Are you missing baseball too? For those that don’t know me, hello! My name is Keith Schmelter and I was the most profitable MLB writer on the Pickswise staff last season. I finished +37.6 units on money line/run-line picks, +52.9 units on game totals, and +39.3 units (21-6-1) on three-star plays for Pickswise. I am a die-hard baseball fan with an even greater passion for statistics who loves to watch and bet on baseball. While the MLB is in a lockout, I will be analyzing every MLB team and giving my predictions for their 2022 season.
Moving along in the AL West, let’s analyze the Seattle Mariners.
Seattle Mariners breakdown
2022 World Series odds: +3500
2022 AL West odds: +450
2021 record: 90-72
2021 O/U record: 83-75-4
Key players in: Adam Frazier (2B), Robbie Ray (SP), Jesse Winker (LF), Eugenio Suarez (3B)
Key players out: James Paxton (SP), Kyle Seager (3B), Yusei Kikuchi (SP)
Story of last season
The Mariners’ season was full of disappointment, until September. Seattle hit for a measly .211 average in April and then couldn’t hit water if they fell off a boat in May. The team combined for a .199 batting average, lost 15 games, and got no-hit twice in less than two weeks all in the month of May. Seattle was desperate for change, so they called up Jarred Kelenic who is baseball’s no. 4 prospect. Following a 5-for-75 start (including a 0-for-39 slump), Seattle’s attempt at a culture change was a massive failure.
Logan Gilbert, baseball’s no. 28 prospect, was brought up to help the struggling Mariners pitching staff and had a mediocre rookie season with a 4.68 ERA, but his 44.6% hard-hit rate is a cause for slight concern. It wasn’t until September when there was magic in the air in Seattle as the Mariners went 18-8 and had a legitimate shot at a Wild Card spot, but the Angels spoiled the Mariners’ postseason hopes as they took 2 out of 3 from Seattle in the final series of the year.
The Mariners extended their playoff drought to 20 consecutive seasons.
Seattle Mariners 2022 MLB season predictions
The Mariners are officially in win-now mode. With their acquisitions of Adam Frazier, Robbie Ray, and Jesse Winker this offseason, it has become clear that they want to win a World Series in the next three years. Seattle lost very few players to free agency except for Tyler Anderson who had a relatively down season in 2021 and could return to Seattle at an affordable rate. However, they did lose longtime Mariner Kyle Seager to retirement as the fan-favorite is hanging up the spikes after 11 years with Seattle.
Seattle had a hole at third base and it seemed they could be on the hunt for Kris Bryant, but acquiring Winker and Eugenio Suarez signaled that Seattle is almost certainly done adding to their offense. Suarez compiled 83 home runs and 207 RBIs between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, but has not been the same player since. He hit for a combined average of .200 with 46 home runs in the last two seasons, so Seattle is hoping the Mariner magic will bring his career back to life.
With J.P. Crawford slowly growing into a star, Seattle needed to find a quality second baseman that could complete their middle infield. The Mariners shocked the league with a trade for Adam Frazier who was one of the league’s best hitters in 2021. Frazier hit .324 for the Pirates before being traded to the Padres, but San Diego misused Frazier and consistently moved him down in the order. He finished with a .267 average with the Padres, and it was obvious he wasn’t the right fit. Frazier is a perfect two-hitter for the Mariners that will contribute on both sides of the ball.
Saving the best for last, the Mariners signed Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to a 5-year, $115 million contract. Seattle has not had a real ace since Felix Hernandez and Ray seems like the perfect pitcher to fill those shoes. Ray had an extraordinary 2021 season in which he posted a 2.84 ERA and accumulated 284 strikeouts in 193.1 innings, so the lefty will be a pleasant sight to Mariners fans.
The Mariners were undervalued at +4000 odds to win it all. Now they’re around +3000 and they’re still worth every penny. Their offense is solid with Ty France, Mitch Haniger, and Winker in the heart of the order and Ray will lead a young Mariners pitching staff that will impress in 2022. Also, Seattle is expected to call up baseball’s no. 2 prospect Julio Rodriguez at some point this season which will complete their outfield.
I’m high on Seattle this season, so I’m locking in a Mariners futures bet now.
2022 MLB season team previews
Check out the rest of our team previews for the upcoming baseball season!
AL East
AL Central
AL West
Pickswise is the home of free sports picks, news and best bets. Check out our expert NFL Picks, NBA Picks, MLB Picks and NHL Picks for the latest game picks.
