While they were crushingly deficient for much of the season, the 2024 Seattle Mariners excelled in one particular offensive area that the club has long neglected: bunting. From 2016-2023, the Mariners were among the league’s least-effective bunting clubs, boasting a 119 wRC+ in 313 plate appearances where they got a bunt down, 25th in the league among non-pitchers over that time. 2024 told a different tale, however. From the pictured surprise bunt threat Luke Raley to the Robin Hood-like brilliance of Victor Robles, the M’s were one of the league’s most effective bunters, and in so doing opened up an avenue of offensive opportunity in the league’s most stifling scoring environment.
The Mariners should continue to serve bunt
