Commentary: Where would the Mariners’ woeful offense be without former Spokane Indian Dylan Moore?

Dylan Moore’s first impression was disastrous.

Telling, too.

On March 30, 2019, the then-26-year-old prospect made his first career start as the Mariners hosted the Boston Red Sox. On an unseasonably warm Saturday in Seattle, Moore manned third base in front of 34,933 fans.

It was an inauspicious start.

Though Seattle earned a 6-5 win, nothing went right for the rookie, as Moore committed three errors and went 0 for 4 (striking out three times and grounding into a double play). He filled a bingo card with belly flops.

But the starting debut didn’t break him.

“It’s really a testament to who he is,” manager Scott Servais said on March 22, sitting in his office at the Mariners’ spring training facility in Peoria, Ariz. “I believe Nick Rumbelow was on the mound that night. He’d gotten the ground balls, and they kept going to the same guy at third base. [Kyle] Seager was banged up with an injury that year, so Dylan stepped in there, and it did not go his way.

“But he never wavered. He came out the next day and carried himself really well. For a guy that had never been in the big leagues before, sometimes that can mess with you, and it didn’t.”

(For the record: Mike Leake got the start that night, while Rumbelow faced a single hitter — striking out Xander Bogaerts to earn his first and last career save. I’ll bet you didn’t expect to read Rumbelow’s name in today’s column.)

In the five years since, Moore – who played 65 games for the Spokane Indians in 2015 – has carved a career out of selflessness and perseverance. He’s overcome injuries and spelled starters at every possible position (besides the one behind the plate). His versatility has become invaluable, most recently in a 24-game stint at shortstop in place of injured mainstay J.P. Crawford.

And despite Crawford’s return this week, Moore has proved more than a super sub. In the Mariners’ seven-game road trip against the Yankees and Orioles, the 31-year-old veteran went 9 for 21 (.428) with three doubles, two homers, six RBI, six walks and three strikeouts. On Tuesday he clubbed two homers, then threw up deuces while rounding the bases in the Bronx. He entered Thursday’s game — a 5-0 shutout loss to the American League-leading Yankees — with a WAR (wins above replacement) of 1.8, sitting 28th in baseball and tops on his team.

Given the slow starts for lineup staples such as Crawford, Julio Rodriguez, Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger and Ty France, imagine where the Mariners would be without Moore.

Or outfielder Luke Raley, who has produced a .382/.424/.655 slash line with three doubles, four homers and nine RBI in May.

Both Moore and Raley — neither of whom started on opening day — deserve credit for leveraging recent hot streaks into everyday at-bats. But it’s unfair to expect either player to continue contributing at the current clip.

So: Will the cavalry come?

That’s the thornier question. At 27-24 headling into Friday’s game at Washington, the Mariners lead the AL West by three games … despite owning a minus-4 run differential. They’ve enlisted Rodriguez (.318 slugging percentage, 143rd out of 159 qualified players) and Polanco (.300, 148th) to drive the ball, and both own slugging percentages in the MLB basement.

Rodriguez, specifically, has managed an unthinkable five doubles and two homers through 50 games and 198 at-bats, and went 1 for 16 in four games against the Yankees. The face of the franchise has simply failed to hit fly balls. Catcher Cal Raleigh (11 homers, 28 RBI) is the only Mariner with more than six home runs. And after enjoying a scintillating start, third baseman Josh Rojas is hitless in five of his past six games.

Through 51 games, Seattle leads MLB in strikeouts (508) and sits 19th in slugging percentage (.378), 20th in total bases (617), 24th in runs (191) and 24th in batting average (.228).

Moore, Raley, Raleigh, etc., need help — whether via Rodriguez’s rediscovered swing, a collective uptick from Seattle’s sputtering starters or an impactful addition at the trade deadline.

But Moore, meanwhile, remains worthy of not just playing time, but appreciation. He’s played in 484 games at eight positions since that dismal debut, a model of perseverance — and improvement.

He’s long been easy to overlook, and harder to replace.

“It was brought to my attention yesterday that he’s the [longest] consecutive tenured Mariner on our team,” Servais said on that day in spring training, sitting in his office. “I thought originally it was J.P. [Crawford]. It’s not, because J.P. didn’t start with us in ‘19. He started in Triple-A.

“So I’m glad to see [Moore] doing well. When you’re around a player for this many years, you know the personality of course. But it’s been fun to see the skill set improve over the last few years he’s been here.”

Little did he know.

“It’s not hard for me to realize that. You’ll have to ask [Servais] why he said that,” Moore said with a laugh later that day, when asked if he feels like the longest-tenured Mariner. “But yeah, I’ve been here a long time, through the ups and downs. This organization and city holds a special place in my heart. So I’m really proud to be a Mariner.”