The Mariners have been hiding one of MLB's best hitters for over a year

In what feels like another episode of déjà vu, the Mariners' offense this season has been underwhelming to say the least. Without their catcher posting historic numbers at the plate, Seattle's combined OPS of .694 ranks 25th in MLB and it's continuing to skid. Since June 1st, Randy Arozarena (144) and Cole Young (115) are the only two qualified players with wRC+ numbers better than league-average.

However, expanding the playing time requirement shows that their best bat may not even be playing every day.

Dominic Canzone has been the Mariners' hottest hitter in 2026 despite primarily filling a platoon role

Dominic Canzone has just 871 plate appearances in the majors over his four-year career, and 733 of them have come against right-handed pitching. Since the Mariners had an excess of outfielders and designated hitters, it made sense for the team to continue relying on him as a depth piece instead of an everyday player.

He made the most out of his opportunities in 2025, posting a 141 wRC+ across 268 plate appearances and he has been even better this year, pushing his numbers up to a 155 wRC+ thanks to his .551 slugging percentage, a new career-high for a single season. He already has 14 home runs, tied with Luke Raley and Julio Rodríguez for the most on the team despite getting less playing time.

Canzone's quality of contact peripherals are up across the board but the most interesting development has been the steady uptick in his bat speed since he joined the team in 2023.

An increased bat speed allows a hitter to generate more power with their swing and have an easier time catching up to velocity but one needs more than that to be successful in the big leagues. His average exit velocity has increased proportionally to his bat speed but he's also getting more optimal launch angles on batted balls and striking out less.

Canzone has always hit well against fastballs but he has been pummeling heaters this year, slugging .677 against four-seamers and 1.077 against cutters. He has managed to excel at doing damage to pitches in the upper third of the strike zone which is where opposing pitchers are often aiming to command their fastballs.

Since he was recalled on June 9th of last year following the Mariners designating Leody Taveras for assignment, Canzone's 149 wRC+ is the eighth-best of any hitter in MLB with more than 400 plate appearances. The argument that he should have a more significant role on the team is only strengthened by the fact that he has been effective against left-handed pitchers when given a chance, albeit in a small sample.

Elevating him is only one of the lineup questions the Mariners have to answer heading into the second half of the season if they want to remain in playoff contention. The front office is already gearing up for what should be an exciting trade deadline and whatever their plans are, they should include fans seeing more of Dominic Canzone.

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