Randy Arozarena deserves Mariners fans' attention again after loud WBC swing

Randy Arozarena is a Rookie of the Year winner and a two-time All-Star, and he's coming into 2026 hot off finishing three homers shy of a 30-30 campaign. A guy like that shouldn't need to convince anybody he still has it with a single swing in a World Baseball Classic exhibition game.

And yet, here we are to geek out over said swing anyway.

For anyone who didn't tune in, Arozarena went 0-for-3 in Team Mexico's WBC tune-up against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. But in the fifth inning, he did absolutely scorch a ball off Joe Ross that registered at 115.0 mph off the bat. It took a nifty catch by Ryan Waldschmidt in left field to turn it into an out.

As outs go, this one is notable for a simple reason: that's harder than any ball Arozarena has hit in any of his MLB work, be it in spring training, the regular season or the playoffs.

Maybe that one swing shows Randy Arozarena is geared for Mariners redemption

Even if one good swing in a meaningless game isn't much to hang hopes on, it's better than nothing. And that's what makes it feel significant, as "nothing" is pretty much what the Mariners got out of Arozarena in the final months of 2025.

He came out like gangbusters, hitting a game-tying home run on Opening Day and ultimately making it through July with an .823 OPS, 21 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He seemed well on his way to a career year, and he was arguably the Mariners' most important player not named Cal Raleigh.

But then…

• August: .680 OPS, 5 HR
• September: .596 OPS, 1 HR
• October: .574 OPS, 1 HR

Yeah, it was bad. And it may not have been a case of the 31-year-old running out of gas. His slump began when Dan Wilson moved him into the leadoff spot, for which he never felt well-suited. You want a guy like Arozarena gripping and ripping, whereas you want a leadoff guy to work tough at-bats and get on base.

It's a good look that Arozarena is now slated to bat fifth behind Brendan Donovan, Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, and Josh Naylor. That's a spot where he can exclusively worry about doing damage before the lineup turns over to a solid, yet generally weaker second half.

As for what this "damage" could look like, well, maybe that 115 mph bolt on Tuesday was a sign. And since Arozarena is slated for free agency after 2026, achieving Mariners redemption certainly isn't his only incentive to bash the crud out of the ball this season.