ANALYSIS: Could Mariners' Recent Road Trip Be a Turning Point For Mitch Garver?
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The Seattle Mariners are returning home after for a seven-game homestand beginning with the first of a four-game set against the Kansas City Royals at 6:40 p.m. PT on Monday.
The Mariners are coming off a 10-game road trip where they finished 6-4. The trip was comprised of series wins against the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers and a series split against the Minnesota Twins.
Seattle received contributions from all over the roster to secure the winning record on the road trip. One of those players was backup catcher Mitch Garver.
Garver played four games on the road trip. He hit .375 (6-for-16) with four runs, a double, three home runs and nine RBIs. He had one home run and 11 RBIs coming into the road trip. He had a two-homer game against the Cubs on June 20 and hit the two-run homer that clinched the Mariners' 6-4 win against the Rangers in the series finale Sunday.
No. 2 on the day, No. 100 on the career! #TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/h0xFsEF2VQ
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) June 20, 2025
Garver was also able to bounce back and play the aforementioned series finale after he exited a game against the Twins on June 26. He left after a foul ball ricocheted into his jaw while he was catching.
For the season, Garver has scored 14 runs in 46 games and has hit four doubles and four home runs with 20 RBIs. He has a slash line of .227/.327/.352 with a .679 OPS.
Garver's struggles from 2024 have continued into this season, but this recent road trip can mark a potential turning point for the nine-year veteran. Three of his four home runs this season came on the road trip and 45% of his RBIs on the season came on the road. All three of his home runs went at least 394 feet and had exit velocities of at least 102 mph.
Garver has been looking to find the form he had with Texas in 2023 when the team won the World Series and he slashed .270/.370/.500 with an .870 OPS.
According to Baseball Savant, Garver has a great chase rate of just 21.2%, but with a whiff rate of 32.7%. That means that Garver is making smart swing decisions, but not making contact. When he does put the ball in play, he's doing it well. He has a hard-hit percentage of 51.8% with an average exit velocity of 93 mph.
It was a small sample size, but this recent road trip was a good sign for Garver. And if it's a sign of things to come, the bottom half of the lineup might be that much more potent.
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