Teoscar Hernandez trashes T-Mobile Park before slugging his way to Home Run Derby win

There is little doubt that hitting in Seattle has provided a lot of challengers for hitters throughout baseball. Since the tram demolished the Kingdome and went to the newly minted, Safeco Field in 1999 (now T-Mobile Park), it has been one of the more pitcher-friendly parks in all of baseball. 

This has helped them in their recent strategy of developing one of the best pitching staffs the league has seen. At the same time, it has created a very difficult environment for prospective hitters looking to cash in on a big payday. While the Mariners have tried, to a certain degree, to bring in elite offensive talent, they just haven’t seen the same level of success that pitchers like Jamie Moyer, Felix, and their recent pitching staff have had. 

Even moving in the fences hasn't proven to be enough. There is something different about hitting in Seattle and apparently other hitters know this. 

Teoscar Hernandez “couldn’t feel good at the plate at home” in Seattle

Just before Teoscar Hernandez would go on to put on a show and win the 2024 Home Run Derby, he interviewed with Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. Hernandez didn’t hold back in his concerns about T-Mobile Park. After voicing his displeasures this offseason, about the difficulties of hitting in Seattle, he doubled down on Monday evening, “It was a little crooked, I didn’t feel really straight with the pitcher, for some reason.” This is a very weird thing to hear. We have heard complaints about the “Marine Layer” and the issues with the hitter's eye in centerfield, but a crooked pitching mound, that is just odd. 

There could be some merit to it, however, as Teo slugged over 100 points higher (.486) on the road than he did at T-Mobile Park (.380). He also struck out nearly 34% of the time at home compared to 29.3% on the road. Hernandez could be onto something after bouncing back and becoming one of the better power hitters, yet again, on a dominant Dodgers team. 

However, the most concerning part of this whole interview was something Hernandez said before getting into the whole “crooked mound” conversation. Teo told Adam Jude, “I talk to a lot of players around the league, and they feel the same thing when they go to Seattle and play two or three games over there”. There is obviously a comfortability issue for players coming to Seattle. Is this why we see so many players take time to adjust (or perhaps never do) before figuring it out or being shipped off?Guys like Jesse Winker, Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, and Kolten Wong have struggled early on and earned a lot of criticism from fans.

I think a lot of people know that others have a certain opinion about coming to Seattle and hitting, but the fact that players are so open about it should concern ownership. While the Mariners need to attract and bring in offense, having players around the league openly voicing their concerns could hinder their chances quite a bit in their ability to acquire said offense.

While the conversation is certainly an interesting one, I can’t imagine that the Mariners have an actual “crooked mound” issue on their hands. Nor do I think there is an underlying issue with the hitter's eye causing a 100-point drop off in slugging percentage.

Teo was a fun player to watch, and I am glad to see he is doing well. Hopefully this is the end of the T-Mobile Park and Teo feud but as long as the Mariners offense continues to struggle, (and Teo keeps talking to other players about how difficult it is to hit in Seattle), this will likely surface here and there.