playoffs would have given them a B, but the reality is the only team they were better than was Minnesota. Frustrating and mediocre moves, not addressing obvious needs doomed the 2023 Mariners. Hopefully, this is the kick in the butt they need moving forward, similar to the 2012 Seahawks.
Chris O'Day: The Mariners get a B- on the 2023 season
Well, we started off with a B- from Trevor, and it's where we are going to end as well. The Mariners still had a good season, but it was just a bit short of what we needed. I think this team was due for a little falloff, especially after mixing overperformance and luck the last two seasons. Personally, I believe you can make the argument that this team was the most talented one that has taken the field the last three seasons. Things just didn't fall their way.
Season | One-Run Games | Extra-Inning Games |
|---|---|---|
2023 | 25-26 | 6-14 |
2022 | 34-22 | 11-5 |
2021 | 33-19 | 14-7 |
I know that success in one leads to success in the other, as extra-inning games are normally close ones. It still proves a good point though. They were 26 games over 500 in one run games over the last two seasons, while going 13 games over 500 in extras. Say they go simply 6-7 games over .500 in one-run games this year, and that would put them at 29-22, or four games better. Still a few worse than the previous seasons, but they would've gone 92-70, and won the division by a couple of games.
Does that come from Sewald being gone? Possibly. I still like that trade, and think that the Mariners killed the two proverbial birds with one stone, getting solid prospects and offensive pieces in return for a position of strength on an aging player. Canzone and Rojas helped, both having big plays, and Bliss looks like a stud in the Minors.
I still don't know what to think about the offseason, and how they go about it. Is Dipoto really that limited in what he can do, causing him to only be able to trade for players? Are they that stingy above him that he isn't able to offer deals? The only reason we got Robbie Ray was because he literally called the Mariners and asked to come play for them. Otherwise, it's a whole lot of nothing on the front (office).
If you get average production from all the people who came in, it's a great season. Pollock was supposed to be able to platoon, Wong was pretty darn good, and then you still get that same Teo season. If it happens, you don't have to send out Sewald to Arizona, and the bullpen, which was stretched at the end, likely finishes in great fashion. Is it wild to predict that an average season from Wong and Pollock, and the Mariners end up with 93-95 wins? I don't think that's crazy.
I'm not going to rag on Jerry too much. Those moves should've worked. It's easy to be angry in hindsight, but at the time they seemed solid, even if they were still a bat short. Which, again, goes back to whether he was even given the opportunity to try and add one via a FA signing.
The Mariners were so close this year, and I almost want to give them a B anyway. This is more of a 82.6% B-, not a 80.3%. The staff dominated, Woo and Miller had great years for how young they are, Julio played great again, albeit in a more roller coaster fashion. Raleigh had a darn good season, and JP might just have ascended. Kelenic flashed, Teo did good enough, and Rojas/Cabby were fun. Ford had a real good OPS+, and hit for good power (when he was able to make contact).
There's a part of me that wonders. If we knew at the start of the season that the Mariners would have a chance to win the AL West in game 161, how happy would we have been? Ecstatic? Expecting it? Still wanting more? It's not the ending we wanted, but it was still an exciting season.
Now, let's go out there and make an impact this offseason. Go Mariners!