First things worst - the Mariners' trouble with the first pitch

Seattle’s offensive struggles are being linked to a specific pattern: poor outcomes on first pitches. Entering Saturday, the Mariners ranked 25th in MLB in runs per game at 4.02, projecting a 651-run pace, and the article notes they have almost their full healthy lineup for the first time this season. It highlights that among 158 players with at least 250 plate appearances, Seattle has three of baseball’s worst first-pitch hitters: Josh Naylor (138 first-pitch swings, .245 wOBA), J.P. Crawford (72 swings, .244 wOBA), and Julio Rodríguez (116 swings, .224 wOBA), all near the bottom of the first-pitch rankings. League-average for first-pitch swings is .389 wOBA versus Seattle’s team .348 on 1,027 swings in 3,105 plate appearances. The piece says the downturn is steep compared with last year, when none of the three were producing at this low level.