SEAside Thoughts: Mariners Vent Session & the Prince that was Promised?

Mariners Quick thoughts from the week

That Ohtani is really good!

The Shohei Ohtani experience was in full display this week in Seattle, as he almost single-handedly won the series for LA against Seattle. Ohtani hit an absolute bomb to center field off of George Kirby in game 1 to help get the 7-3 victory, then was in ace-like conditions in the Wednesday matinee, giving up 1 run and striking out 8 in a 6-inning victory.

He's clearly the best player in baseball, and I will continue to bang the drum that he is the most important free agent of all-time. If Seattle doesn't go all in to pursue him, changes need to be made.

Luis Castillo doing the Felix

Happy birthday this past week to King Felix Hernandez. I can't wait to see his ceremony this summer into the Mariners Hall of Fame. On the 2023 Seattle Mariners, Luis Castillo is doing a pretty great Felix impression. 

Through 2 games, Luis is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He's given up just 3 hits and struck out 12 in 11.2 innings. While Ohtani is the superstar, I expect Castillo will challenge him to get the ball in Seattle as the All-Star game starter, as well as a tight Cy Young race.

The Rise of Kelenic?

It's a small sample size, but through 7 games, Jarred Kelenic looks fantastic. After a tremendous spring training, Kelenic has shown to be a different player when it truly matters.

Through 24 plate appearances, Kelenic is slashing .304/.333/.391 with an OPS+ of 105. In the 147 career games prior to this season, Kelenic had a career OPS+ of 63. The shift ban has clearly helped Kelenic, but he's also crushed two doubles, and has shown to have much better player discipline through ten games. His defense has been fantastic and he's also stolen 2 bases.

Hernandez, Wong and Crawford have been pretty bad at the plate to start the season, so getting a slightly above average Kelenic right now and going forward is great in the short-term, and potentially franchise altering if this development continues to grow in the long-term.

What's Next for the Mariners?

It's a happy La Piedra Day today as the Mariners head into Chicago to take on the Cubs, hoping to get their 3rd win in 4 games. After playing 3 on the North Side, Seattle will return home to take on the lowly Colorado Rockies. We talked about the challenge that lies ahead after this week, so winning both of these series to get back to .500 could be huge.

Go M's!