Seattle Mariners Are Banking on Hitting Coaches to Help Offensive Woes, But Will it Matter?
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The Seattle Mariners entered the offseason with a clear need to upgrade the offense.
They didn't really do that, electing to sit out big-money free agency for guys like Juan Soto, Anthony Santander, Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman and opting to bring back Jorge Polanco and signing Donovan Solano to a one-year deal.
For better or worse, the M's are basically counting on two things to help the offense now. One is that a full year of VIctor Robles and Randy Arozarena will help, as both players entered the picture in June and July of last year, respectively.
And the other is that a full year of work with hitting coaches Edgar Martinez and Kevin Seitzer will yield positive results. Martinez's work with the offense over the final 34 games last season was noteworthy, but it was also a small sample size that has no guarantee of being replicated.
So, how much difference can a hitting coach or hitting coaches really make? We asked ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney on an episode of the "Refuse to Lose" podcast earlier this week:
So I think it can make a big difference because it might be the right voice at the right time. And look, that doesn't mean that the previous hitting coaches didn't know what they were talking about, but I think the fact that Edgar and Kevin Seitzer are accomplished major league hitters....They've been in the batter's box in big situations in their lifetime. They know the challenges of a slump and those things. And they're not going to overreact to a guy having back to back 0-for-4s fours. think that's all really important. But the question is, how are they being heard in this young generation of hitters?...
You can hear the full interview with Olney below:
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