Thank you, Ty France, for the Mariners memories

Mariners' fans love Ty France. His trade to the Cincinnati Reds saddened many. Fans appreciate Ty France for his contributions at-bat and first base, but very importantly for his fun personality; his love for and pride in his new son, Luka; his odd role as a pitch magnet; and his love for dogs. Reds fans, you will love Ty as much as we have!

Ty France at the plate and on first base

Born and raised in Southern California, Cincinnati will be a change of scenery from Ty's West Coast experiences. Before coming to the Mariners, Ty played for the San Diego Padres and debuted in MLB on April 26, 2019. He came in a big Mariners-Padres trade with Andres Munoz, Luis Torrens, and Taylor Trammel. The Mariners were excited to acquire Ty, as the front office had been following Ty during his years in the minor leagues.

In his first MLB years, Ty played numerous positions: third base, second base, pitcher, first base, and designated hitter.  As time passed in Seattle, he played first base more frequently. In 2023, he played first base exclusively. This past season, he played second base and designated hitter in one game each. In 2022, Ty was the AL player of the week in April. Ty and Julio Rodriguez went to the All-Star game. I like this photograph (the article header) of the two together.

When the team was in a tough spot, I always had hope when Ty was at the plate or on deck. He delivered some great hits when the team needed it.

Ty France off of the Field

J.P. Crawford and Ty France have worked well on the field and off. They were baristas at Starbucks one day. They rode a golf cart through an In-N-Out Burger at Spring Training and ordered food for the entire team. (That is a lot of french fries!) They visited the Empire State Building with their wives and let the Mariners film it. They are part of a Mariners' commercial when Luis Castillo dresses like the Rock.

He has been a positive energy on the field and in the dugout for the team. Ty was first with the water cooler when a teammate had a good game. Will pitches keep hitting him in Cincinnati? He does stand a bit closer to the plate than some other batters! I loved that his fans dressed up with berets, mustaches, and long loaves of bread. I anticipate that Ty will have a fan section in Cincinnati and his Mariners fans will follow the Reds more closely.

Thank you, Ty France for all your contributions to the team, the fans, and the community! We wish you the best in the midwest.