Ben Verlander gives the Mariners their flowers

“The Seattle Mariners are a good ball club,” Verlander declared in a video posted to X on Tuesday. “I was so passionate about this Mariners team last year heading into this year because they are going to pitch the lights out and they are not going to be good enough offensively. I was wrong.”

Verlander had some stats to back it up, pointing out that the Mariners have a higher wRC+ as a team than the Los Angeles Dodgers, the reigning champs who are 24-11. He also mentioned that Seattle is second in a slew of offensive categories dating back to last August 1, including runs scored, home runs, stolen bases, walk rate and wRC+.

Is Edgar Martinez to credit for the Mariners’ offensive turnaround?

The Mariners’ 2024 season-long stats on offense last year are shockingly bad for a team that came within one game of the postseason. They ranked 29th in team batting average (.224), 22nd in OPS (.687) and first in total strikeouts (1,625).

Yet, as Verlander said, the Mariners won 21 of their last 34 games, seeming to turn their offense around once the calendar flipped to August. He believes it’s no coincidence that it’s around the same time that the Mariners hired Edgar Martinez as their director of hitting strategy.

“That’s not a coincidence, I promise you,” Verlander said. “I am pumped to have been wrong about [the Mariners]. I want this staff to have some offense to help them. I want this team to be good. I love the stadium, I love the fanbase. I was passionate about it because I hate to see potential just go to waste. The organization believed in what they have and that is paying off, and a lot of credit is due there, and I will say, hand up, I was wrong about the Seattle Mariners.”