Mariners: 3 Reasons Kolten Wong will figure it out, and 3 Reasons he won't

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I think nearly all Mariners fans are in agreement that something has to be wrong with Kolten Wong. He hasn't looked the same since the Mariners acquired him in the offseason, and he hasn't been producing at all. I was incredibly excited to get him, as I've been a fan of his for quite a while. I led the wagon in the offseason, making arguments to people that Wong WAS going to be good and that he would be a great hitter to have on the team, possibly at the top in front of Julio. Instead, it's been bad.

He hasn't been producing. Like, at all. It's been bad. It took until April 26th for him to have his first extra-base hit of the season (a double). He has just three multi-hit games on the season so far.

Can Kolten Wong figure it out? Or are we set to watch another veteran second baseman squander away a shot and produce nothing but a black hole of despair at the position? Let's take a look at both sides of the argument and look at 3 reasons why Kolten Wong is going to figure it out... and 3 reasons why he won't.

Why Wong will Figure it Out: He's always been a slow starter

March and april have been Wong's worst month of his career. So far, he has been .240 over that time. Yes, it's come along with a .326/.350 at the end of it, but that's still not near his career average. Currently sitting at .171/.263/.186, that's a far cry from his average, but not as bad as you would think.

May does get better (.252 BA), but June and July have always been where the power shows. He has a career SLG of .426 in those two months. When you combine a new place, a new stadium, and a slow starter, it makes a little bit more sense as to why he's struggled.

Why Wong will Figure it Out: He's always been a darn good hitter

Here's why I've been a fan of Wong. Second baseman are notoriously light hitters. Wong sort of breaks that, playing closer to a poor man's Brandon Phillips instead. He's shown multiple seasons with 20/20 potential. 14 HR in 2021 and 15 in 22, with 24 SB in 2019.

Over the last six seasons (2017-2022), Wong hit .269/.349/.414 with 54 HR and 72 SB in 686 games. That's something that every Mariners fan should want, all day and every day, from a second baseman.

Why Wong will Figure it Out: He's had a good stretch recently

Wong has actually been hitting better as of late. A short sample within a short sample, yes, but 7/17 with a double and two walks and just three Ks shows promise, especially since he has hits in 4 of 5 games. Could Wong actually be heating up? Are we getting primed to see the .260 hitter that we thought we would be seeing?

Why Wong WON'T Figure it Out: Where are the XBH?

1 Double. 0 Homers. That's embarrassing for a guy with decent pop to put up through 70 ABs. Over his career, Wong has averaged about 12 HR and 26 2B per 162 games. So, through 22 games, we should have seen something like 2 HR and 4 2B. But we've seen none of that. Part of it is attributed to his lack of exit velocity. He's sitting at 83.8 mph, around 3 mph below his career average. He's always been a bit below average, but this is woeful and nearly unplayable if someone without top end speed is going to hit the ball that soft.

Why Wong WON'T Figure it Out: Where is the Speed?

Speaking of speed, it's not like Wong has top end speed. However, he has shown an ability to effectively steal bases in the past. I mentioned it earlier, but it wasn't that long ago (2019) that he stole 24 bases. With the bigger bases, I thought it was reasonable to predict that he could stick in the high-teens with his steals, even as he is a few years into his 30s.

So far this year, though, he has as many steals in the majors as I do. Spoiler alert, I don't play in the majors.

Chances are, it's going to come as he starts to figure it out... if he figures it out. That speed is going to help the Mariners a lot, especially if it's something else that pitchers have to think about while facing the top of the Mariners order. If the speed doesn't play at all, his bat needs to get back to the .270 level with nearly 20 HR, or else he just doesn't bring enough to the table, especially if the speed isn't there on defense as well.

Why Wong WON'T Figure it Out: What happened to the Defense?

It wasn't that long ago that Wong was a back-to-back Gold Glove winner. 2019 and 2020. Yet, here we are just a few years later, and Wong is already sitting at a -0.6 on defensive WAR. That's awful.

Last year, his numbers on defense were down, but the supposed reason had to do with a calf injury that he was dealing with. I haven't heard anything about Wong being hurt, so that reason can't be there anymore. We haven't seen anything from Wong in any facet of his game. The Mariners need him to turn it around everywhere. Defense, speed, and at the plate. It hasn't looked good, and it easily could be a premature end to Kolten Wong. *COUGH* Chone Figgins *COUGH*

In the end, I'm not worried. I still believe in Kolten Wong and think that he is going to be okay. The 7/17 is helpful, and I believe it's going to push him in the right direction. Now that we are into May, it's time for Wong to step up.

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