The Seattle Mariners are off to a dreadful 4-9 start despite pitching holding up with a franchise-best 2.62 ERA. Offensive woes plague the club, evidenced by a collective .184 team batting average through 13 games. This abysmal production has the team sitting near the bottom of the standings early in the season.

Central to the frustration are the team's top four hitters—Raleigh, Rodriguez, Naylor, and Arozarena—who are combinedly hitting just .133 with only one home run. Cal Raleigh, fresh off a 60-homer campaign, faces immediate pressure, striking out 21 times in his first 55 plate appearances while hitting just .143.

Analysis of Raleigh’s 55 plate appearances shows a significant drop in contact; his in-zone contact rate has fallen from nearly 78% last year to just 65.8% in 2026. His only hard-hit ball of the season came in his 28th at-bat, a 100.7 mph fly out.

Many key Mariners struggled following the World Baseball Classic, which contributed to a poor spring training showing. Raleigh’s inability to crush middle-of-the-zone pitches, a hallmark of his 2025 success, presents the biggest immediate concern for Seattle’s lineup stability.