Seattle Mariners defensive preview: Part 2 – Infield
J.P. Crawford, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur, via Flickr)
Shortstop
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
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.