Mariners who thrived at T-Mobile Park
Not every Mariner has struggled to hit at Seattle's home field during its 25-year history.
Statcast tells us that T-Mobile Park, formerly Safeco Field, is the least conducive venue for run production in MLB. Yet, there are hitters who’ve managed to be successful at Seattle’s home field over a sustained period. Perhaps the most painful example for Mariners fans is Mike Trout.
Through the years, Trout boasts a .435 OBP and .708 SLG in the Emerald City. Both are the best by any visitor with 200-plus plate appearances. Not only that, the 11-time All-Star’s 33 home runs at T-Mobile Park are 18th-most by any player, including Mariners.
Other recognizable visitors to wreak havoc in Seattle include Vladimir Guerrero, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, Mark Teixeira, Jason Giambi, Aaron Judge, Manny Ramirez, Rafael Palmeiro, and Yordan Alvarez.
Still, these notable names didn’t face the challenge of playing half of their games in Seattle each year, including the inclement months of March, April, and sometimes May. But there are Mariners who have endured the lousy weather at T-Mobile Park and managed to produce strong offensive numbers. The following are 12 such players who caught my attention, beginning with perhaps the most consistent hitter of all.
Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro produced amazingly balanced home and away splits during his first tour with the Mariners. The soon-to-be Hall of Famer boasts the highest AVG hitters with at least 500 plate appearances at T-Mobile Park. Ichiro also has the most triples with only Kyle Seager (147) hitting more doubles than the two-time batting champ.
Edgar Martínez
Edgar was in the twilight of his career when T-Mobile Park opened. But two decades later, the Hall of Famer’s .404 OBP remains the highest among Mariners with at least 500 plate appearances. His AVG and SLG also remain in the top-four.
Nelson Cruz
Arguably the best free agent signing ever by Seattle, Cruz is just one of two Mariners with 500-plus T-Mobile Park plate appearances and a SLG above .500. As with Edgar, “Boomstick” did this damage later in his career during his age-34 through age-37 seasons.
Álex Rodríguez
Rodríguez may be the most polarizing Mariner ever. But he was really good at hitting and the only Mariner with a better SLG at T-Mobile Park than the Boomstick. After leaving via free agency, A-Rod continued to produce whenever he visited the Pacific Northwest with a .266 AVG/.396 OBP/.490 SLG in 55 games and 240 plate appearances.
Bret Boone
Boone’s 19 home runs in 2001 are second-most hit in a season at T-Mobile Park. Only Cruz (20 in 2018) and Richie Sexson (20 in 2005) have more than the USC product.
Robinson Canó
Even though his time in Seattle ended on a sour note, we shouldn’t forget Canó was a three-time All-Star and a top-5 MVP vote-getter during his half-decade with the team. The five-time Silver Slugger ranks seventh-or-better among Mariners in home runs, doubles, AVG, and SLG at T-Mobile Park.
Raúl Ibañez
Ibañez was a Mariner three different times during his 19-year MLB career. In his second stint in Seattle during 2004 through 2008, the Miami Dade College alum had a better OPS at home than on the road. And check out Ibañez’s identical home and away SLG.
John Olerud
Olerud, also a thirty-something during his Mariners career, was top-25 in OBP during his four full seasons with Seattle. The Washington State alum walked 79 more times than he struck out in 2000 through 2003. The only players with a greater surplus of walks over strikeouts were Barry Bonds (365), Brian Giles (176), Gary Sheffield (107), and Todd Helton (83). Olerud also had an identical home and away SLG.
Jean Segura
Some Seattle fans may be caught off guard to learn Segura has the second-highest AVG at T-Mobile Park among hitters with 500-plate appearances. However, the Dominican Republic native did demonstrate a knack for putting the ball in play. Over his two seasons with the Mariners, Segura’s 12.7-percent strikeout rate was nearly 10-percent lower than the MLB average and ninth-best among qualified hitters.
Seth Smith
Like Segura, Smith’s inclusion may come as a surprise to some fans. During the two years the unassuming Ole Miss product spent with the Mariners, he managed to hit significantly better at T-Mobile Park than on the road. A nerd nugget sticking out to me: Smith’s identical number of plate appearances and doubles at home and on the road.
Eugenio Suárez
It’s true Suárez struck out a lot. But even T-Mobile Park could only contain his power so much. As a result, Geno produced a higher OBP and SLG at home than on the road.
Ty France
I realize a segment of Mariners fans were ready for the club to move on from France this season. But this doesn’t change the fact the San Diego State alum was a solid offensive performer at T-Mobile Park and was actually a bit better at home than on the road during his three-plus years in Seattle.
It’s worth noting several 2024 Mariners demonstrated the ability to hit well at T-Mobile Park. Specifically: Julio Rodríguez, Luke Raley, Víctor Robles, Justin Turner, Randy Arozarena, and Mitch Haniger.
Granted, newcomers like Robles, Turner, and Arozarena have yet to play a full season in Seattle and deal with the chilly months of March and April. Plus, Rodríguez and Haniger scuffled this year regardless of location. Still, there’s a reasonable chance that several of these hitters can be productive at home in 2025.
This was a fun piece to put together. So, in the near future, I plan on sharing a list of Mariners who languished at home. Perhaps from there, we can discuss potential offseason additions who I think could hit well at T-Mobile Park. That’ll be nothing more than researched guesswork. But that’s okay. It’s hot stove season and we should be talking baseball throughout the winter.
My Oh My…