Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, and Josh Naylor Are Struggling Like Crazy, and That's Actually Fine

Seven games into the season, the Mariners' three biggest bats have gone completely silent, and it's becoming impossible to ignore. Cal Raleigh is 4 for 25 with 15 strikeouts and zero home runs. Julio Rodriguez is 2 for 26 with 10 strikeouts and no dingers. Josh Naylor sits at 1 for 27 with five strikeouts and, yeah, zero long balls. Combined, they're 7 for 78. That's the definition of rough.

Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Yankees was painful to watch, with Raleigh, Rodriguez, and Naylor going a combined 1 for 12. A day earlier, in a 5-0 loss to New York, they managed 2 for 11. The heart of the order is basically not functioning right now, and it's showing in the box score every single night.

It Stings, But It's Way Too Early to Panic

With 155 games still left to play, this slow start from Seattle's best hitters is annoying, not alarming. The Mariners are 3-4 after hosting two playoff teams from last year in the Guardians and Yankees. The roster is healthy. The pitching is solid. There's no reason to be doom and gloom about a team that feels like it's in a win-now mode this season.

Manager Dan Wilson sees the bigger picture. "We faced some really tough pitching, and no question about it, we've faced some tough starters with the Yankees and they've kept us a little quiet," Wilson said. "But again, seeing some of the at-bats later in the ballgame today and the way the guys have continued to make their adjustments, you know, I think we've got good things to come for sure."

The Historical Proof Is Right There

Here's the thing that should make Mariners fans sleep at night: Raleigh and Rodriguez have done this before. After seven games last season, Cal was hitting .125 with a .250 slugging percentage and zero home runs. He ended the year with 60 home runs and finished second in AL MVP voting. Rodriguez, a notoriously slow starter, was hitting .182 through seven games in 2025 with just one homer. He finished sixth in MVP voting. Naylor, though, is the real concern since he historically starts strong, making this an outlier for him.

Even the league's best are fighting the same battle. Last season's AL MVP Aaron Judge is hitting .150. Last season's NL MVP Shohei Ohtani is hitting .200 with no homers.

There have been bright spots, too. Raleigh hit a walkoff single in the ninth inning during the Mariners' 2-1 win over the Yankees on Monday, and he crushed a two-run single Wednesday in the eighth inning with two outs. That's still clutch baseball when it counts, even if Rodriguez struck out swinging on the next at-bat.

The Mariners have more than enough season left to get their offense rolling. Patience will pay off.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.