Rounding Out the Numbers: 2023
The 2023 season didn't end the way Mariners fans hoped it would. But it still was a fun year. At least I thought so.
It’s been an…interesting…offseason for Seattle fans thus far. So, let’s finish the year on an upbeat note with an edition of Rounding Out the Numbers highlighting positive Mariners-related items.
First up, a figure providing a measure of perspective on the Mariners’ success over the last eight regular seasons.
.516
The winning percentage of the Mariners during the Jerry Dipoto/Justin Hollander era, which began in 2016.
Highest M’s GM Winning Percentage
Pat Gillick (2000-03) - .606
Jerry Dipoto/Justin Hollander (2016-now) - .516
Woody Woodward (1989-99) - .489
Jack Zduriencik (2009-15) - .460
Bill Bavasi (2004-08) - .443
Dick Balderson (1986-88) - .439
Hal Keller (1981-85) - .433
Lou Gorman (1979-80) - .389
Richard Vertlieb (1977-78) - .373
There’s been plenty of griping about the Mariners current regime. But complaining about a team’s management happens in just about every MLB city. In the case of the Seattle, it’s important to note Dipoto, Hollander, and crew have built rosters that have produced winning records in five of the eight years they’ve been in charge. Oh, and two of those losing campaigns were in the midst of the franchise’s first-ever rebuild.
Most Winning Seasons
Jerry Dipoto/Justin Hollander - 5
Woody Woodward - 5
Pat Gillick - 4
Jack Zduriencik - 2
Bill Bavasi - 1
Naturally, current manager Scott Servais boasts the same .516 winning percentage since he’s been the only skipper during the Dipoto/Hollander era. It turns out Servais’ record is second-best compared to previous Seattle managers.
Highest Winning% for M’s Skippers
Lou Piniella - .542
Scott Servais - .516
Lloyd McClendon - .503
Bob Melvin - .481
Jim Lefebvre - .479
Mike Hargrove - .478
Don Wakamatsu - .464
Dick Williams - .453
Chuck Cottier - .452
Eric Wedge - .438
Rene Lachemann - .438
Our list includes Hall of Fame skipper Dick Williams. That said, the winningest manager in franchise history (Lou Piniella) undoubtedly deserves Cooperstown enshrinement.
.756
Seattle’s road OPS, which was sixth-best in MLB.
Yes, that’s right…SIXTH best.
The Mariners had four players with 250-plus road plate appearances and a road OPS within the top-50 of MLB - Julio Rodríguez (.850), Teoscar Hernández (.830), and Cal Raleigh (.794). It’s worth noting J.P. Crawford (.793) ranked 51st.
Impressive, most impressive.
.818
The OPS of J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodríguez this year. It’s doubtful anyone expected the duo would have an identical OPS unless Rodríguez endured a major sophomore slump or suffered an injury. Fortunately, neither happened.
Moving forward, it’s crucial for Crawford and Rodríguez to repeat their success next year. Optimally, Julio moves closer to superstardom, while Crawford proves 2023 wasn’t a fluke.
I suspect it wasn’t a fluke.
3
The number of pinch-hit home runs Cal Raleigh has clobbered during his young career. Only one Mariner has hit more than Raleigh - Ken Phelps (4).
Most PH Home Runs by Mariners
Ken Phelps - 4
Cal Raleigh - 3
Gary Gray - 3
Ken Griffey Jr. - 3
Edgar Martinez - 3
Paul Sorrento - 3
Raleigh’s walk-off home run on September 30, 2022 is arguably the most important pinch-hit homer in team history. For those wishing to relive his big bomb, I present a video reminder of the dramatic moment and the celebration that ensued.
Since debuting in 2021, Raleigh has been a lethal pinch hitter on the rare occasions he wasn’t starting. The Florida State alum’s .913 OPS coming off the bench is sixth-best among Mariners with at least 30 pinch-hit plate appearances.
Sitting one spot ahead of Raleigh on the following list is a current teammate, who Mariners fans may not have considered as a candidate for this category - Sam Haggerty.
M’s with Highest Career PH OPS (30 PA min)
Leon Robert - 1.150
Endy Chávez - 1.036
Dan Wilson - .945
Ken Griffey Jr. - .944
Sam Haggerty - .935
Cal Raleigh - .913
Mark McLemore - .911
Henry Cotto - .910
Paul Sorrento - .909
Bruce Bochte - .871
5
The number of Seattle pitchers with at least 50 appearances in 2023. Only the Reds (7), Guardians (6), and Astros (6) had more. The five Mariners were Matt Brash (78 appearances), Justin Topa (75), Gabe Speier (69), Andrés Muñoz (52), and Tayler Saucedo (52).
Despite the high-ish number of appearances made by these five relievers, Servais and his staff closely managed their workload. This is reflected in the fact none of these pitchers logged more innings than appearances - Brash (70.2 innings), Topa (69), Speier (54.2), Muñoz (49), Saucedo (47.2).
5.6
Average innings pitched-per-start by the Mariners’ rotation this year, which tied the Astros for highest in MLB.
Seattle was the lone organization with three starters averaging six-or-more innings during starts. They were George Kirby (6.2), Logan Gilbert (6.0), and Luis Castillo (6.0). The Blue Jays and Phillies were the only teams with two.
6
The number of Mariners playing at least 145 games this season, which led MLB. Four teams had zero. Those Seattle players were Eugenio Suárez (162 games), Teoscar Hernández (160), Ty France (158), Julio Rodríguez (155), J.P. Crawford (145), and Cal Raleigh (145).
Most Players with 145+ Games in 2023
SEA - 6
PHI - 5
ARI - 5
ATL - 4
CLE - 4
WSN - 4
NYM - 4
TOR - 4
SDP - 4
It’s important to recognize that the number of players appearing in at least 90-percent of a team’s games doesn’t necessarily have a bearing on its success. The Twins had zero such players and won the AL Central division. Three teams having great years - the Orioles, Astros, and Rangers had three players appear in 145-plus games.
Other teams with zero players reaching the 145-game mark: Angels, A’s, Giants.
17
Speaking of player availability, 17 is the number of Mariners spending time on the injured list (IL) in 2023 - according to Spotrac.
M’s IL Time (in days)
Robbie Ray - 184
Evan White - 175
Easton McGee - 155
Penn Murfee - 147
Marco Gonzales - 121
Dylan Moore - 69
Andrés Muñoz - 61
Jarred Kelenic - 54
Tom Murphy - 47
Emerson Hancock - 42
Taylor Trammell - 32
Trevor Gott - 22
Bryan Woo - 15
Bryce Miller - 14
J.P. Crawford - 11
A.J. Pollock - 11
Sam Haggerty - 6
As bad as 17 may seem, the MLB average was 23 this year. Furthermore, just four clubs had fewer players hit the IL than Seattle did - the Diamondbacks (16), Orioles (15), Guardians (15), and Astros (13). At the other end of the spectrum, the Angels led MLB with 35 players losing time to injury. The Reds and Twins were next at 30.
Still, quality can matter more than quantity. For example, Houston had the fewest players lost to injury. But among the 13 spending time on the IL were José Altuve, Yordan Álvarez, José Abreu, Michael Brantley. Luis García, and Lance McCullers Jr..
27.4
The average age of Seattle pitchers in 2023. Only Cleveland (26.1) had a younger staff.
Seattle’s 25-and-under pitchers
Bryan Woo (23)
Juan Then (23)
Prelander Berroa (23)
Bryce Miller (24)
Andrés Muñoz (24)
Emerson Hancock (24)
Easton McGee (24)
George Kirby (25)
Matt Brash (25)
Isaiah Campbell (25)
74
Quality starts made by Mariners. It’s worth noting Seattle was the only team with three pitchers in the top-20 - Kirby (20), Castillo (18), and Gilbert (18).
Most Quality Starts
MIN - 76
SDP - 75
SEA - 74
CHC - 71
HOU - 70
PHI - 70
TOR - 70
BAL - 68
MIL - 68
TEX - 66
81
Bolts by Julio Rodríguez in 2023, which were the most by any Mariner since the Statcast era began in 2015. Baseball Savant defines a bolt as a sprint speed of at least 30 ft/sec during the fastest second of a run, which is considered elite-level speed.
Most Bolts in 2023
Corbin Carroll - 133
Bobby Witt Jr. - 149
Trea Turner - 115
Elly De La Cruz - 84
Julio Rodríguez - 81
Esteury Ruiz - 63
Jeremy Peña - 62
Ji Hwan Bae - 58
Jake McCarthy - 57
Brenton Doyle - 57
Other Mariners with multiple bolts were José Caballero (5), Teoscar Hernández (5), and Cade Marlowe (3). Sam Haggerty and Jarred Kelenic each had one.
107
Strikeouts recorded by Matt Brash this season. Only one reliever topped Brash in 2023 - Baltimore’s Félix Bautista (110). Including Brash, only five Mariner relievers have ever struck out 100-plus hitters in one season.
Most K’s in a Season by a Mariners Reliever
Edwin Díaz - 124 (2018)
Bill Caudill - 111 (1982)
Matt Brash - 107 (2023)
J.J. Putz - 104 (2006)
Paul Sewald - 104 (2021)
1982
The only season a Mariners pitching staff produced a greater fWAR than 2023.
M’s Pitching fWAR
1982 - 21.2
2023 - 20.1
1990 - 19.5
2001 - 18.9
1993 - 18.7
2002 - 18.3
1987 - 18.2
1995 - 17.8
2012 - 17.6
2009 - 17.5
Compared to previous Seattle starting staffs, this year’s rotation (14.4 fWAR) ranked eleventh. The bullpen (5.7 fWAR) was fourth-best.
It’s also worth mentioning the only clubs receiving more value from their pitching staff than the Mariners did in 2023 were the Phillies (24.4) and Rays (20.6).
1998
The only year, other than 2023, a Mariner hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases. Twenty-five seasons ago, it was a 22-year-old Álex Rodríguez performing the feat. Julio Rodríguez, who matched A-Rod’s achievement this year, was also playing in his age-22 season.
2007
The last season before 2023 the Mariners had three pitchers with 190-plus innings. In 2007, those hurlers were Jarrod Washburn (193.2), Miguel Batista (193), and Félix Hernández (190.1). This year, it was Castillo (197), Gilbert (190.2), and Kirby (190.2).
2010
The last time before this year Seattle had two-or-more players with 25-plus stolen bases. In 2023, it was Julio Rodríguez (37) and José Caballero (26). In 2010, it was future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki (42), plus Chone Figgins (42) and Franklin Gutierrez (25).
2,690,418
The Mariners’ home attendance in 2023, which was tenth-best in club history and seventh-highest at Safeco Field/T-Mobile Park.
M’s Highest Regular Season Attendance
2002 - 3,542,938
2001 - 3,507,326
2003 - 3,268,509
1997 - 3,192,237
2004 - 2,940,731
1999 - 2,916,346
2000 - 2,914,624
2005 - 2,725,459
1996 - 2,723,850
2023 - 2,690,418
Not counting the shortened seasons of 1981, 1994, 1995, and 2020, the annual average home attendance for the Mariners franchise has been 2,002,291. Pretty, pretty good for an organization with just five postseason appearances since 1977.
Seattle also enjoyed the sixth-largest gain in home attendance (403,151) from 2022 to this year. This follows an increase of 1,071,282 from 2021 to 2022.
Largest Home Attendance Increase (2022 to 2023)
PHI - 775,869
CIN - 642,532
BAL - 568,431
CLE - 538,198
TEX - 521,683
SEA - 403,151
PIT - 373,166
TOR - 368,074
HOU - 363,349
ARI - 355,983
Note: MLB attendance increased by 6,190,707 this year.
Per Baseball Reference, Seattle had a higher home attendance in 2023 than six big-market clubs - the Red Sox, Angels, Mets, Rangers, Giants, and White Sox. Kudos to a Mariners fan base that showed up in droves to support its favorite baseball team.
60
Finally, the number of Mariners Consigliere newsletters published this year. Thank you for your support and feedback this year. I’m looking forward to 2024.
The best has yet to come.
My Oh My…
Good stuff Luke! Who knew that ‘82 pitching staff was such a juggernaut 😎