Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
Part of a series of articles previewing the defensive performance of all 30 MLB teams by asking the question … are they good? To see the full series, click here.
2024 Defensive Runs Saved Rank: 8th
Team Strengths
Catcher Cal Raleigh won an AL Gold Glove last season after finishing 2nd at the position with 17 Defensive Runs Saved. Raleigh is one of the best pitch framers in baseball.
Most Defensive Runs Saved – Catchers in 2024
| Name | Runs Saved |
| Patrick Bailey | 20 |
| Cal Raleigh | 17 |
| Freddy Fermin | 16 |
| Alejandro Kirk | 13 |
| Jake Rogers | 13 |
Shortstop J.P. Crawford, a past Gold Glove winner, had his best season yet, totaling 9 Runs Saved, which ranked 7th there. One potential middle infield mate, utility man Dylan Moore, has 9 career Runs Saved in the equivalent of about a season at second base.
We could list Victor Robles as a strength with a question mark. He’s expected to play right field this season, a spot where he’s totaled 7 Runs Saved in about 400 innings for his career. But this is the same Robles who finished with -10 Runs Saved as a center fielder in 2023 so we’re not ready to make a prediction that he’s going to be a standout.
Team Weaknesses
Mariners pitchers tallied -13 Runs Saved last season. Only the Rays were worse. The big culprits were George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, who combined for -10. If the worst thing you could say about a team is that their pitchers don’t defend well, that’s probably a good sign.
Other Things To Know
Left fielder Randy Arozarena has an odd track record. In 2021 and 2023 he totaled 7 and 4 Runs Saved at the position, respectively. In 2022 and 2024, he finished with -6 and -8. So it’s anybody’s guess what he’ll be in 2025.
Center fielder Julio Rodriguez hasn’t had a breakthrough Runs Saved season yet, though other metrics rate him better than ours do. He’s topped out at 3 Runs Saved at that position both in his rookie season and in 2024.
Are The Mariners A Good Defensive Team?
Yes, they should be, though some of that is built on Robles and Arozarena cooperating and first base not playing out in a damaging way, with Luke Raley replacing Ty France.
