Dan Vogelbach, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur, via Flickr)
Kyle Seager, Seattle Mariners. Photo by Dinur, via Flickr)
Any way you slice it, 2019’s Seattle Mariners defense was terrible. Their .978 fielding percentage was dead last in the Majors. The M’s made too many errors, which is one of the big reasons why they had a fifth-worst 5.51 runs per game scored against them. Granted, no one would confuse last seasons pitching staff with the 1970 Orioles. But Seattle wasn’t in a position to give away outs to their opponents either. They only scored 4.68 runs per game.
Advanced statistics reinforce what the fans saw on the field. WAR or wins above replacement is one of the gold standards of advanced stats. It’s a measure of how many wins a team would gain or lose if a player was replaced with someone else at the Major League average. The Seattle Mariners had a -5.6 defensive WAR in 2019. That means had Mariners manager Scott Servais fielded a team of average defensive players, Seattle would have won about six more games. No team can afford to give away that many games in the field and expect to have a winning record.
2020 represents a new start for the Seattle Mariners. They are a rebuilding team. As a result, some of the up and coming, younger players are better fielders than their 2019 counterparts. Sunday, we analyzed the catchers, today it’s the infield.
Kyle Seager is the veteran presence on a young team. It will be up to the 2014 American League Gold Glove winner to be the cornerstone of a mostly inexperienced Seattle Mariners infield. How he handles that leadership role will go a long way in deciding the success of the infield as a whole. It’s no secret that Seager has had his troubles at the plate in recent seasons. Regardless of how his offensive production plays out, fans can expect him to play great defense at third base.
J.P. Crawford, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur, via Flickr)
In June of 2017, the Seattle Mariners signed shortstop Juan Segura to a five-year $70M contract extension. He rewarded the team’s faith in him with outstanding production both at the plate and in the field. Segura represented the M’s at the 2018 All-Star Game in Washington, D.C. That’s why it was somewhat surprising that he was traded to Philadelphia the following winter. In return, Seattle received Phillies’ top prospect, J.P. Crawford.
The 2019 season opened with Tim Beckham at short. By May, the Mariners couldn’t keep Crawford in the minors. He came up from Triple-A Tacoma and by June had won the starting shortstop job. Though he made some outstanding plays in the field, like a lot of young players, Crawford had trouble making the routine play at times. As Crawford matures this season, he should be more consistent.
Second base is another position in transition. Dee Gordon‘s days with the Seattle Mariners appear to be coming to an end. He will be a free agent at the end of this season. The changeover began last May when Shed Long joined the team from Tacoma. Unfortunately, Long had trouble adjusting at the plate and was sent down a few weeks later. He came back in September, splitting time at second and left field.
Long is considered a vital piece of the Mariners rebuild. He is a good hitter. Good enough to more than overcome his slightly above average fielding and arm at second base. Even though Long is listed as number one on the depth chart, Gordon will still see plenty of action.
For his part, Gordon has been serviceable at second base during his two seasons in Seattle. He started his Major League career as a shortstop, transitioning to second base a few seasons later. Second is a more natural fit for his abilities. The 32-year-old won’t lose Seattle many games in the field, but he won’t win them any games either.
Daniel Vogelbach, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur, via Flickr)
Big swinging power hitters occupied first base last season for the Mariners last year. Servais was willing to sacrifice defense at first to get more pop in the lineup. Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, and Daniel Vogelbach all spent time there. To be honest, all three are better suited to a designated hitter role. First Bruce, then Encarnacion were traded away for prospects. By default, the job went to Vogelbach.
When the big man was hitting the way he did during the first half of 2019, it was worth it to play Vogelbach in the field. However, his prowess at the plate took a sharp decline. Vogelbach hit .162 in the second half, which is enough to get him pulled from the lineup by itself. Combine that with a horrendous -1.5 dWAR, and it’s easy to see why he spent more and more time on the bench as the season wound down. Voglebach should spend much of this season as a platoon DH.
In 2020, the revolving door of sub-par fielding at first base is over. Seattle Mariners 2017 first-round pick Evan White is expected to make the jump from Double-A to the Majors. Not only has he shown nice power in the minors, but White’s defense is also better than anything the M’s have had in several years.
The 6-3, 220-pounder from the University of Kentucky may be Seattle’s best fielding first baseman since John Olerud. He has the range to both guard the line as well as cut down the second basemen’s area of coverage. Additionally, White’s athleticism should help prevent errant throws from becoming two-base errors.
The starting infield most games (from right to left) will be Seager, Crawford, Long, and White. Vogelbach, when not the DH, backs up White at first. Second-string catcher Aaron Nola will also play first. As mentioned above, Gordon will see plenty of time at second and is also Crawford’s primary back up at shortstop. Seager’s understudy looks to be Dylan Moore, who is a versatile utility player.
As long as the Seattle Mariners young players develop as expected, infield defense should go from a team weakness to a strength.