The Seat Has Never Been Hotter For Jerry Dipoto

It’s been a rough year for the Seattle Mariners. At one point in June, the team was in first place by ten games. However, the Mariners’ divisional lead quickly evaporated as the season continued. Despite still being in the postseason race, President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto recently clumsily fired Manager Scott Servais. Besides Servais, Dipoto has also fired two different hitting coaches this season. With the Mariners falling short of expectations the past two years, the heat is now squarely on Jerry Dipoto.

High Hopes Have Been Dashed

Jerry Dipoto has spent the past nine seasons as the Seattle Mariners President of Baseball Operations. During his reign, he helped the Mariners end their 22-year postseason drought. Seattle beat the Blue Jays in the Wild Card round including having a thrilling comeback in game two. However, the Mariners would be swept by the Houston Astros in the ALDS. Two of their three divisional round games were decided by one run. Despite being swept by Houston, Mariner fans were envisioning future success. However, it hasn’t worked out that way so far.

A Punchless Offense

Despite having a championship-caliber pitching staff, Seattle has been falling short of expectations the past couple of seasons. Last season, the Mariners missed the postseason by a game. This season has been particularly frustrating for the Mariners and their fans. Seattle’s offense has left a lot to be desired. In late May, the team fired hitting coach Brant Brown. Despite their struggles on offense, at one point in June, the Mariners were in first place by ten games in the AL West. However, the team went a combined 18-26 in July and parts of August and is now three and a half games out of first.

Aside from Cal Raleigh and Luke Raley, most of the Mariners lineup has been punchless. Julio Rodriguez is having the worst year of his career, J.P. Crawford has been injured all season, and offseason acquisitions Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger, and Jorge Polanco have all been busts. During the trade deadline, the team acquired veterans Randy Arozarena and Justin Turner. However, those two players haven’t been able to get Seattle’s offense out of neutral.

The Poorly Handled Firing Of Scott Servais

After a stretch where Seattle went 1-8 in mid-August, the team fired manager Scott Servais. However, Servais didn’t find out about his firing through Dipoto, he found out from social media before the meeting. The dismissal of Scott Servais couldn’t’ have been handled more poorly. The Mariners are also still in the postseason hunt as well. Servais had been the Mariners manager for nine years and the team accrued a .517 winning percentage with him in charge. The Mariners also ended their playoff drought under his direction in the dugout. The Mariners would also fire another hitting coach, Jarrett DeHart. Dipoto would make former Mariners catcher Dan Wilson the manager for the rest of the season. Team legend Edgar Martinez would also join the staff as hitting coach.

Jerry Dipoto Is Out Of People To Blame

Between the poorly handled firing of Scott Servais, having the American League’s worst offense, letting go of multiple hitting coaches, and blowing a ten-game divisional lead, Jerry Dipoto’s seat has never been hotter. There’s nobody else left to blame for the Mariners offensive issues. He’s wasting the prime cheap years of a World Series-caliber pitching staff. Seattle has only gone to the postseason once in Jerry Dipoto’s tenure and hasn’t won a division title. Most baseball operations heads would be fired by now. This coming offseason might be the final opportunity for Dipoto to fix Seattle’s offense. If he fails again, he might become the former Mariners president of baseball operations. The focus and pressure will be all on Jerry Dipoto going into next year.

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