After a career-worst campaign last year, Garver will look to bounce back in his second season in Seattle.
It was a rough 2024 for Mitch Garver, to put it lightly. Signed to a two-year, $24 million contract on Christmas Eve 2023, he represented the largest free-agent commitment to a position player in the Jerry Dipoto era – one that began in September 2015! That’s a few months before The Force Awakens hit theaters! Garver had been a thumper for the Rangers, newly crowned World Series champions, and his installment as the club’s primary designated hitter had fans hopeful that Seattle had found their best DH since Nelson Cruz departed.
Oh, how I wish that were the case.
Despite Garver reaching career highs in games played and plate appearances at 114 and 430, respectively, he endured what was by far the worst year of his big league career. Slashing just .172/.286/.341 en route to an 88 wRC+, he often found himself taking up the role of team scapegoat – no game moreso than this disastrous performance in Boston on July 31st. A -.428 WPA? As a hitter? I’ve been making postgame charts here for quite some time now, and that was the lowest WPA mark I’ve ever seen for a position player. Yikes. As the season wore on, he was relieved of his regular DH duties and settled into a backup catcher role of sorts, crouching behind the plate for 25 games, as well as continuing to get playing time against left-handed pitching.
Despite his season-long tribulations, though, it wasn’t all bad for the Garv man. He was still a capable hitter against lefties, posting a 124 wRC+ against them, and made the most of his reduced playing time in September to close out the year, putting up a wRC+ of 123. He also performed better behind the dish than many expected, grading out okay in blocking and framing while settling in as the primary catcher for George Kirby, and was a key factor in the Kirb man’s strong stretch in the middle of season.
Heading into 2025, Mitch Garver’s role on the team has shrunk. No longer being counted on to be the club’s primary DH, he’ll start the year as the traditional backup catcher behind ironman Cal Raleigh – but he’ll likely also get some time at designated hitter when a southpaw is on the mound for the opposing team. He has enjoyed a strong spring training thus far, dodging a scary moment when a hit-by-pitch struck him in the wrist without causing any serious damage, and could force his way into more at-bats should he make the most of the opportunities he gets in the early going. And after all, if you look at his career up to now, it seems like odd years are when he really takes off. It’s certainly no guarantee, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see that pattern continue.
Projections:
FanGraphs Depth Chart: 323 PA, 102 WRC+, 0.8 fWAR, .203/.305/.372
PECOTA: 298 PA, 94 DRC+, 0.6 WARP, .199/.294/.366
Over/Unders:
Zach: Over
I’m manifesting.
Eric: Over
Wow, rare that a projection system hates a strugglebus player more than I do, but damn it all if I don’t think GarvSauce can outdo hitting .203. You can do it, buddy.
Kate: Over
Spring Training MVP 2024 Other Mitch be damned, I believe.