Randy Arozarena was one of the Seattle Mariners’ hottest hitters for a two-month stretch last season, but his production fell off a cliff over the final two months.
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From June 1 through July 30, Arozarena went on a tear where he slashed .281/.357/.556 with a .913 OPS, 14 home runs and 12 doubles. During that stretch, he led the club with a 156 wRC+ and 26 extra-base hits, and was second to only American League MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh in OPS and homers.
After acquiring Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez to hit in the middle of the order before the trade deadline, the M’s decided to move the hot-hitting Arozarena to the leadoff spot on July 31. That’s when his season started to turn the wrong direction.
Arozarena produced a .231/.302/.343 slash line with six homers and nine doubles from July 31 to the end of the regular season. During that stretch, his .645 OPS and 90 wRC+ were the worst among regulars in the Mariners’ lineup.
With offseason trade addition Brendan Donovan now in the fold and expected to bat leadoff, Arozarena will likely have a new spot in the lineup this year. MLB.com projects the 31-year-old left fielder to hit fifth.
Moving down in the order should be a great benefit for Arozarena, according to Mariners radio analyst and former MLB pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith.
“I hate to use this (comparison) because people are gonna get mad when I say it, but when Teoscar Hernández went from the Mariners to the Dodgers, he was a more of a supporting cast (player),” Rowland-Smith said.
Hernández had an underwhelming year in his only season with the Mariners in 2023. After being brought in to be a difference-making, middle-of-the-order bat, the slugger had a .258 batting average, .435 slugging percentage, .741 OPS and a 107 wRC+, which were well below the numbers he had in his two seasons prior with Toronto.
But after Hernández joined the Dodgers’ stacked lineup in 2024, he rebounded with a .272 average, .501 slugging percentage, .840 OPS and 132 wRC+ while earning an All-Star nod and Silver Slugger.
“He was hitting further down the line, and you get more of a look (at the pitcher before your turn to hit). You get pitched to a little bit differently. You get more pitches to hit,” Rowland-Smith said. “(Arozarena) needs pitches to hit, man. He’s a mistake hitter, that’s for sure, as opposed to being that guy in the leadoff spot where (pitchers are) gonna put more of a magnifying glass on you when they’re coming up with a plan throughout the day.”
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