Kendrys Morales and Justin Smoak have continued their hot hitting for the Seattle Mariners this Spring Training. In the updated team stats from Friday (March 8), both players have shown that they deserve a spot on the Opening Day roster.
In seven spring games, Smoak is now 9-for-21 at the plate, which works out to a .429 batting average. He has two walks in those games and has struck out just four times. Five extra base hits, six RBIs, and some good defense at first base have also been great facets of his game this spring.
Morales has gone 8-for-21 in his first seven spring games, posting a .381 batting average. He hasn't drawn a walk and has posted two strikeouts in those games. Morales has two home runs and 4 RBIs so far and appears to be the perfect addition to the roster from the designated hitter slot.
It's starting to look like having Smoak at first base and Morales at designated hitter could work out really well for the team. It also doesn't hurt that Raul Ibanez has gone 8-for-16 this spring to post a .500 batting average of his own. Having him as an extra hitter ready to come off the bench and offer some days off to the starters seems like a good scenario as well.
These numbers are obviously just Spring Training statistics for Kendrys Morales and Justin Smoak, but if they can continue hitting well as Opening Day approaches, the Seattle Mariners could look pretty good out of the gate. Having a consistent offense could be the biggest key to this team actually getting back into contention for a run at an American League West title.
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