Mariners' Hitting Woes Extend Beyond Cal Raleigh

Seattle's offense is struggling as a whole, with multiple key players underperforming at the plate.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 2:23pm

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A cubist-style painting featuring overlapping, angular shapes and planes in shades of blue, green, and red, representing the fragmented and disjointed nature of the Mariners' batting performance.A cubist interpretation of the Mariners' offensive struggles, with their bats and swings deconstructed into a fragmented, geometric display.Seattle Today

The Seattle Mariners' offensive struggles this season have not been limited to catcher Cal Raleigh. Several other Mariners hitters, including Josh Naylor and Julio Rodriguez, have also been mired in slumps, with the team's overall bat speed and hard-hit rate declining significantly compared to last year.

Why it matters

The Mariners' inability to generate consistent offense could hamper their chances of contending in the AL West, as they rely on a balanced attack to complement their strong pitching staff. Finding solutions to their hitting woes will be crucial for the team to get back on track.

The details

Analyst Mike Petriello noted that the Mariners' bat speed has declined, leading to a drop of more than 8 percentage points in their hard-hit rate. This is not just a problem for Raleigh, who took 11 games to hit his first home run, but also for other key contributors like Naylor (.114 batting average) and Rodriguez (.143 batting average).

  • The Mariners' offensive struggles have persisted through the first two weeks of the 2026 MLB season.
  • Raleigh finally hit his first home run of the season on Monday, April 7, 2026, but the Mariners still lost 2-1.

The players

Cal Raleigh

The Mariners' starting catcher, who has struggled to find his swing early in the 2026 season.

Josh Naylor

A Mariners outfielder batting just .114 so far this season.

Julio Rodriguez

A Mariners outfielder batting .143 and in a prolonged slump.

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What they’re saying

“I saw someone note that most of the Mariners had slower bat speeds and wondering if that was tracking data weirdness and hey, always possible, but when the hard-hit rate has collapsed by this much too ... the bats might just be slower.”

— Mike Petriello, Analyst

What’s next

The Mariners will need to find ways to improve their overall bat speed and hard-hit rate in order to get their offense back on track. This could involve adjustments to their swing mechanics, changes to their approach at the plate, or personnel moves to bring in hitters with more pop.

The takeaway

The Mariners' hitting woes extend beyond just one player, as multiple key contributors have struggled to produce at the plate so far this season. Addressing the team's overall decline in bat speed and hard-hit rate will be crucial if they hope to contend in the AL West.