Mariners Sluggers Struggle in WBC Aftermath

0:00It's April 2nd, from the locker room to your ears. This is Seattle Mariners News, today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story. Mariners players who suited up for the World Baseball Classic are off to a rocky start in the first seven games. Guys like Catcher Cal Raleigh, star Julio Rodriguez and first baseman Josh Naylor are hitting below the Mendoza line, with averages around 160, 077 and 037. Let's drag their on base plus lugging way down, and strikeouts are piling up fast. It's only seven games though, just over 4% of the full 162 game season. Add in freezing weather and matchups against strong teams like the Yankees, whose pictures are dealing on a historic level, and it's no shock. The WBC games were intense, but they mess with normal spring training buildups for a lot of these dudes. Players admit the tournament through off their rhythms. Raleigh says he feels decent in the box, but needs to execute better, especially after whiffing an over half his trips up.

1:00Rodriguez, a known slow starter, is colder than ever, while Naylor's chasing bad luck despite some hard contact. Not everyone's eyes cold. Randy Arzarena's batting 250 with 3 doubles, and Dominic Canzone exploded for two homers on opening day with a 1. 2. 1. 2. WBC for mental sharpness, even a physical prep lag to bend. Meanwhile, relievers like Andres Muñoz and Gabe Spire are shaking off early soreness and location issues from irregular WBC outings. It's all small sample noise right now, but as routines click back in, expect these reps to fuel a turnaround before the Mariners heat up.