Moore forcing his way into an everyday role

NEW YORK -- Even on quiet nights for the Mariners these days, Dylan Moore still has a loud presence at the plate.

Fresh off a two-homer night -- including one that might’ve been aided by pitch tipping -- Moore scorched a 109.1 mph double in his first at-bat on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, one of the few bright spots in Seattle’s 7-3 loss. He also had a 98.6 mph opposite-field single in the seventh.

Those were two of six hits for the Mariners, who were outlasted by two homers from Juan Soto and another from Aaron Judge, each off Bryce Miller, then a two-run blast by Alex Verdugo off Austin Voth. Cal Raleigh made things interesting with a three-run blast in the eighth, but the Mariners then went quietly in the ninth. They can still go for their first four-game series win in the Bronx since Aug. 4-7, 2000, on Thursday, behind Luis Castillo, who has thrived on this mound.

And they’ll likely do so with Moore in the lineup, even against righty Luis Gil, because he has firmly established himself as an everyday player.

“Wow, what a run Dylan Moore has had -- and when we've needed it,” manager Scott Servais said on Tuesday.

Moore has come off shortstop in the two games since J.P. Crawford returned to the starting lineup, playing left field then third base on Wednesday and second base on Tuesday. His versatility has been well-chronicled and has made him one of Servais’ most valued assets -- but largely off the bench over his first six seasons.

Moreover, he’s Seattle’s longest-tenured player, having made his Mariners debut on Opening Day in 2019, and he is experiencing a breakout at age 31.

“All these years of being in the big leagues and all the failure and success that I've had, it kind of culminated into like one driving theme,” Moore said, “of just trying to be ready for the game and trying to take all the extra stuff out of it. I'm just trying to hit the ball hard.

“It's been a grind to get to this point. But I feel like I'm the most confident when I get in the box this year, and with the consistent playing time, I've been on time. It's been good.”

After going 2-for-4 on Wednesday, Moore is 9-for-19 through the first six games of the road trip. For the season, he’s slashing .252/.355/.513 (.868 OPS) and has been worth 143 wRC+ (league average is 100) and 1.7 WAR, per Baseball Reference, which leads the team -- and is a stat as telling for how he’s no longer a replacement-level player.

Moore’s WAR also ranks second in the Majors among players with fewer than 150 plate appearances, and he’s the game’s only player with a WAR that high to play at least five positions.

Moore is drawing attention well beyond Seattle these days, too, having spent Monday morning doing a carwash of programming at MLB Network, which led teammates to call him a “TV star” before the series opener.

“He works his butt off,” said Ty France, one of Moore’s closest friends on the team. “So for him to have this success he's having, it's cool to see.”

Moore’s career-high .513 slugging percentage also leads the team among players with at least 100 plate appearances, underscoring his value as a run producer. Five of his six homers have been in May, a team high for the month, after he hit his first on Opening Day. He moved all the way up to fifth in the lineup on Wednesday.

So what’s behind the breakout? Moore has cited health and consistent playing time, while Servais thinks it goes even deeper.

“I think you see the maturation of a player,” Servais said, “and I think he understands who he is now better than he has at any point in his career. ... He understands his swing. Right now, he's focused on making sure his body is in a good spot so he can maintain this. And credit to him, because he put a lot of work and effort into it. He's not deviating from his plan.”

Moore, who signed a three-year, $8.875 million extension ahead of 2023, was limited to just 67 games last year after undergoing surgery to his core area the previous offseason and experiencing setbacks at the outset of Spring Training. He’s now fully healthy -- and above all, confident -- which is why he finally seems to be putting it all together in 2024.