The birth of ‘Rake Fraley’ adds a surprising spark to a promising Mariners season
Whether you’re a few rows back from home plate, or in the highest of the nosebleeds at T-Mobile Park, you’d be hard-pressed not to notice Jake Fraley.
A blonde beard covers his face, and then some. His hair pours out of both his helmet and hat, which helps him stand out like no other Mariner since Ben Gamel, who showcased flowing locks worthy of a 2018 hat giveaway.
In what most would consider a Mariners season full of promise, Fraley is one of its greatest surprises. He’s shown an intense knack for reaching base, leading the team with 29 walks in just 32 games. A month ago, Fraley was batting near the Mendoza Line, yet reached base more than 55 percent of the time. His OPS sat a touch over 1.000.
And since returning from a hamstring injury suffered only a week into the season, Fraley’s batting average has ballooned to .261. His on-base percentage remains in the mid-400’s, and the outfielder provided an extra-inning, walk-off hit Friday to secure a league-leading 19th one-run win for the Mariners.
They’re starting to call him “Rake Fraley” for a reason.
“His awareness of the strike zone right now may be as good as anybody in the league,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said of Fraley. “He just doesn’t chase. And oftentimes, I think he knows the strike zone better than some of the umpires back there… I mean it’s really good. He just doesn’t swing at bad pitches.”
In Friday night’s come-from-behind win over Texas, Fraley roped his first career home run inside T-Mobile Park that put Seattle on the board. He walked twice, stole two bases, and provided the hit that sealed the series opener for the Mariners.
“It’s awesome, especially having a day like today where it’s the first time everything’s opened back up,” Fraley said after Friday night’s victory. “(There) was a big crowd out there, and they were loud, too. To be able to put on a game like that for them, for all of the fans in Seattle… It was huge.”
When Fraley injured his hamstring, he spent time rehabbing in Triple-A Tacoma; seven games, to be exact.
The plan? Make a minor swing adjustment, one that helped him stay through pitches longer. He’s been particularly successful with pitches lower in the zone, Servais says, and his all around play has been dubbed a “shot in the arm.”
Fraley is 7-for-8 in base stealing attempts, continues to reach base at an absurd clip, and has yet to record an error in the outfield.
“I’ve been able to really, really hone in on what I know I do well,” Fraley said. “(I’m) keeping everything very simple from a mental standpoint. I feel like I have a very good idea from a mechanical standpoint. Keeping things in line and keeping dips in this game a little bit shorter than they can be sometimes. But from the mental side, it’s been a big jump for me, just having the confidence to go out there knowing I bring value to this team when I’m in that box and when I’m doing what I know I can do. And just like I explained tonight, sticking to that plan, at-bat to at-bat and pitch to pitch.”
