Mariners' Ty France has been hit by an absurd number of pitches since 2021

Growing up, there always seemed to be something cool and tough about a hitter crowding the plate. They were taking command of the batters box and the plate, making the pitcher either pitch to a spot they wanted or plunk them and put them on first base. It played a little different when pitchers were seemingly throwing in the mid-high 80's instead of the high 90's. It's why, now, Ty France getting plunked like an OBP machine from the 90's doesn't seem like a good idea.

It's a change of mindset that many a fan has to wrap their head around. When Ty France came to the Mariners, he was lauded as a great hitter who controlled the plate. Only a few short years later, fans shower him not with praise but with doubt, wondering if he can continue to be the Mariners first baseman at a high enough level to help the team complete. HBP seem to be the root cause of this doubt due to the effect they have on the rest of his game.

Ty France leads all of baseball in HBP since 2021, having been plunked 81 times.

Ty France has been hit more than anyone else in baseball. He led the league in 2021 with 27 HBP and again in 2023 with 34 HBP. That mark of 34 was a top-ten mark all-time, placing him T-9th for a single season. He was still 5th in 2022, and when you add them all up, that's 81 HBP in three seasons for France, 10 clear of second place in Mark Canha. Even wilder is that 3rd place is way down at 58 (Anthony Rizzo).

Maybe the work at Driveline will help. It did wonders for JP Crawford in 2023; hopefully, we will see the same for France in 2024. Who knows if they are going to work on where he stands at the plate, but it would be amazing to see him come back to the Mariners this year and adjust where he stands.

Ty France just keeps getting hit, and it's affecting how he plays baseball. Sure, there is something intrinsically exciting about seeing a player get hit and get a free base. Mariners fans can likely agree that we'd rather see France stop getting hit and get back to hitting the baseball instead.