Mariners vs. Rockies: Dumper destruction Pt. 2, Castillo cooks, and Mariners put up a six spot

Fans have eagerly been awaiting an offensive breakout from the Mariners. After a strong home series against the Reds, Seattle continued to have strong momentum by beating the Rockies in definitive fashion. Oddly enough, it took freezing temperatures for the bats to finally warm up.

Mariners' Best Hitter: Cal Raleigh

.462/.467/.923, 6 H, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K

A major part of the Mariner's offensive resurgence in the past two series against the Reds and the Rockies has been Cal Raleigh's return to form. Since the start of the Reds series, Raleigh has posted a 1.369 OPS over 27 plate appearances. Prior to April 15th, he had just a .571 OPS but with this hot streak, his overall 2024 slash line now sits at a respectable .258/.342/.485.

The biggest change has been to his power. While he had just two homers before April 15th, he's hit three homers since, two of which were in this series. He hit two home runs at Coors Field which is admittedly a hitter's ballpark but a long ball is a long ball.

While his strikeout rate of 28.8% may be a little higher than some might like, his exceptional walk rate and average exit velocities have helped lift his numbers immensely. Don't let a cold streak here and there make you forget that he's a core part of the Seattle lineup.

Honorable Mention: Julio Rodriguez

.571/.571/.571, 8 H, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 K

Although he didn't quite have the same power to show off as Raleigh, Julio's eight hits over his 14 plate appearances were impressive. Similar to Cal, Julio has had a rocky start to the season but his performance in this series was a positive sign of things to come.

Of all the months in the season, he's always been the worst in March/April by far, averaging a .652 OPS which is right about where his 2024 stats are currently. His next worst month is June with a career-average .767 OPS, so it seems that the best of J-Rod is yet to come.