Seattle Mariners: 4 Reasons Their Offense Has Finally Taken off

At 27-35, the Seattle Mariners have had an underachieving season so far. What was supposed to be a year in which they make some noise in the AL West has been anything but. 

Their underachieving performance can be attributed to their offense. Ranking 27th in the league in batting average and 28th in on-base percentage, the Mariners' offense has failed to live up to expectations. 

Recently, however, positive signs have been showing in Seattle. Although a small sample showing, their lineup seems to have clicked, with players finally playing to their capability. Their offense is improving, and in a best-case scenario, their offense can be a top-15 offense. 

Their offense will keep improving because of these four players. 

Kyle Seager

Third baseman Kyle Seager has been a key player in this Mariners' lineup. 

In the last 10 games, Seager has been batting a hot .350/3/12. With 14 hits in those past 10 games played, he has had an OBP of .447 with seven walks. 

With 10 runs scored in the past 10 games, Seager is a main reason for the Mariners' offensive firepower. 

Michael Saunders

Batting .405 with 17 hits in 10 games, Saunders has been on a tear and is a key reason the Mariners' lineup has been improving. 

Saunders has improved his batting average to .272, almost a 40-point jump from last week. 

With four multi-hit games in the last 10 games, Saunders remains hot in June and will contribute to the Mariners. 

Ichiro Suzuki

Ichiro has been a mainstay in the Mariners' lineup for years, and you can always count on him to get the job done.

Surprisingly, Ichiro is still struggling with a .263 batting average on the season, but he keeps hitting. Over the past 10 games, he's had 10 hits, with three home runs. 

The good thing about Ichiro is that while he's struggling to get hits, he's not technically in a slump. He has only struck out 20 times in 61 games, so hits will come with a little bit of luck. 

Justin Smoak

Smoak finally seems to be coming out of his season-long slump, which is good news for Seattle fans and bad news for the American League.

Over the last 10 games, Smoak has batted .275/3/8 with 11 hits. While he also had 10 strikeouts during that time, his improved batting average during that short span is good news that he seems to be over his hitting slump. 

Smoak is the future of this team and this lineup, and the offense will revolve around him. Now that he's hitting, look for this Seattle lineup to do the same.