THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Teo's trouble with T-Mobile makes sense

So, the problem has been solved.

The Mariners can’t hit because the mound and home plate at the T-Mobile Park are off center.

Oh, and the “batter’s eye,” that green background in center field that gives hitters  a chance to see pitches, is crooked.

Well, not exactly crooked.

It’s slightly offline, so that the sun glares toward home plate at certain times of day.

That analysis on why hitters struggle at T-Mobile (and what’s causing the Mariners, in particular, to strike out at a historic pace) comes from noted venue architect Teoscar Hernandez.

Dr. Teo, as he’s known in the business, isn’t just a gentleman who’s studied all these angles on a computer.

In fact, he’s personally dealt with that issue of the pitcher’s mound at T-Mobile Park being slightly off center.

OK, we’re kidding about Teo advising NBBJ, the Kansas City company that designed the stadium.

But Teo certainly WAS employed by the Mariners a year ago, not to recommend structural changes to the ballpark, but to play rightfield — and to hit baseballs very hard and very far.

His conclusion, after a full season of experimentation, was that some cold, hard proof was right there in his statistics.

Teo has the numbers.

He could bash when the Mariners were on the road, and then struggle to make contact when the team played at home.

NOW, IF Hernandez was the lone case that gave us locked-up proof, that would be one thing.

But there’s a macro view here, and nobody seems to have a grip on it.

If the batter’s eye were off kilter enough to blur the hitter’s view a good share of the time, wouldn’t visiting players have the same struggle with it.

Not only that, but the Mariners of the past two seasons seem capable of striking out at historic rates all over the major leagues — not just in Seattle.

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto didn’t seem in any rush to tear up parts of T-Mobile when discussing ballpark quirks during a radio show this week.

“But hey, we’ll look into anything,” he said. “This is strange enough that maybe we should study it.”

Hernandez does have some numbers to back up what he first guessed was just a figment of his imagination.

“I thought it was me,” Teo said. “So, I moved all over in the batter’s box, in front and back, trying to get a comfortable look — and it just wouldn’t happen.”

Just for the record, Teo wanted to be clear that he enjoyed playing in Seattle.

“I had a great time,” Hernandez said Monday in Texas, where he was playing in his first All-Star game as a member of the Dodgers — and where he won the Home Run Derby.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the way I wanted to feel when I was playing at home.

“When I say that, it’s not about the fans, it’s not about the team or the front office or anybody that has to do with the team.”

NO, IT was the batter’s box.

“For some reason, I couldn’t figure it out,” Teo said. “I couldn’t feel good at the plate at home.”

Remember, we said Teo has some numbers in his briefcase to prove that he didn’t go wacky for a year.

Last season with the Mariners, he managed just a .643 OPS at T-Mobile Park, compared to .830 on the road.

That’s a large enough split that it doesn’t feel like coincidence.

Nope.

He insists he’s not alone, either.

“I talk to a lot of players around the league, and they feel the same thing when they go to Seattle and play two or three games over there,” Hernandez said.

“They had the same feeling. So, it was not only me.”

Right, there are two possible problems here.

No. 1: The matter of being off-line to the mound just isn’t possible, Dipoto said.

“Major League Baseball oversees that, and all the measurements have to be correct,” he said.

The question of the Batter’s Eye, and whether there can be times or angles when a hitter might see a reflection … well, they’ll take a look at that one.

It’s possible, at least.

All MLB stadiums are lined up in the same direction (to keep the sun out of hitters’ eyes), but Seattle has water in the background, so any type of rippling effect is possible.

Get NBBJ on the phone.

Teo’s available for consultation.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”

    LINDSEY WASSON/Associated Press Former Seattle Mariner Teoscar Hernandez walks back to the dugout after grounding out against the Minnesota Twins during a July 2023 game in Seattle.