Seattle Mariners: Building the best 2022 batting order
Friday, the Seattle Mariners begin their 45th Major League season. Hopes are high due to some key additions to the roster. To succeed, the M’s need to maximize their batting order.
The trade for sluggers Jesse Winker and Eugenio (pronounced AY-you-hay-nee-oh) Suarez to go along with other newly acquired Adam Frazier and Robbie Ray puts the Seattle Mariners in an interesting position. They might have too many decent bats to go around. Let’s take a look at who the best fits are in each batting spot.
Leadoff – J.P. Crawford vs. Adam Frazier
Both bat left-handed, and the M’s need a high on base batter with some speed, especially to take the extra base on a hit to right field. Last year Frazier batted .318 with a .825 OPS in the leadoff spot. Batting second was brutal for him. In that role, he hit .238 with a .580 OPS. However, batting sixth through eighth in the lineup, he combined to hit .344 with a .820 OPS.
J.P. Crawford excelled as the Seattle Mariners’ leadoff batter once he returned to that spot after losing it early on in 2021. Overall he batted .281 with a .735 OPS. With only 3 steals last year, Crawford had less than a third of Frazier’s 10. Moving the shortstop to the end of the order isn’t an option either. Crawford did terribly when ninth in the order, batting .216 in 23 games.
Crawford should be the leadoff man because there are other spots where Frazier excelled.
The evolution of @jp_crawford has been a sight to behold.
Jerry breaks down the player J.P. has become and more in the latest installment of The Wheelhouse with Jerry Dipoto. Tune in tonight at 6 p.m. on @ROOTSPORTS_NW. pic.twitter.com/nmsa9hMNjx
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) July 9, 2021
Batting 2nd – Ty France vs. Mitch Haniger
If Crawford or Frazier leads off, then a right-handed hitter should bat second. Ty France seems like the obvious choice as he doesn’t strike out at a particularly high clip (18.6 percent). However, in 2021, he batted .261 with a .798 OPS from the two-hole. In fact, his best spot in the lineup was fourth, where he hit .314 with a .829 OPS.
Mitch Haniger spent most of the season (109 games) batting second. While batting third was his best spot in a small sample size (8 games), batting second proved to be where he belonged. He batted .251 with a .779 OPS. While the OPS is lower than you’d expect for a slugger of his caliber, it would seem he’s a better fit at this spot than France based on the latter’s production in the four-hole.
Haniger should bat second in the lineup.