A J.P. Crawford Resurgence Would Go a Long Way For the Seattle Mariners in 2025
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The Seattle Mariners beat the Colorado Rockies, 8-1, on Sunday afternoon in Cactus League play.
The win was a solid one for the M's, who saw Luis Castillo pitch into the fourth inning and also got a nice defensive play from Julio Rodriguez in center field.
However, maybe the biggest development of all was the home run hit by shortstop J.P. Crawford.
Watch it fly, J.P.! #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/R0NjroosKK
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 9, 2025
This could be said about several M's players this season, but if Crawford can bounce back from a dreadful 2024, it would go a long way toward giving the Mariners the kind of offense they desire to have under first-year manager Dan Wilson.
The 30-year-old shortstop had two separate stints on the injured list last year and hit just .202 when he was healthy. He popped only nine homers and brought in just 37, while posting an on-base percentage of .304.
That was a far cry from his excellent 2023 season in which he hit .266 with 19 homers and 65 RBI while also leading the American League in walks with 94. He posted a .380 on-base percentage that season.
Heading into 2025, the M's figure to use Victor Robles in the leadoff spot, meaning that Crawford can provide some length and depth at the bottom of the order. If he can do that, the M's will have a chance to improve upon last year's offense, which was the weakest part of the roster.
The Mariners will continue Cactus League play for the next two-plus weeks before opening the regular season on March 27.
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