Mitch Haniger, Seattle Mariners.
The Seattle Mariners season 2021 season came to an end. Despite 90 wins, it’s another year without postseason baseball in the Pacific Northwest. The longest playoff drought in the Majors will now be able to legally drink when the next baseball season gets underway in 2022. However, the Seattle Mariners’ future is bright. Or, at the very least, brighter than it’s been.
Stepping into the “Wayback Machine,” the last time the Seattle Mariners won at least 90 games was in 2003. That year they won 93, had a run differential of +164, but the Boston Red Sox claimed the last wild card spot. A little trip down memory lane for that year. Roy Halladay was alive and pitching for Toronto. It would be the last year Texas had Alex Rodriguez on their roster. He tied Jim Thome for the American League lead in home runs with 47.
That season, the Cubs had a dominant one-two punch of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. That’s also the year of Steve Bartman and the Cubs’ greatest choke of all time. Enough of living in the past.
This is Part 2 of our 2021 Mariners grades, focusing on the outfield. Click here for Part 1 about the infield.
In this series, we used several factors to evaluate the Seattle Mariners’ position players. They are offensive production, defensive production, and intangibles. The intangibles are a subjective list of items, including clubhouse presence, leadership, clutch factors.
Due to limited action in 2021, the following players get a grade of incomplete.
Kyle Lewis – The 2020 Rookie of the Year only played in 36 games in 2021. A knee injury limited Lewis’s availability. His overall game was definitely missing from the Seattle Mariners lineup, especially at the plate. It’s not hard to envision an outfield lineup, from left to right field; Kelenic, Lewis, and Haniger and not get excited.
Jake Bauers – For a hot minute, it appeared the M’s “unlocked” Jake Bauers, and he would be the starting first baseman for years to come. Then the league caught back up, and Bauers looks like a big-league bench player.
Bauers’ profile is similar to Evan White because they are both glove-first players with their bats lagging behind. He did, however, double as a serviceable outfielder playing in over 40 games.
Taylor Trammell – Trammell is a highly touted prospect who came to the Mariners organization as part of the Austin Nola trade. Out of spring trainingTrammell made the Seattle Mariners’ big-league roster. He had trouble hitting his weight and spent the end of 2021 in the minors.
There is still much development to be done if Trammell will be anything more than a defensive replacement outfielder. He’s a player with speed and power, which he occasionally displayed this year. The problem was that Trammell didn’t display enough of either as he struggled mightily to put the bat on the ball.
Mitch Haniger (123 games), Dylan Moore (9 games), Jake Fraley (6 games), and Jake Bauers (23 games)
Offense: B-
Haniger set a career-high in home runs and RBI’s. However, his overall batting average was career-low (excluding years where he didn’t reach 300 at-bats). His 2021 batting profile looks similar to someone selling out for the all-or-nothing approach.
Defense: B
Haniger made three errors during the year. Two in the same game. He also compiled three outfield assists and 270 putouts. Overall, he plays an above-average right field.
Intangibles: C+
I struggled with this grade. On the one hand, what Haniger did being two years removed from baseball was incredible. He battled through a ruptured testicle, torn adductor in the lower core area, herniated disc, and back surgery. So, for him to have the year he did (playing 157 of 162 games) is impressive and wins him the Comeback Player of the Year Award in any other year. This year that honor likely goes to cancer survivor Trey Mancini.
On the other hand, Haniger hit .253 saw an increase in strikeouts and a decrease in walks. Over the last month, he batted .255 with nine homers, 24 RBI, 7 walks, and 29 strikeouts. Not what Mariners fans should expect from their best player.
Left was the Seattle Mariners revolving door. Jarred Kelenic (14 games), Jake Fraley (51 games), Taylor Trammell (14 games), Sam Haggerty (20 games), Dylan Moore (48 games), Jake Bauers (21 games), Braden Bishop (8 games), Shed Long (25 games), Jose Marmolejos (11 games) and Donovan Walton (5 games)
Offense: C+
Fraley isn’t going to match the expectations scouts had for him. However, he proved he can be a starter or, at the very least, a high-end fourth outfielder. 2021 is the best year of his major league career with a slash line of .212/.352/.369/.721
Defense: B
He only committed two errors on the year. Fraley heads into 2022 as the odds on favorite to start in left again.
Intangibles: B-
While some might want to classify Fraley as a glove-only outfielder, 2021 saw him show he can be productive at the plate. Specifically, his 46 walks to 71 strikeouts. The biggest concern about Fraley is his health. This year’s total of 78 games played is the most in his career. It’s hard to be a starter if you can only play about half the year.
Jarred Kelenic (77 games), Jake Fraley (16 games), Kyle Lewis (34 games), Taylor Trammell (37 games), Sam Haggerty (2 games).
Offense: C-
Kelenic’s results from his first year in the majors are less than desirable, to put it nicely. His entire rookie season did not go as planned. It started with former team president Kevin Mather’s comments which fueled a service time manipulation debate. Hopefully, 2022 will yield better results. Over the last month, Kelenic batted .237 with six home runs, 17 RBI, 12 walks,26 strikeouts, and two stolen bases.
Defense: C-
Kelenic made no solid claim to unseating Kyle Lewis as the Seattle Mariners starting center fielder. He committed four errors on the year, all of the fielding variety. If Kelenic wants to start in center, he has some work to do. Consequently, he looks like an elite corner outfielder.
Intangibles: C
The young outfielder’s biggest positives are his competitiveness and coachability. Kelenic’s first taste of the majors was abysmal. It included an 0-for-42 hitless streak, which led to a subsequent demotion. Later in the season, Kelenic returned to the show and made more adjustments to Major League pitchers. While his final batting average of .181 wasn’t great, there is hope.
What grades would you give the Seattle Mariners outfielders? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.