I want to make this clear. I'm not yelling about this. I'm not ranting about this. I'm really just questioning this, unpeeling the onion, and trying to get to answers.

I would like to know what has happened to the Seattle Mariners offensive philosophy.

It's a simple question, but a complex answer, at least I think.

Let's dive in.

For a decade, the Mariners have talked about 'controlling the zone.'

It's a simple concept. As pitchers, the Mariners want to throw a ton of strikes. They want to get ahead in the count, they want to limit walks, they want to dictate terms of counts, because the more often you do that, the more often a hitter gets himself out.

In this calendar year alone, I've heard major leaguers like Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller reference the mantra, and I've heard minor leaguers like Mason Peters, Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan deliver some variation of it. Peters spoke to me directly on the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast.

The philosophy is very clearly drilled into pitchers in the minor leagues. They believe in it. They live by it.

But it's also drilled into hitters. 

As noted by Luke Arkins on social media, the Mariners chase at the fifth-highest rate in baseball, and the chase rate has gone up each month as well. The Mariners are continually going outside the strike zone.

They are behind in counts, and they are getting themselves out. That is exactly what pitchers want.

Your guess is as good as mine, but I do have a few working theories:

1) Control the zone is absolutely drilled into these players in the minor leagues. The issue for the Mariners? While the entire rotation is full of homegrown players, the majority of the lineup is not.

JP Crawford controls the zone. He's basically a homegrown Mariner. Cole Young does a pretty job of it too, also a homegrown Mariner. Colt Emerson chases a ton, but he's so young, that there's hope for him turning things around and getting more comfortable.

Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez are homegrown Mariners, but the further they get from the minor league mantra, the more chase happy they seem to be.

The rest of the group? Randy Arozarena. Victor Robles. Luke Raley. Josh Naylor. They all came to Seattle with their own resumes, their own plans, their own beliefs. 

I'm just using them as examples, because of course the issues extend beyond them, but it's a curiosity. Are players from the outside the organization not believing in the system? Are they incapable of adapting to it? Are the coaches not preaching this belief in the majors like they are in the minors?

2) The other thing that has changed about baseball now, as we recently talked about with M's broadcaster Angie Mentink, is that there is no such thing as a fastball count.

As recently as five years ago, it feels like, if you "controlled the zone" and got ahead in the count at 2-0, or 3-1, you would be rewarded with a fastball that you could hit.

Now? That doesn't happen anymore. Guys are able and willing to throw offspeed pitches in any count, neutralizing your ability to do damage. As a result? It feels like Mariners hitters are up there swinging at the first hittable pitch they can get - or that they think they can get, and it often leads to them getting themselves out.

Again, just some theories, but a question that needs answering.

The most recent 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is out now, featuring Seattle Sports 710 host Brock Huard, talking about this season's frustration, his conversation with Alex Rodriguez, Kyle Seager's decision to not attend the ceremony this weekend, and much more. You can listen here, or you can watch in the YouTube player below.